Alex walked the rest of the way home with his hands shoved in his pockets and his pulse still too high.
Every streetlight felt like it was watching him. Every car that passed made his shoulders tighten. He kept replaying the words he had thrown at Troy in the parked car. *I’m starting to hate you for it* and the calm way Troy had told him to get out and walk. The quiet order to wait in his room felt heavier than shouting would have.
By the time he reached the mansion gates his legs were tired and his mind was louder than the night. He went straight upstairs. He didn’t turn on the overhead light. He just sat on the edge of the bed in the dark and waited, exactly as told.
Time stretched.
He heard Bridget come in downstairs. Heard Silas’s voice a little later. Normal evening sounds that d
