Trying to live

Chapter 44

I shook my head, horrified. "This isn't an achievement, Wyatt. You're being hit by your parent. You need to tell someone."

He let go of me. "I can't."

"Why not?"

He looked away. "My mom."

I scoffed, disbelief lacing my tone. "She lets him hit you?"

"God, no!" His blue eyes flashed with indignation. "She doesn't know. And she can't know."

He gestured toward the bleachers, leading me there. I followed reluctantly.

"Why not?" I pressed.

Wyatt winced as he sat down, clutching his abdomen. I noticed his hand trembling slightly and realized he probably had a nasty bruise there too. My hatred for his stepfather deepened.

"You didn't answer," I said quietly.

He sighed, leaning back against the bleachers. "I can't leave, Em. I'll be 18 soon, sure, but my mom...she needs me."

I stayed silent, giving him space to explain.

"My dad died in a car accident when I was a kid. Left everything to my mom—money, the house. They loved each other, loved me. But when he died, it was like my mom died with him." He paused, his voice thick with emotion.

"She was there for me," he continued, "but she was never the same. And then Craig came along."

"Your stepfather," I said, my voice icy.

Wyatt laughed bitterly. "Yeah, fucking Craig. She fell in love with him, but she also fell deeper into her depression. I became her everything. So when I ran away once—only for two days—she thought I'd abandoned her, like my dad. She had a breakdown and ended up in the hospital. That day changed everything."

His words hung in the air, heavy and raw.

"Wyatt, that doesn't mean you have to stay and take this," I said, putting a hand on his arm.

"No, it doesn't," he admitted softly. "But I love her. She loves him. And as long as she's happy, I'll deal with it."

Tears welled in my eyes. Wyatt carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, and I hated that I hadn't been there for him more.

"You're too good for this world," I murmured, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Don't kiss my ass," he teased, nudging me.

I playfully swatted Wyatt's arm. "Ew, you jerk. I mean it—I'm glad you're my friend."

He smirked. "I'm glad you're finally acknowledging me as a friend."

Guilt settled in my chest. I had ghosted him and avoided seeing him as a friend. But I had my reasons—my heart needed protecting. I had to shield myself from the pain.

Grams and Rose were right—I wanted my old life back, my old friends. But every time I tried to reclaim it, something always went wrong.

Wyatt nudged me, his finger pointing toward a figure with a gym bag. "Look, your boyfriend's over there."

I shot him a look. "You know, you should have asked me to be your girlfriend. After all, we hooked up."

Wyatt laughed, his voice carrying across the field. "I love you, Em, but not like that."

I rolled my eyes. "I know. The feeling's mutual."

He laughed harder, throwing an arm around my shoulders in a sideways hug. Together, we watched Cam interacting with his teammates. A strange sadness settled in my heart, knowing those were Wyatt's teammates too. They no longer talked to him, and suddenly, I understood what he'd meant about Henry being the instigator. They weren't Wyatt's friends anymore because he'd hooked up with me. I was the ex-girlfriend of the school's "king," and Henry had made sure we paid for it.