41

XANDER’S POV

By the afternoon, I felt well enough to leave the house. It was time to face the world again. I switched on my phone, bracing myself for the onslaught of messages.

The screen lit up with notifications, over a thousand messages and calls. My heart sank as I scrolled through them. Most were from my mom, my friends and Sasha. I didn’t bother opening any of the messages or calling back. I wasn’t ready for that yet.

I packed a few things, took a deep breath, and headed home.

Xander!” my mom called immediately I got home, rushing over to hug me. She wrapped me in a tight hug.

"Where have you been? I was so worried."

I hugged her back, feeling guilty for ignoring her. "I'm sorry, Mom," I said, "I didn't mean to make you worry."

She pulled back, looking at me with concern "Do you know how worried I was? Why have you been ignoring my calls and Sashas’ too? We were both worried."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Mom, I really don't want to talk about it right now. I'm to