Chapter 350 - Why Isn’t He Here?

Chapter 350: Chapter 350 - Why Isn’t He Here?

Roxie barely remembered getting dressed. One minute she had been wrapped in a robe with Zac in front of her, and the next she was in the passenger seat with damp hair sticking to the back of her shirt while he drove toward Angela’s house.

Karen had only said she needed to come back.

Zac glanced at her as he turned into the Harts’ street. "Want me to come in?"

"Maybe."

"I can stay outside."

Roxie nodded. Her stomach had been tight since Karen called, and the feeling only got worse when she saw Kurt’s car in the driveway.

Karen opened the front door before Roxie even reached it.

"What happened?"

Karen looked upstairs. "Come."

Roxie followed her, moving as fast as her ankle allowed. The house was strangely quiet until they reached the second floor, and then Kurt’s voice came from Angela’s bedroom.

"What the fuck is this?"

Karen pushed the door open.

Angela sat on the floor beside her bed in the same oversized shirt she had been wearing when Roxie left earlier. Mrs. Hart sat beside her with one hand on Angela’s back while Kurt stood near the foot of the bed holding Karen’s phone.

His face was already red, and whatever Karen had shown him had clearly been enough to push him over the edge.

"What happened?" Roxie asked.

Nobody answered immediately. Kurt simply turned the phone around.

Bianca’s story was playing.

A pool glowed blue beneath patio lights while Bianca lounged on one of the chairs, filming herself with music playing somewhere in the background. The video looked harmless until someone moved behind her.

Roxie leaned closer.

Caleb.

He crossed behind Bianca near the pool wearing shorts and a loose shirt, his hair messy like he had either just showered or been swimming. He disappeared from the frame after a few seconds, and the video immediately restarted.

Roxie stared at the timestamp.

Posted less than an hour ago.

Kurt laughed once, but there was nothing amused about it. "So he’s home."

"I don’t know." Angela shook her head quickly. "That doesn’t mean anything."

Kurt looked at her. "What?"

"She could’ve taken that earlier and just posted it."

"Angela."

Angela looked between Roxie and Karen like she expected them to understand immediately. "You both know how Bianca is. She did this to make me angry at Caleb."

Roxie glanced at Karen, and Karen looked back at her before both gave a small nod. Angela wasn’t wrong.

Bianca absolutely was the kind of person who would post something just to get a reaction. What Roxie couldn’t figure out was whether Bianca would really play games like this while their grandmother was still in critical condition.

If their grandmother had stabilized, though, Roxie could see Bianca slipping right back into being Bianca.

That thought didn’t help.

Kurt stared at his sister like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. "You’re serious?"

Angela wiped beneath her eyes. "You don’t know when she recorded it."

"It’s nighttime in the video."

"So?"

"So they’re home."

"You don’t know that."

Kurt held the phone toward her. "That is Caleb. That is Bianca. That is their fucking pool."

Angela’s mouth trembled.

Mrs. Hart stood. "Kurt, lower your voice."

He looked at his mother. "Mom, look at this."

"I saw it."

"And?"

Mrs. Hart hesitated, and that tiny pause seemed to make Kurt even angrier.

He gave a bitter laugh. "Exactly."

Angela pushed herself higher against the side of the bed. "Maybe they got home tonight. Maybe he just got home."

"Then why hasn’t he called you?"

Angela’s face changed so quickly Roxie felt the question hit her too.

The one thing none of them had wanted to ask.

Angela looked away. "He’s tired."

Kurt stared at her for a second before rubbing both hands over his face. "Tired."

"Kurt."

"No, seriously. He’s tired?"

Angela’s breathing started changing. "He’s been at the hospital."

"And you’ve been where, Angela? A fucking spa?"

Mrs. Hart stepped toward him. "Enough."

But Kurt was looking directly at Angela now, and the more she tried to defend Caleb, the harder his voice became. "You haven’t slept properly in three days. You barely eat. You sit in this room staring at your phone every five fucking minutes waiting for him, and he’s too tired to call?"

"He’s dealing with his grandma!"

"And you’re dealing with your naked picture being passed around school!"

Angela flinched.

