Lolita Brown. Behind her blond hair and enchanting blue eyes lies a world of pain. There are so many labels stapled to her back, everyone knows her life story.
Hunter Kings. A boy once known as trouble from New York, enters Lolita's world in an esc...
M E A N I N G F U L M I S T A K E S Chapter Twenty Three
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I'm paying for pushing myself too far at cheer practice, but it is a beautiful pain. There was so much that needed to be done to get us perfect for tomorrow's game.
I'm still smiling when I push open the unlocked door to my apartment. William still hasn't learnt to lock it when he's inside.
My cheer training gear is tucked in my backpack and I had changed into denim shorts and plain shirt, but I still have my coat and belt overtop.
My smile dies at the sight of William and Hunter standing by the kitchen. My best friend's foot is tapping anxiously on the floor, his face pulled to a frown.
"What's going on?" I ask, startling them. Both heads snap to me.
"It's Jake." My lungs freeze when William's tone is low. "His mom checked him into rehab. He admitted everything. He'd been taking drugs for a while without anyone knowing- multiple kinds too."
My heart sinks to the bottom of my stomach and I almost want to fall with it. "A while? How long has this being going on?" My eyes being to sting.
Jake has played such a big role in my life and helped me through the hardest stages, but I wasn't there to help him.
He lied on the floor with me the day of the party and held my hand the entire night when I had been shattered to pieces.
I should be holding his hand now.
Hunter walks towards me and wraps both arms around my waist as I melt into him without a thought of being in front of William. My fingers curl around the soft material of his hoodie.
My best friend continues explaining. "I spoke to his mom for a while on the phone. She told me that she'd split from her partner. It's obvious Jake kept it from us because it got to him. His mom was worried for Jake. I also found out he never went to Spain. That trip was a lie because he'd become so depressed he didn't leave bed for months. She doesn't know when or how he started using, she like us, had no idea that he even was. "
Jake adored his parents more than anyone else in the world. They were the picture perfect family- the Millers. He looked up to them and vowed he would only have a marriage as special as his parents.
"You're telling me, that this whole time, he sat beside us, his best friends, and acted fine? When he wasn't? He wasn't okay, and not a single one of us knew how big the problem was?" I almost choke on my words.
"We did try, Lollipops. You checked up on him multiple times, and he still lied to us. It's only him that can be the one to tell us. Don't feel guilty about it."
But I do. I feel terribly guilty for it because I know there was more I could've done. At the funfair he asked if I could teach him how to be stronger. I should've seen it then. I wish I tried harder.
