Breathe You - C.R. Jane Page 0,86

my life without you. As long as I knew you were happy, that would be enough for me.”

The truth in his words stops my heart completely, refusing to take another beat.

“Is that how you all feel? That I should choose one and let the other pieces of my heart die within me? Because that’s what you are asking. You’re asking me to kill off a piece of me.”

“We’re dying anyway,” Carter laments under his breath.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” I utter, more to myself than to them.

“I can’t believe it’s taken us so long. Valentina, listen to me. We can’t go on like this. I know the timing is far from ideal and you’re still grieving, but living in this purgatory isn’t good for anyone.”

“Answer me this. These past two days that we spent together, did I make you all happy?”

No reply.

“Answer me!” I yell.

“That’s not the point. Our answer won’t change the way we feel,” Carter counters, steadfast.

“But it does. We can be together. All four of us. Please don’t break us apart this way.”

They look just as devastated as I feel, but their resolve is the only thing left standing amongst the wreckage they’ve created.

“We don’t see any other way. Consider this weekend as a goodbye to two of us. You have to choose who you want in your life. Who you can’t live without.”

I can’t.

“If you don’t, we will choose for you,” Carter continues on gruffly.

That is the slap across the face.

“Get out.”

“W-What?” Logan stammers, his head snapping back up.

“I said get out,” I repeat.

“Babe…” Quaid hushes, coming closer to me, but my empty stare pins him to the spot.

“You want me to choose, then I’m making my choice. Leave me. Now!”

“Val, we don’t want to leave you alone,” Logan interjects, sounding hurt.

You already have.

“Leave. You want a decision, then I’ll give you one.”

This wakes them up from their stupor.

“So you will choose?” Quaid asks in equal measures of hopeful and afraid.

“You didn’t leave me with much choice.”

I just hope I can live with the one I’m about to make.

That we all can.

Chapter 16

Then

_____________________________________

Logan

I’m in my kitchen, staring out the window, when I see Carter slam his front door, hurriedly crossing his lawn over to Val’s place. The next thing I see is a lightning speed shadow crossing the road and ramming himself into Carter, knocking him to the ground.

“Shit!” I belt out before heading outside. When I get to Val’s lawn, Quaid and Carter are already at it, slamming punches from all angles, the sound of bone breaking under each jab.

“The fuck do you think you’re going?!” Quaid howls, landing a sucker punch to Carter’s mid drift, and a loud humph leaves my somber friend. When I think Quaid is going to do more damage with his bruised knuckles, Carter head butts him in the nose, making Quaid fall back on his ass.

“What the hell are you two doing?!” I yell out, trying to stop my two best friends from killing each other.

“He was going over to see Val!”

“It’s been three days, asshole. One of us had to man the fuck up and go talk to her,” Carter explains, spitting blood from his busted lip onto the grass.

“And who said you had to be that man, huh?” Quaid barks back, still thirsting for more blood.

“This is insane! Will you two look at yourselves?”

Carter wipes his bleeding mouth on his forearm while Quaid tries to stand up, rubbing his nose that thankfully doesn’t look broken.

“I’m tired of waiting,” Carter rebukes, also getting back on his feet.

“We all are, fucker!” Quaid hollers. “But she obviously needs time. Val will reach out to us when she’s made up her mind, so fucking respect that and give her breathing room.”

Carter throws Quaid a scowl, pointing menacingly at him.

“You think I don’t see what you’re trying to do here? You think the longer she takes, she’ll end up choosing you just because you’ll be closest to her when school starts. But I have news for you. If proximity is her logical choice, then I’ll just enroll in California, too.”

Quaid’s eyes look big as saucers, his tan face paling at Carter’s threat.

“You don’t even want to go to college.”

“But I want Valentina. So I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep her.”

“She’s not yours,” Quaid snarls.

“If she’s yours, then why do you look so afraid?” Carter mocks, his black eyes filled with triumph.

“Enough, the both of you,” I shout, trying to hold it together.

Carter’s threat might have been directed at