Roxie saw Kurt notice it. His jaw tightened, and for half a second she thought he might realize how badly the words landed. Instead, his anger pushed him forward.

"He knows what happened to you."

"He might not know everything."

"His parents know."

Angela shook her head. "Maybe they didn’t tell him yet."

Kurt laughed again and looked toward the ceiling.

Roxie hated that sound because every time he made it, Angela seemed to shrink a little more.

"Kurt," Mrs. Hart warned.

He looked back at his sister. "Do you hear yourself?"

Angela’s eyes filled. "He wouldn’t ignore me."

"He is ignoring you."

"He’s not."

"Then where the fuck is he?"

Angela went completely still.

Karen stood near the dresser with her arms folded tightly across her chest, and when Roxie glanced at her, she realized Karen looked just as helpless as she felt. Neither of them had an answer that could make that question disappear.

Angela wiped at her face. "Maybe his phone died. Maybe he went straight to sleep."

"He’s by the pool."

"That video could be old!"

"Fine. Maybe it is." Kurt stepped closer. "Then explain why he hasn’t called."

Angela shook her head.

"Explain it."

"Kurt, stop."

"No. She keeps making excuses for him."

Mrs. Hart moved between them. "She doesn’t need you yelling at her."

"I’m trying to wake her up."

Angela’s face crumpled. "Wake me up from what?"

Kurt looked at her, and Roxie saw the hesitation cross his face. For the first time since she entered the room, he actually seemed to consider whether he should keep going.

Then he said it anyway.

"How sure are you he wasn’t the one who leaked it?"

Roxie froze.

Beside her, Karen’s hand found hers and gripped it tightly.

There it was. The possibility Angela had refused to even entertain had finally been said directly to her, and Roxie felt Karen’s fingers tighten as Angela went completely still.

"He wouldn’t do that."

Mrs. Hart turned sharply toward Kurt. "Kurt."

"What?" His voice cracked now. "Everybody at school saw her. Maybe Caleb came home, saw what happened and decided he doesn’t want to deal with the drama."

Angela stared at him.

Roxie felt something cold settle in her stomach. Kurt was angry at Caleb, but he wasn’t throwing those words at Caleb. He was throwing them at Angela, and Roxie could practically see each one finding exactly the place Angela was already terrified to look at.

"Kurt," Roxie said quietly.

He barely seemed to hear her.

"Maybe those idiots at school got in his head. Maybe he’s embarrassed. Maybe he doesn’t know how to look at you after everybody saw something that was supposed to be his."

Angela made a broken sound, and Mrs. Hart immediately grabbed Kurt’s arm.

"Stop it."

That finally made him look properly at his sister.

Too late.

Tears were already streaming down Angela’s face.

"Kurt..."

His anger faltered.

Angela shook her head. "He wouldn’t do that."

Kurt swallowed, but Angela kept going before he could answer.

"He wouldn’t. He likes me..." Her tears streamed down her face. "He said.. He likes my body."

Nobody moved.

"He..." Angela wiped at her face, her hand shaking. "He made me like it."

Roxie’s chest hurt at that because she knew exactly what Angela meant. Caleb had been the person who made all those years of comments about her chest quiet down enough for Angela to believe she could actually be wanted instead of stared at.

Angela looked down at the oversized shirt covering her body. "He never made me feel disgusting."

Kurt’s face changed completely.

"He wouldn’t be embarrassed of me."

"Angela."

"He wouldn’t let others embarrass me."

Kurt looked away, and Roxie could see that he already regretted where he had taken this.

Then Angela’s voice broke harder.

"Why isn’t he fucking here?"

That shut everyone up.

Roxie’s throat tightened as Angela pressed both hands against her face.

"Why isn’t he here?"

Mrs. Hart immediately crouched beside her. "Sweetheart."

"He knows I need him." Angela’s words barely came out between sobs now. "He knows. He always knows when I need him."

Mrs. Hart pulled her close, but Angela was already falling apart against her.

"He said he loved me."

"He does love you."

"Then where is he?"

Mrs. Hart closed her eyes.

Roxie looked at Kurt. His eyes were red now, and the anger that had been carrying him through the argument was gone. He looked like every cruel thing he had said had finally caught up with him all at once.

