Ice.

Chapter Twenty-Six.

Finn

Watching her drive away has to be one of the most soul crushing experiences of my life. Her broken voice as she told me that I'm not the man she was falling in love with anymore shattered me in a way I never thought possible.

"Finn." Casey's hand is on my shoulder and he squats down next to me. "It'll be alright. She just needs time."

I stand up quickly, starting to pace as my hands tug at my hair. "FUCK!"

"What have I done?" I look over to him. My eyes sting and I don't even know if I'm crying. I don't think I am. I don't know what's going on with my body right now. "Did I just lose her? Just like that?"

"No," he answers immediately. The confidence in his voice makes me let out a breath of relief. "No, you didn't. It's just a bump. She said she's falling in love with you, buddy."

"No, she said I wasn't the person she was falling in love with anymore." I try to rub the blood off my hands but it's dried and stuck to my skin. He scoffs. "Always glass half full with you."

I look up from my hands to glare at him. He chuckles before he shakes his head, actually giving me some advice. "Go to her." He suggests. "Hear her out. Apologize. Tell her you love her. Do whatever you have to do. Just don't let her go to sleep tonight thinking that you don't care."

"She doesn't want to see me. She made that obvious." My skin starts to turn red as my thumb rubs harshly against the calloused surface. Why won't this blood just fucking come off?

"She doesn't want to see you like this." He retorts. He walks closer to me, putting his hand on my shoulder. "You need to collect yourself and come back to reality. You guys have been thrown way too much shit this past week, but you gotta step up now. You got what you wanted. You got Hughes and you got Garzia at school that day. Now go and get your girl, eh?"

He's right. I can't just let her go home and not even try tonight. She's probably crying right now. I can't let her cry. Especially not by herself.

I'm really glad I was on the phone with him when all this happened. He had called to ask what I was up too and I told him I was at the store waiting for Avery. We were just talking about the game we have tomorrow when I saw her run outside. I didn't even say anything to him, and apparently didn't hang up the phone. He heard her frantic and terrified and he was in the neighborhood so he came. I'm really glad he did.

I've never seen her look so scared before. Her eyes were the size of dinner plates and she could barely get a sentence out. She was so freaked out, which I obviously don't blame her. How long was he in there? How long was he watching her?

He grips my shoulder and pulls me into a hug, which catches me off guard and knocks me out of the train of thought. Regardless, I wrap my arms around his back. "Thank you, Case."

"Anytime, brother." He pulls away and grips my shoulder, a smirk on his face. "Go get 'em, tiger."

Once I get back to my car, I turn quickly and call to him through the parking lot. "Casey!"

He turns to look at me with eyebrows raised. I let out a huff. "Do I tell her? Even if it's early?" I told myself I would wait. I told myself I wouldn't go so quickly. But I feel like I have to tell her. I need to tell her or else it's going to slip out randomly.

I can see his smirk as he folds his arms over his open car door. "You love her, eh?"

"Without a doubt."

"Then there's your answer." He smiles as he gets in his car and closes the door. He starts out of the parking lot, leaving me standing with my door open like a dumbass.