Picture Perfect

21.

The ride to Kyler's is silent. I stare out of the window trying my hardest to reason, the way Travis explained. Is it worth the risk? Is my freedom worth risking my freedom? Sounds like either way I'm fucked.

I laugh to myself not realizing my snicker can be heard.

"You good over there?" Kyler takes my hand asking.

"Mhmm."

When we make it inside, he stops in the kitchen.

"Ooh we didn't get to eat did we?"

"Nah, I'm not hungry. That's all you. Could you unhook me please?"

He comes around to do as I ask and then goes into the room to get me a pair of sweats and that hoodie of his he knows I love but haven't been careless enough to steal.

I put the articles on and take a seat at the breakfast bar.

I wipe at my eyes forgetting I have a full face of makeup on and I quickly go into the bathroom to wash my face.

"Samantha?" He questions standing just behind me. I look up at him through the mirror. "What's going on ma?"

I turn around and look at him. I shrug carelessly.

"I need to smoke." I move into the bedroom and go into the closest where I hid the bag. I dig into it and take out my mini stash box that always has at least a 3.5 in it for emergencies.

"Really?"

"Don't worry, I'm going outside. I'll be sure to walk Aries for you while I'm out."

"It's not about that, I don't care if you smoke in here, it's just. Why? Talk to me. Tell me what's going on with you. I haven't seen you in way too fucking long and if I'm being honest, you don't look the way I remember."

"No shit." I tell him taking a seat cross crossed just outside the closet with my back against the wall. I start grinding up my herb.

"Don't do that." He comes over to me and takes the grinder from my hands.

He sits in front of me.

"I'm not talking about the hair, or even how much fucking weight you've lost. I'm talking about you. I don't know, you just look, gone. Like you have no soul anymore. This is going to sound fucked up but I've stared into the eyes of a killer just before they killed. And looking at you right now, I get that same feeling."

~Kyler~

Two weeks before my sister was killed, I went with my parents to visit her and stood in the room as my dad had a chat with her mans.

Him and my sister had gotten into a bad fight just days before and he kicked her out. She stayed on the street for a night and then he let her come back home.

The whole time I was in that room, every time he looked at me I could see it. I just knew deep down that something bad was going to happen, that he might been the reason we lose her. And we did. And I still hold it in my heart that we didn't do enough. We didn't save her before he could take her away from us.

But in this moment, even though I get that same feeling, I don't think it's because I feel she needs saving from Garrison anymore. I think it's because I feel she needs saving from herself.

"Kyler, how can I let you sit here and think you love me when you don't actually know me?"

I frown in response to her statement, and then my mind goes to work.

"Have you killed someone before Samantha?"

"Mhmm." She nods and looks toward the floor.

Damn.