Angela slid lower until she was almost completely on the floor. "He wouldn’t do this. He wouldn’t send it. He wouldn’t show it to anyone."

Kurt crouched in front of her. "Angela."

She shook her head.

"Come here."

"No."

"Angela."

She covered her face and cried harder.

Kurt reached for her slowly this time, giving her every chance to pull away. When she didn’t, he slid one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back and lifted her from the floor.

Angela immediately buried her face against his chest.

Kurt held her tightly, and Roxie watched his eyes close as Angela clung to his shirt.

"I’m sorry." His voice came out rough. "I shouldn’t have said that."

Angela only cried harder.

Kurt pressed his cheek against the top of her head. "I’m just so fucking angry."

Mrs. Hart wiped beneath her eyes while Karen looked toward the window.

Roxie understood why. Watching the Harts together always did something uncomfortable inside her. Even now, after Kurt had hurt Angela badly enough to make her fall apart, he was standing there with red eyes because he knew he had hurt his sister.

Mrs. Hart was trying to hold both of them together. Nobody treated Angela’s pain like something inconvenient they had to escape from.

Kurt kissed the top of her head. "Break up with him."

Angela immediately shook her head against his chest. "No."

"Angela, he should be here."

"He wouldn’t do this."

"I’m talking about what he’s doing right now."

Angela shook her head harder. "You don’t understand."

"Then make me understand."

"He loves me."

Kurt’s face hardened again, though this time Roxie could tell he was trying to hold back everything he wanted to say.

Angela pulled away enough to look at him. "He does."

Kurt stared at her for several seconds before carefully setting her on the bed.

Then he stood.

Roxie saw the change in him immediately, and so did Mrs. Hart.

"Kurt."

He grabbed his phone.

Angela looked up. "Where are you going?"

"Out."

"Kurt."

He started toward the door, and Mrs. Hart caught his arm. "Where are you going?"

"I’m going to talk to him."

Angela immediately panicked. "No."

Kurt pulled his arm free.

"Kurt, please."

He kept walking.

Angela pushed herself off the bed. "Mom!"

Mrs. Hart looked from her daughter to the hallway where Kurt had already disappeared, and Roxie saw panic flash across her face.

"Kurt!"

No answer.

Mrs. Hart turned quickly toward Roxie and Karen. "Stay with her. Please."

Roxie nodded immediately. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

"I need to catch him before he does something we can’t take back."

Mrs. Hart hurried into the hallway.

Angela stared after her, listening until a few seconds later the front door slammed downstairs.

Then she collapsed.

Roxie barely reached her before her knees hit the floor, wrapping both arms around her while Karen dropped beside them.

"He wouldn’t do it," Angela sobbed against Roxie. "Caleb wouldn’t fucking do that."

Roxie rubbed her back as Angela clung to her.

"He loves me."

Roxie looked over Angela’s shoulder at Karen. Karen’s eyes were wet, and for once she had absolutely nothing to say.

Roxie had too many things.

Kurt had gone too far. Roxie knew that. But now his question was inside her head too, and she couldn’t get rid of it.

Where was Caleb?

The video could have been recorded earlier. Bianca could have uploaded it late. Caleb could be asleep. His phone could be dead. His grandmother could have gotten worse again. Roxie could still find reasons for him, and right now she desperately wanted one of them to be true.

Because the alternative was Angela shaking in her arms.

"He wouldn’t do that," Angela repeated.

Roxie squeezed her tighter.

Kurt was right about one thing, though, and Roxie hated admitting even that much to herself. Caleb should have called. Five seconds. One message. Anything that told Angela she wasn’t sitting here alone while he was already home.

But Angela didn’t need another person forcing her to defend him.

Roxie buried the thought.

"He’ll explain."

Angela pulled back just enough to look at her. "You think so?"

The hope in her face made Roxie’s chest tighten. She touched Angela’s wet cheek and forced herself to answer without letting any of her doubts show.

"Yeah."

Angela nodded quickly, like Roxie had handed her something she could hold onto.

"He wouldn’t do it."

Roxie pulled her back into her arms.

"I know."

The words came harder this time, but Roxie said them anyway.