Filed To Story: The Perfect Spiral Book PDF Free by Ashley Constantine
She saunters back to our table, her hips swaying with each step. “I’m sorry, but the kitchen doesn’t have any other order for this table other than a… Sizzler pizza,” she says, glancing down at her notepad once more,
“But I can place an order for you if you’d like? I can get you a menu?”
“For me to tell you my order again and for you to forget it or forget the fact that I’ve been sitting Here the entire time? Nah, I’m good, but thanks.” I stand, my patience worn thin, and shoot her a pointed look.
“I’ve lost my appetite. I’ll meet you at the car,” I tell Knox, who’s looking at me with pity etched across his face. He stands too, taking my hand and pulling me back towards him.
“Alex, here are the keys. Wait for me in the car. I’ll pay and then I’ll take you home,” he assures me. But his words do nothing to soothe the sting of being ignored. Forgotten. It’s a feeling all too familiar from my high school days.
I feel like shit.
As I push open the door to leave, the paparazzi swarm, their shouts echoing in my ears as I make my way to the car. I slip into the passenger seat, locking the doors until a knock on the driver’s side window breaks the silence. I open the door and Knox slips in. I hand him the keys, but say nothing.
The silence stretches between us. He tries to start a conversation, but I don’t respond. Not because I’m angry, but because I’m fighting back tears.
Tears that have been threatening to fall ever since I was alone in the car. We arrive at my house and I get out immediately. Knox follows, barely taking the time to remove the keys from the ignition.
He grabs my arms, spinning me around to face him, and that’s when the first tear falls. “Alex, I’m sor-“His voice trails off as he loosens his grip and I turn to walk inside.
I leave the door wide open, knowing Delilah will be here soon and he will want to see his mom. I rush up the stairs, making a beeline for my room before any more tears can fall.
Why am I crying? What did you expect, Alex?
“Alex!” I hear Knox’s voice echo up the stairs, but I don’t want to talk to anyone.
I just want to go back to Culi right now. I run into my room, locking the door behind me. I slide down to the floor, my back against the door, and let the tears fall.
I sit there for a while, crying silently, the only sound my ragged breaths.
I just want to be left alone. I strip off my top and jeans, standing at the edge of my bed in my underwear.
I toss his jersey onto my desk and rummage through my drawers for an old NYPD shirt that’s large and cozy. I pull it on, then crawl into bed, the knocking and pleading from Knox to open the door a constant background noise.
I lay there for a few more minutes, listening to his breath outside the door. Then I hear my mom’s voice, followed by Delilah’s. They’re asking Knox what happened, and while he stays quiet for a while, they eventually coax the story out of him. I lie in bed, clutching a pillow, listening to my own steady breaths.
I’m still crying, my pillow soaked with tears. I could really use my grunddud right now.
I miss him.
I don’t know what time it is, but I’ve been lying in my bed for quite some time, staring out of my window as the sun begins to set.
“Alex, baby doll. Please let me in,” Knox pleads from the other side of the door. He’s been there since I locked myself in, refusing to leave despite Delilah’s numerous attempts to coax him downstairs.
He’ll give in eventually. I know he will. The smell of food wafts through the crack under my door, filling my room with its enticing aroma. But I can’t bring myself to leave. I’m not even hungry. I haven’t eaten anything since that cupcake this morning.
“Sis? Open up. It’s me,” Kyle’s voice filters through the door, followed by the sound of him trying to turn the knob.
I hear a series of sighs in the hallway, “I’ve tried to get her to open up ever since we came home. This is all my fault,” Knox admits, his voice heavy with guilt.
“Knox, it’s not your fault-“
“Yeah, it is, Sam! I let them all ignore her. I should’ve stood up for her! I should’ve been there for her and had her back, but no, I just sat there and let her take hit after hit. Fuck! I can’t get her face out of my head! This is all my fault!” His voice is filled with defeat.
The guilt he was carrying wasn’t his to bear. I knew he hadn’t made things any easier, and I had taken one hit after another. It wasn’t just one incident, it was a series of events that had unfolded throughout the day.
Everywhere we went, I was either overlooked or forgotten. My voice seemed to have deserted me, leaving me unable to express my feelings. I felt utterly depleted.
“Let’s give her some time. She’ll come around eventually,” Sam gently suggested to them. I knew my brothers were out there. Their footsteps were as familiar to me as my own heartbeat.
“I’m not budging from this spot, Sam,” Knox declared, his voice resolute. I hoped he wasn’t planning on camping out there all night. “I’m staying right here until she opens that damn door. I’ll stay all night if I have to.”
Well, that answered my question.
“Dude, you can’t seriously be planning to stay here all night? You can crash in the guest room, but you can’t just sleep out here on the floor,” Max reasoned, his voice echoing the sentiments of the others.
I knew Knox was stubborn enough to ignore everyone once he’d made up his mind. But I didn’t expect the next words that tumbled out of his mouth.
“I can and I will. I’ve been camping before, I’ve slept on worse floors. I can handle it.” And he did. He spent the entire night right there.
Kyle joined him, sprawling out on the floor outside my room. Wes, Brett, and Tyler eventually followed suit. My mom was cursing up a storm after tripping over them multiple times during the night.
“I’ve tried reaching out to Hannah and Andy, but she’s not answering their calls or texts either. Hannah’s on her way over-ah, speak of the devil!” The sound of footsteps outside my door and the ensuing commotion told me Hannah had arrived.
“Fill me in, now!” she demanded, and they all recounted the day’s events. Knox’s voice was conspicuously absent. Had he left?
“Look, she’s not responding to me or Andy, which hasn’t happened in a long time. You guys should get some sleep. I’ll stay out here with her for a while. If I make any progress, I’ll let you know, okay?”
“No.”
So, he was still out there. As stubborn as ever.
“I’m not moving. I caused this. I need to fix this and make it up to her,” he insisted.
“Alex, can you make a noise so we know you’re okay and not lying dead on the floor?” Hannah’s voice came through the door, earning her a slap from someone.
“Ouch! Chill out, I’m just checking. We don’t need to break down the damn door, Kyle!”
I scanned my room for something to make noise with and picked up a pen, dropping it onto the wooden floor.
A collective sigh of relief echoed from the other side of the door. They could rest easy knowing I wasn’t lying in a pool of my own blood.
After a while, their voices faded into a low murmur as they settled down for their impromptu sleepover in the hallway outside my room.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.