Lunatics {Book 1 ✔️}

Chapter 31

"I should go," I said, breaking the silence.

He looked confused. "Go? Why would you go?"

I nodded my head toward the doors, through which Ben probably lay unconscious. His gaze lingered on the doors for a moment too long, considering the brother that had almost slipped through his fingers. Tucker looked back at me and there was a foreign emotion in his eyes.

"I don't want Owein around any of you and I don't want my mom asking questions. He can't come here."

I swallowed thickly and hoped that I didn't look as nervous and as nauseous as I felt. Although, I assumed that I did. Tucker could read my face plainly and he shook his head.

"You're not going with him. It's not safe," he argued. I appreciated the concern but there was no way around it.

"He can't come here," I said again.

Tucker's eyes narrowed for a moment before he whipped his phone back out of his pocket. I watched as he dialed a number, pausing before he hit call, and put the phone to his ear. Seeing my face, he walked out of earshot before he began talking to whoever was on the other line.

When he returned, he offered no information. He simply nodded his curly head toward my stuff strewn about.

"You should get ready to leave," was all he said.

I hated it when he was cryptic and stoic like this. Instead of telling me things or letting me in, he would shut down and stare straight ahead as if he didn't hear me. Anger and anxiety rolled off of him, but I didn't know why. His long fingers interlaced together and sat limply in his lap while his eyes closed.

He ignored all of my questions, so eventually, I gave up and gathered my things like he'd asked. We sat on opposite ends of the couch waiting for... god knows what-

Until he walked into the waiting room. Except, it wasn't the he I was expecting.

Tucker's eyes shot open when he heard the footsteps approaching. I looked between the two boys in confusion and the blonde one grinned at me.

"Hey gorgeous, wanna get out of here?" Gray asked, cheekily.

Too surprised to answer back, I noticed Tucker's fists clench next to me in response. I thought he was going to approach Gray, but he held my bag out to me instead. His hands were shaking.

"Go. Now," he urged, his voice barely above a whisper, "please."

I took the bag from him and walked toward Gray. He welcomed me with open arms and I sort of fell into the comfort of his hug, feeling Tucker's eyes on my back the entire time.

"I'll call if something changes," Tucker said, his eyes on Gray.

His former friend nodded and slung a comfortable arm around my shoulders. Brown eyes narrowed into slits.

"I'm sure we can find something to do for the night, Joy." 

Gray left Tucker with one last cheeky grin.

I turned to go with him and when I turned back to say something else to Tucker, he'd already turned to call Owein saying that I'd left. So I did. I left saying nothing to him, and I left without telling him I liked being the person he ran to for everything.

Gray walked with me out of the hospital and into his car, all the while carrying on a normal conversation as if he didn't just pick me up from the strangest situation. In a weird way, the normalcy was nice. He was just a cute boy driving me to god knows where for god knows what. That was the freedom normal teenagers had right?