I grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to stop his incessant movements. “Stop it, Clay. Now!” I told him firmly. Clay shook his head. “No. You don't understand. I hate them! And what's worse is they make me hate myself! They remind me of every horrible and stupid thing I've ever done! They never waste an opportunity to shove the fact that I'm an embarrassment and a failure in my face!” He grit out, his words like knives.

I snapped. He was scaring me. It was like he was giving up already. And I wouldn't allow that to happen. I grabbed his face and held it between my hands. I gave him a little shake. “Enough! You are giving them all of the power here! That's exactly what they want. They want to see you broken, a shell of a person. And you're playing right into there hands!” I hissed out.

“But they have all the power. I have nothing.” He whispered and I could see him fragment. I gave him a gentle tap on the cheek. “How can you say that, Clay? You have Ruby and Lisa. You have me! You have my heart and soul inside you every second of every day.” I said, kissing him on the mouth, trying to vanquish the darkness that had taken a hold of him.

His expression was shattered. “I don't deserve your heart, Maggie. I should never have drug you into this hell I live in. It's not fair to you. What kind of future can I give you when I don't know if I even have one?” He despaired, closing his eyes. I felt tears rise up and pour from my eyes as I took in his pain.

“I love you, Clay. I love every single part of you. I need you to hold it together! Please! Do it for me if not for yourself.” I was playing dirty. Using his love for me as leverage.

Clay's eyes pleaded with me. “I don't know if I can. I hate this lost feeling.” His voice shook. I gently rubbed his cheek, my fingers brushed his hair back from his face. “If you're feeling lost, well, I'll just have to find you.” I said with more conviction than I felt.

Clay leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine, our noses brushing against one another. “I can't do this without you.” He murmured. I closed my eyes at the raw yearning I heard. Was I enough to hold him together?

“I'm here, Clay. Always.” I said as our lips found each other in a desperate need. As we tried to drown all of our fears in the feel of our mouths and the love we had for one another.

Chapter Nineteen

Things went from bad to worse. The arrival of Clay's parents created a ripple effect that encompassed everything. I was still grounded, so I wasn't able to be with Clay after school. And that's when he started disappearing. He would leave immediately after the last bell, often not even waiting for me after class like he usually did.

We typically tried to spend a few moments together before I had to be sequestered at home. But he was bailing on me almost every day. I didn't know where he went or what he did. Not being able to keep an eye on him, particularly when things were so bad for him, was maddening. And I was hurt. Really hurt. I knew he was shutting me out. Hiding things from me. And when I questioned his behavior he became angry and defensive, refusing to speak to me.

Clay's moods fluctuated like crazy. I asked him, on more than one occasion, if he was still taking his medication but he would simply ignore me, as though I hadn't asked anything. It was almost as if he were self- destructing on purpose. As though he was trying to give his parents a reason to lock him away.

Is that what he wanted? Because he sure as hell was acting like it.

When Clay showed up at my locker one morning a week after his parents had breezed into town, I noticed the fresh cut on his wrist. “What is this?” I hissed, grabbing his hand and pulled up his sleeve. Clay ripped his arm away from me and put his forehead against my locker over my head, leaning into my face.

“It's nothing. Leave it alone.” He said in a low tone. The look in his eyes frightened me. He wasn't teasing. He was telling me to back off. “No.” I pushed, not letting him close me out. “I will tell Lisa and Ruby if you keep this up.” I threatened, holding my English book tight to my chest.

Clay's face flushed and he reeled back as though I had struck him. He hit the metal beside my head, making me flinch. “Don't threaten me, Maggie. That's a stupid thing to do.” He hit the locker again and stormed off, leaving me shaken and confused.

His behavior and mood were becoming more and more erratic. I felt any control I had over the situation fading every day. It was as though he was putting that wall back up, one angry brick at a time.

And I couldn't find my way over it, under it, or through it. He was on one side and I was firmly on the other. Soon, Clay started ditching school earlier and earlier. At first it was leaving right before the end of the day.

And that was just the beginning. I had asked him about leaving school and Clay had given me that angry look again and told me to stop acting like I was his mother. His words were like a knife to my gut. I had been unable to stop the tears from forming in my eyes. He was so short and terse with me all the time lately. I felt us drifting further and further apart.

I hated crying and that's all I did anymore. I was one big pile of misery. And that misery had the name, Clayton Reed.

I seriously considered going to Ruby and Lisa. I wanted to tell them what was going on with Clay. I needed someone's help desperately. But what would they really be able to do? Lisa had made it clear that his parents held all of the cards. So I watched as he moved further away from me and I was powerless to stop it. My words meant nothing to him anymore. The fact that he hurt me every single day didn't matter.