Loving Grayson ✓ (Book 2, the Hating Series)

29

Dallas

Is this another attempt to get back at Grayson?

Or.... Is this the part where I get brutally murdered?

I take a few steps back as he approached me, his hands tucked into the pockets of his sweatpants, and mine ready to reach for my phone and dial 911.

"If you take another step," I take a heavy breath before continuing with my threat, which, let's be real, had no conviction behind it's words. "I will call the police."

He comes to a halt, pulling his hands from his pockets to throw them up in surrender. "I'm not going to hurt you." He says, and I wished that I could believe him.

"Who do you think called the police the other night?"

He did?

I had my suspicions, but...

I wanted to ask why, but, instead, I let my withheld anger get the better of me. "You drugged me!" I snapped. In the time since New Year's Eve, I started to believe that perhaps I wouldn't have to see Avery ever again. That maybe he would just drop off the face of the earth, I mean, who drugs someone that they befriended in order to trap another person and then decides to stick around?

"I didn't want to." His voice quavered and he halted, taking a deep, frustrated breath before looking me in the eyes. "Remember when I told you about my family?"

Yeah, but you conveniently left out a few details, like the fact that your father almost hit me with his truck and actually hit Grayson with it, or the fact that you and your psychotic brothers conspired to exact revenge against him? Is what my rage and fury wanted me to snap back, but I didn't. Instead, I decided to hear him out, and so I answered with a nod, still making sure to keep a safe distance from him.

"It was true. My father and my brothers, they-" He couldn't seem to find the words. "They..." He clenches his jaw and looks down at the pavement. "They're awful people."

"Then why did you drug me for them?" I wondered, genuinely curious.

"Because they wanted to hurt you too." He said. "I drugged you so that they wouldn't hurt you." He inhaled a sharp breath before releasing it back into the cold and dark air. "I'm so fucking sorry, I know I fucked up, I am fucked up." He takes a seat on the nearby bench and hunches his upper body forward so that his elbows rest on my knees. "And since I'm probably going to end up in jail like my dad, I just wanted you to know how sorry I am." His voice is panicked.

I was still wary of him—I mean, what if this is all a trick? But, despite my fear, I found myself approaching him. I take a seat next to him on the bench.

"Actually, Grayson didn't tell the police anything." I say.

Avery turns to look at me, his eyes were watery and his pale face was burning red—most probably from the cold. "Huh?"

"He just told them that we were attacked by some random people." I explained. "And he made me go along."

"Why would he do that?" Avery wondered.

I honestly didn't know the answer to that. I wanted to tell the police the truth, even if it did get Avery in trouble. I mean, they fucking drugged me! Yet, Grayson didn't expose them? He knew who his attackers were, and yet, he still didn't spill that information to the authorities.

Why?

Maybe he wanted to get revenge?

"I don't know." I answered honestly.

It baffled me.

I mean, what if they tried this shit again?

And again?