Her Saving Grace

Chapter Sixteen: Pull Over

Violet POV

We were all climbing into Roc’s car. The front seat was a bench so Craig and Ray sat in the front with Roc. Liyah and I go the window seats and Adrianna sat in the middle.. Roc started the car and pulled out of Jade’s house. An awkward silence followed- I was unbearably uncomfortable.

Roc cleared his throat, “Look Liyah…I-“

“Save it,” Aaliyah growled.

Roc blinked. Aaliyah was always gentle, kind and patient. She never snapped or showed any form of disrespect. Her cutting off Roc like that was a big deal for her. She was without a doubt pissed at him.

Roc looked between the road and Liyah through the rear view mirror.

“Hear me out, please. I didn’t want to-“

“Damn it Roc- I said save it!” Aaliyah snapped. My eyes widened at her. She was livid. I’d never seen her like that.

“I know what you’re going to say! ‘I didn’t want to dance with her!’ but that’s not the point! The point is that nobody can force you to do anything! You didn’t have to push me aside like that!” she screeched. Roc fell silent. Roc and Craig gave each other a worried glance. I felt the car pull to the side of the road and shut off. I perked up, trying to figure out what the hell he was doing. He threw his door open and opened the door Aaliyah was sitting next to and pulled her out. That was all I got to see because he took her behind the car.

Roc POV

I had to make this right. She had to understand why I did what I did. I can’t even stand the thought of her hating me for a second longer.

“Aaliyah listen- please! I did that to protect you!”

She laughed dryly in my face. She was acting so out of character, I didn’t get it. I was honestly confused.

“Roc, I’m a big girl. I can handle myself- have been for years. Before and after you led me to believe we could actually be friends.”

Ouch.

“You don’t get it!” I shouted, clutching my head in my hands and throwing them to my side.

She look at me shocked that I raised my voice at her. She grimaced and shrunk back a bit. If there’s one thing I knew about her was she hated yelling and fighting.

“I’m so sorry Liyah, if you’d just-”

“Don’t call me that…” she whispered.

“What?”

“Don’t call me Liyah.”

Ouch. Again.

“Li- Aaliyah, if I was your friend they’d make your life absolute hell.”

“They’re already doing that,” she shivered. I noticed her shaking and hurriedly took off my leather jacket and draped over her shoulders.

“You’re still not getting it, all the shit you’re going through now would be a million times worse if I was even caught looking your way.”

She snapped, “That’s not your decision to make!”

I flinched.

“If I want to risk my neck to be with you, that is my decision- not yours,” she hissed, pointing between herself and I.

I looked down and kicked at the gravel, “I just wanted to protect you. If I had the chance to lessen the hostility in your life, why wouldn’t I?”

“Now you’re not getting it,” she sniffled, “You broke my heart. You let me taste happiness then you snatched it all away!”

I looked up at her. Her eyes were shining with tears under the moonlight and she was shaking.

“I needed a friend! It was like one second I was getting somewhere and the next I was ten steps farther back than before! That was so hard to comprehend,” she continued, clutching my jacket as an anchor.

“I didn’t want to do it!” I countered, holding her gaze and shaking my head.

“But you fucking did Roc! You did!” she cried.

I kicked at the sign pole behind me and threw my head back. This was so fucking frustrating. From her point of view, I was a heartbreaker. From mine, I was a protector. How in the hell are we going to move on if our views on the situation are so different? I rubbed my eyes and whispered to her that it was time to go. She shuffled back to her seat in the back and I slid into the driver’s seat. I turned the key in the ignition and pulled back onto the road. Aaliyah was still shaking and I watched her pull my jacket closer to her.

“Where to?” I whispered, keeping my eyes on the road.

Violet piped up since Adri was sleep and she sensed the obvious tension between Liy-… Aaliyah and I.

“Take this right, then a left then go down that gravel path.”

“Into the forest?” I asked, skeptical.

“Yes,” it’s where the other girls go to hide out when…” she stopped. What was she going to say?

“When we have problems at home,” Aaliyah whispered.

I sat up straighter in my seat. Problems at home? I wouldn’t ask because it was obviously private. I could tell Craig and Ray took interest though because they too seemed to perk up a bit.

I turned down the path and after a few minutes spotted a battered home with a car parked in front of it. I put the car in park, “Is this it?”

“Yeah,” she sighed, shaking Adrianna awake.

I turned off the car and got out. Everyone stretched and we headed inside. It was spotless and looked like it was restored and modernized, unlike the outside.

“Where is Jacob?” I asked.

I saw Violet bound up the steps and I followed her, seeming as how she seemed to be alarmed.

She peeked into the last door on the left and gasp. I looked over her head and my jaw dropped.

Jacob and that Iridescent girl were cuddling in what I was assuming was her bed. She didn’t have a shirt on. Did they fuck and then only get half dressed or something? Violet shut the door and put her hand over her mouth.

“She wouldn’t…” she gasped. She clearly had the same theory as me.

“So should I pick up Jacob tomorrow?” I asked awkwardly. My new friend may have possibly fucked your best friends so…

“What?- Yeah. If we wake them up now, Iri will most likely be a big bitch about it based on the stuff I heard in the background of all the calls Jacob and I had.”

“So, she was wasted?” I asked.

“Yeah, she must have drunk from the punch bowl. I know for a fact she knew it was spiked so her getting drunk was intentional. She probably only wanted a buzz.”

Drunk sex is usually followed by serious regret. I felt bad for her, she looked pretty wasted. I know from past experiences that hangovers can be a bitch.

I nodded my head, “The boys and I are going home…Have a good night.”

I went back down the steps and saw the guys sitting on the couch. Adrianna and Aaliyah were in the kitchen. I sighed and waved to the guys it was time to leave. We headed out the door and into the car.

“Where’s Jake?” Ray asked.

“I’m, uh…picking him up tomorrow.”

Ray’s eyes widened, “he didn’t…”

“I honestly don’t know man, looked questionable.”

I pulled out of the driveway and headed back to my house. We’d just all crash in my living room.

Please, Jacob- Please tell me you didn’t have sex with her!