Torn // H.S.

Chapter 22

A/N:
A huge thank you to all of you who continue to read, vote, and comment! I love you all so much! Please continue to vote and comment, and let me know what you like! Thank you again!

I can feel my heart race inside my chest while James continues to stare at me from across the kitchen waiting for my reaction. My eyes wide and my whole body feels on edge. As soon as my mouth opens the words start tumbling out like I have no control over them, "How did this happen? When? How long? Are you dating?" I breathe deeply.

"Slow down," James chuckles cutting me off. "She was in town a few months ago visiting a friend and we ran into each other and started talking. Shortly after that she ended up moving here, and we just sort of started hanging out." He looks at me like he is trying to figure out how I am taking this news. "We've been dating for almost four months now." He spits out finally.

I am sure the look on my face is a mix of anger and hurt because James continues with a softer tone.

"I was going to tell you, Allie, I was. But I didn't know if it was even going to turn into anything real, and I know your past with her brother is... difficult." He mumbles the last part and I am oddly relieved he didn't say his name, but worried because the look on his face makes me think he knows more than I realize.

"I didn't think you guys even knew each other," I mumble looking down at my hands. I don't know what else to say right now.

"I mean we went to high school together, but we had different groups of friends so we never hung out, but we knew of each other."

I continue to stare at the tile floor trying to let everything he is saying sink in. When I finally look up to ask another question, his words blurt out like he has to get them out of his mouth.

"I know what happened with Eli." He says quickly.

It's like watching a car accident, I just can't look away. But instead of a car accident, it's my life exploding in front of me. I have to fight the urge to run into the guest room and hide under the blankets. The pity in James's eyes is too much and I have to look away. I seem to be at a loss for words today. I want to ask him how much he actually knows, but at the same time I want to pretend this conversation isn't happening. I want to tell him I am over it now. That Eli is so far in my past that he can't hurt me anymore. I want to tell him that what happened with Eli is a paper cut compared to the hole in my chest Harry left behind. But the words don't want to come out. We sit in this silence for a few minutes. It's not an awkward silence or a comfortable silence, it's just silent. I take a few breaths, composing myself before I finally speak.

"Did he tell Erin?" I question as I try to figure out in my head how this information could make it all the way back to James, and I am still not sure what exactly he knows.

"No, Erin was home the day it happened." He says softly as he shuts off the stove and moves to take a seat in the chair across from me. So he knows everything. "She was home on break like me, and she heard your fight. When she found out everything that happened, she said she felt horrible because Eli acted like it didn't even matter. Like what he did wasn't even a big deal. Anyway, she came over to the house that next day, because she knew you were my sister. She told me what happened, she wanted to apologize for how he treated you and tell you that if she had known she would have done something about it."

My mind is racing as I try to put together all the pieces of what he is saying. "You've known this whole time?" I question him. I don't know how I should feel about anything anymore.

"Yes," he sighs. He opens his mouth to continue but I cut him off this time, "Why didn't you say anything?" I question him letting anger settle in instead of hurt.