The Roommates

Chapter 23

**JANUARY 6th**

BLAIR POV

Winter break lasted another two weeks. I was spending equal time with Wesley and Will, but I was also pleased to find that the two were really starting to get along. We hadn't talked about his parents or family since the whole fiasco, but I still had a ton of questions that were nagging me. I didn't want to push Wesley though so I didn't dare bring it up. 

Wesley insisted that he'd head back to school a few days earlier so I could have some alone time with my family. Neither I nor my family thought he was imposing but Wes was stubborn. He wasn't going to head back for another two days or so I thought. 

When I crept into his room, I found it empty. The bed was neatly made, the drawers were empty and there was no sign of his suitcase. I trotted downstairs, thinking he may be down there. 

Will was down there, sitting at the kitchen island eating a bowl of cereal. "Hey B." He greeted as he munched on his food. 

"Morning Will." I replied back. 

"Have you seen Wes?" I asked. 

Will shook his head, "No. When I went out for my morning run at 5 his truck was gone." He replied. Now I was a little confused, where did he go? 

"Maybe he left a message on your phone or left a note?" Will suggested. 

"Neither." I said. 

Will shrugged, "I don't know then." 

I excused myself and quickly dialed Wesley's number. Immediately went to voicemail, so I left a message then sent him a text. Where could he be? I was confused why he didn't leave me any kind of message. 

I knew I wasn't going to relax until I knew where he was, as paranoid as that sounded, just something in my gut felt like something was wrong.

I quickly got dressed and headed off, to Wesley' parent's house. It sounded weird but I thought maybe since he's calmed down that he's try to reach out to them again. 

I remembered the drive fairly well and soon enough pulled outside their house. I didn't see Wes's car but I still walked up and knocked on the door. Surprisingly it was Mr. Foster who opened the door. 

Dark bags surrounded his eyes and he again reeked of alcohol, and was dressed in a ratty bathrobe. "What the hell do you want?" He slurred. 

"Is the boy here again to bother us?" He yelled bitterly. I was taken aback by Mr. Foster's aggressiveness. 

"I-uh, I was just looking for Wesley and wondering if he was here." I stuttered nervously, my voice small. 

"Why the fuck would he be here?" Mr. Foster mocked, scratching his neck. 

"I just thought-' I was cut off by him. "He left you like he leaves everyone when things get tough. Or did he finally screw you? I bet he did and then he left so he could stay unattached to you. Once he's gotten you, he'll just toss you aside. That boy doesn't like attachment or depth." He mumbled. My heart felt like it was shattering slowly. My cheeks were red with embarrassment, my bottom lip wobbling, tears threatening to leave my eyes. 

"What are you still doing here?" He asked pointedly. 

"I'll just get going, sorry for bothering you." I mumbled quietly. He just grunted before slamming the door on my face. 

I could finally feel a tear slide down my cheek. I had to find Wesley, for my own reassurance. 

I figured he must probably be at school if he wasn't at his parent's place. 

I drove quickly, eager to see my boyfriend. I parked the car sloppily and practically sprinted to our room. 

"Wes?" I called out, opening the door. 

No answer. I sighed and stepped inside for a minute. I need to calm down and clear my eyes for a moment. 

As I sat on my bed, something on his nightstand caught my eye. It was his desk calender and the date was circled. I looked closer and saw Gordon scribbled in Wesley's tiny block writing. I suddenly knew where Wesley was. 

---BREAK---

I arrived at Gordon Gardens soon later and I ran through the path Wes had taken me on during our first date. I practically sprinted down the path to the clearing where the statues were. 

That's where I finally found him. 

Wesley was staggering around, his hand gripped around a brown bag. He took a swig from it and I knew what he was drinking. That's when I looked around at the gardens. They were trashed. 

Plants were ripped from their pots and the grown, dirt everywhere. A bench or two was flipped over, one of them has a few bits that had crumbled off. To my relief though, it appeared that the statues had remained untouched. 

Wesley was obviously upset and drunk, but I knew I had to approach him. 

"Wesley," I started, slowly approaching him. 

He looked up at me, his eyes bloodshot. "Why are you here?" He asked forcefully. I had to not let myself be taken aback. 

"Because I was worried about you. I needed to make sure you were okay. I woke up this morning and you weren't there, then you weren't at your parent's house or the dorms so-' I was interrupted by Wesley. "You went to my parent's house? Shit Blair! What did they say?" Wesley demanded to know. 

I shivered thinking about my conversation with Wesley's dad. "Nothing! Your dad was drunk so he was just saying things that didn't make sense. But I don't care about that, I want to make sure you're okay." I said. 

Wesley laughed bitterly. "You care." He said. 

"Of course." I said tightly. 

"Blair do I look okay to you?" He snapped. 

"I don't know Wes. You seemed okay yesterday, and you haven't really told me anything that's going on right now so I'm not sure what to think." I answered. 

"Well I'm not okay Blair! I'm a fucking mess and have been for years!" Wesley exclaimed. 

I walked closer to him. "Then talk to me! Tell me what's wrong and let me help you!" I said. 

Wesley shook his head, "You can't help me! What the hell do you think you can do! Unless you can bring my brother back from the dead then there's nothing you can do to help me!' Wesley scoffed, 'What were you going to do anyway, just take me back to your house for some good family bonding? Give me a break Blair." He said. 

I swallowed the hurt, I knew he was in pain. "Wesley, please. Tell me what's wrong. You can tell me anything." I told him. 

Wesley's eyes were cold. "What's wrong is that you're still here." He bit, his voice coming out like venom. With that he turned around and walked a different direction. 

I felt numb, my only reminder that I was still here was the tears that had found their way to my face again. 

I turned back to my car, unable to ignore the thought that maybe Mr. Foster wasn't wrong about Wesley and his need to push people away. I just hoped he didn't try to push me away further.