All Falls Down Read Online Free Page A
Author: Ayden K. Morgen
them… who he is. A hundred different questions run through my mind. I settle on the easiest, not sure how much Kit can handle right now. Or how much I'm even allowed to push.
"Have Lexi and Jared been together long?" I try to keep my tone level.
I don't know what it is about Jared Corbit, but he makes me jumpy. He's done nothing, but I'm uneasy around him, inadequate. I hate feeling that way.
"A while. A year, maybe?" Kit shakes her head, uncertain. "I don't know." A tear rolls down her cheek. "I don't want Lexi to die. We've already lost Mom. And now Daddy, too."
"She's not going to die," I promise. It's not one I should be making when Kit's lost so much already, but the words slip out before I can call them back.
It seems to be what she needs to hear.
She sighs softly.
"Can I stay with you tonight?" She looks so tired.
"Of course you can." I climb from the bed to move my dress back to the closet and then pull the covers back.
Kit wriggles around until she's underneath them and then curls into a ball. It reminds me of all the times we shared a bed when we were younger. She always slept in that same tiny ball, completely hidden beneath the covers.
I've missed her so much.
Why did I leave with Toby?
"I'll be here if you need me," I promise her, turning out the light before I climb back into the bed beside her.
Within moments, she's fast asleep.
It's after midnight, and Kit's still sleeping deeply. I'm exhausted – mentally, physically, and emotionally spent – but I can't find peace enough to sleep. I've taken a long shower, swallowed a pain pill, and my mind is still my own worst enemy.
Why did I leave with him?
The question refuses to dislodge now that it's bubbled to the surface, and I have no answer. None that doesn't hurt, anyway. I left for him . I loved him, and I believed him. I think part of me still believes him.
I don't belong here.
Giving up on sleep, I slide from the bed, pulling a blanket tightly around me. I slip through the guesthouse and out onto the porch. Aside from the rush of wind through the expanse of trees littering the property, it's quiet out. The moon is a sliver far off in the distance, the mansion a deeper shadow in the night.
I crawl up onto the wide railing carefully and rest my head back against the column. When I pull my feet up, my back protests. I lower them again, staring out into the night. I can't forget what Kit said. It mixes with other memories – the ones I came here to forget – and the resulting cacophony is too great to ignore.
" Why?" The question is a whisper, but it's all I can manage as I take in the scene before me. My boyfriend and my friend are in our bed together.
My body is numb, frozen.
" What did you expect me to do, Savannah? You're frigid!" Toby sneers at me, jerking his jeans on. "I'm a man. I have needs."
" Maybe I should go," Laney says, hurriedly tossing her clothes on and refusing to look at me.
I stand in the doorway amidst a shower of broken glass, tears running down my cheeks.
After everything, I still haven't met his needs.
I'm suddenly tired of trying, of never being good enough.
" No," I whisper, shaking my head in stunned disbelief. "I'll go."
" Maybe you should," Toby snaps, buttoning his jeans. His dark eyes flash. He's angry with me again. "Maybe your little rich friends will take you back." He sneers again.
Katrina!
Oh Kit, I miss you so much.
" Maybe," I whisper.
Toby laughs, the sound full of cruel condescension.
I turn to leave and slip on the glass and water at my feet.
" Oh!" I cry out and try to grab the door handle, but it's too late. My feet come out from beneath me. I fall hard. Searing pain lances through me almost immediately, burning.
I can't catch my breath and my back hurts.
" Fuck!" Toby yells. "Laney, call an ambulance."
" I'm fine," I try to say, but that hurts too. I briefly wonder if this is going to kill me. It hurts so badly, as if I've been ripped in two. I try to roll over and cry
"Have Lexi and Jared been together long?" I try to keep my tone level.
I don't know what it is about Jared Corbit, but he makes me jumpy. He's done nothing, but I'm uneasy around him, inadequate. I hate feeling that way.
"A while. A year, maybe?" Kit shakes her head, uncertain. "I don't know." A tear rolls down her cheek. "I don't want Lexi to die. We've already lost Mom. And now Daddy, too."
"She's not going to die," I promise. It's not one I should be making when Kit's lost so much already, but the words slip out before I can call them back.
It seems to be what she needs to hear.
She sighs softly.
"Can I stay with you tonight?" She looks so tired.
"Of course you can." I climb from the bed to move my dress back to the closet and then pull the covers back.
Kit wriggles around until she's underneath them and then curls into a ball. It reminds me of all the times we shared a bed when we were younger. She always slept in that same tiny ball, completely hidden beneath the covers.
I've missed her so much.
Why did I leave with Toby?
"I'll be here if you need me," I promise her, turning out the light before I climb back into the bed beside her.
Within moments, she's fast asleep.
It's after midnight, and Kit's still sleeping deeply. I'm exhausted – mentally, physically, and emotionally spent – but I can't find peace enough to sleep. I've taken a long shower, swallowed a pain pill, and my mind is still my own worst enemy.
Why did I leave with him?
The question refuses to dislodge now that it's bubbled to the surface, and I have no answer. None that doesn't hurt, anyway. I left for him . I loved him, and I believed him. I think part of me still believes him.
I don't belong here.
Giving up on sleep, I slide from the bed, pulling a blanket tightly around me. I slip through the guesthouse and out onto the porch. Aside from the rush of wind through the expanse of trees littering the property, it's quiet out. The moon is a sliver far off in the distance, the mansion a deeper shadow in the night.
I crawl up onto the wide railing carefully and rest my head back against the column. When I pull my feet up, my back protests. I lower them again, staring out into the night. I can't forget what Kit said. It mixes with other memories – the ones I came here to forget – and the resulting cacophony is too great to ignore.
" Why?" The question is a whisper, but it's all I can manage as I take in the scene before me. My boyfriend and my friend are in our bed together.
My body is numb, frozen.
" What did you expect me to do, Savannah? You're frigid!" Toby sneers at me, jerking his jeans on. "I'm a man. I have needs."
" Maybe I should go," Laney says, hurriedly tossing her clothes on and refusing to look at me.
I stand in the doorway amidst a shower of broken glass, tears running down my cheeks.
After everything, I still haven't met his needs.
I'm suddenly tired of trying, of never being good enough.
" No," I whisper, shaking my head in stunned disbelief. "I'll go."
" Maybe you should," Toby snaps, buttoning his jeans. His dark eyes flash. He's angry with me again. "Maybe your little rich friends will take you back." He sneers again.
Katrina!
Oh Kit, I miss you so much.
" Maybe," I whisper.
Toby laughs, the sound full of cruel condescension.
I turn to leave and slip on the glass and water at my feet.
" Oh!" I cry out and try to grab the door handle, but it's too late. My feet come out from beneath me. I fall hard. Searing pain lances through me almost immediately, burning.
I can't catch my breath and my back hurts.
" Fuck!" Toby yells. "Laney, call an ambulance."
" I'm fine," I try to say, but that hurts too. I briefly wonder if this is going to kill me. It hurts so badly, as if I've been ripped in two. I try to roll over and cry
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