Yeah, I Hate You Too, Sweetheart.

Chapter 32 - Justin

Justin

        “WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE’S GONE?”

I wasn’t sure who was more surprised at the words that had just come out of my mouth: my mother or me.

Mom looked at me with an astonished look on her face before she quickly tried to regain her composure, sipping at her cup of coffee.

 “Laila and Jeanine left this morning,” she replied, a bit stonily. “What more do you want me to tell you?”

 “Oh, I don’t know…” I trailed off angrily, trying to keep from punching something. “Maybe why she left in the first place?”

  Mom set her cup of coffee down on the kitchen counter and turned to me with an exasperated sigh.

 “Justin, why do you think she left?” she said pointedly, arms crossed.

 I swallowed hard, glancing away, feeling absolutely miserable.

I knew all too well the answer to that question. But as much as I wanted to tell myself otherwise, it really was my fault she was gone.

 Maybe it hadn’t been all because of what had happened in the kitchen with Maggie. Or maybe it would have happened sooner or later. At some point or another, this would have happened… right?

 “What the hell is going on here?” an incredulous voice said loudly, interrupting my crazed internal thoughts.

Mom gave a pointed look in my direction before picking up her cup of coffee and sauntering out of the kitchen, leaving the two of us behind.

  “Well?” Nick pressed, eyebrows raised expectantly.

  “Ask your sister,” was my curt reply before I left.

I strode out the front door, slamming the door shut behind me, and then I was off and walking. Where I was going, I had no idea. I just knew that I needed to get away from it all for a while. If I was trying to get away from my thoughts or from people has still yet to be determined.

  There was actually a bit of sunlight showering the tiny little town of Ouray as I stormed my way across the metal bridge that took a path down to Main Street. It was as if the weather was trying to play some sick joke on me.

 Sunlight usually meant happiness and cheer, right?

Well, I was most certainly not happy.

  Imagine my surprise in waking up this morning to find that the girl who was pretty much hands down my dream girl was gone.

  And that everyone else had known she was going, but me.

What kind of sick, twisted world was this?

  Somehow tourists on the street must have known that I was in a really pissed off mood, because they automatically avoided me as I stalked past, my hands shoved into my pockets. Catching sight of my reflection in a shop window, I was surprised there wasn’t a black storm cloud hovering above my head.

  I wandered my way up and down the streets, lost in my own thoughts, wondering what the hell it was I was supposed to do.

  A few months ago, if somebody had asked me if I would get so torn up and freaked out about a girl – especially Laila Hayes - I would have laughed and called them stupid.

   But now? Well, that wasn’t too far off from the truth.

Don’t get me wrong – I could tell by the look in Laila’s eyes that I’d definitely hurt her. But had I actually hurt her enough to where she felt the need to leave and not say goodbye?