Dad,not knowing what to say, simply shrugged with a halfhearted nod. “Sure. Sure,it could’ve been worse.”
“Andyou get to eat, baby,” Mama added enthusiastically, and God help me, I was sodesperate to scream at her. But I managed to bite my tongue.
Agrunt accompanied my nod. “Yeah. Great.”
Mamalet loose a contented sigh and asked if anybody would like something from thecafeteria. Dad said he’d be happy to joinher, andasked the silent Molly if she’d also like to come.
“Nah,I’m good for now,” she replied, a sweet smile on her lips. The tone of hervoice made her mood nearly impossible to read. “Thanks, though.”
Myparents left, closing the door behind them, and I looked to her. She wassitting at the foot of my bed, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. She hadn’tchanged her clothes since the show last night, but nobody could get her toleave.
“Hey.”I nudged her with myfootand she lifted her eyes tomine and mustered a smile. “You’re freakishly quiet.”
Shenodded. “Yeah … I know, I’m sorry.” Pulling in a deep breath, she gave her bodya cleansing shake and said, “So, talk to me. How are youfeelin’?”
“Shitty,”I laughed, uttering the first honest thing I’d said all damn day. “No punintended.”
“Ha-ha.”Her eyes glimmered with tearful sympathy. “I know. I’m so sorry, Chad.”
Hervoice cracked, and my throat tightened. Shit, if she cried, I wouldn’t be ableto keep my own waiting emotions at bay. I laughed and shook my head. “What thehell are you sorry for?”
“Allthis?” She spread her hands out, gesturing around the room, and then, at me. “Iknow you didn’t want this. I know how, um … how scared you were, and … Idunno. I’m just sorry that this happened. It’s not right.It’s notfair.”
“No,”I shook my head, “it’s not. But hey, maybe it’s karma, right? Maybe this ispunishment for what a shit I used to be. And hey, now I’m on these steroids, soif you got some people you needbeatin’ up …” Ishrugged, forcing a grin. “Now would be a good time.”
ButMolly wasn’t laughing. She gave my leg a hard shove and grumbled, “Shut up.”
Iwasn’t sure who needed a hug more: me or her. But the rush of affection in myheart said there was so much more that I wanted. I wanted to be held. I wantedto be kissed. Hell, I wanted, for once, to be coddled as I wrapped my headaround this new way of life, and I wanted it all from her.
Witha deep breath, I sighed. “Hey, Molls, youwannagrabme my phone?”
“Yeah.”She nodded and stood from the bed, unplugging it from the wall charger. “Why?Gonnapost some attentionseekin’picture on Instagram?”
Isnorted. “Yeah, maybe later. But first, IgottacallAli.”
“Oh,yeah. Right. You never called her last night.”
“Boyfriendof the year,” I mumbled, scrolling through my contacts. She didn’t even have ashortcut on my home screen. But Molly did.
“Youwere a little preoccupied, I’d say,” she excused me, shrugging one shoulder.“You want me to leave?”
Ithought about it. Did I want to see her reaction when she heard me break upwith my girlfriend? Yes. Yes, I did. But the decent man in me knew it wasdisrespectful to my relationship with Ali to have an audience at its demise.
“Yeah,”I told her. “Take your phone. I’ll textyawhen youcan come back in.”
“Okay.”She touched the edge of my bed, just outside of my leg, and when she smiled, Iexhaled and knew without a doubt that I was about to do the right thing.
***
“Whatthe hell happened to you last night?” was the first thing Ali demanded when sheanswered the phone. “You hung up on me!”
“Iknow,” I said, smoothing the blanket over my lap. “I’m sorry.” What I noted butdidn’t say was, she hadn’t tried calling me back either. She hadn’t eventexted. She’d simply accepted that I’d hung up and wasn’t going tomake an effortto find out why.
God,how the hell had this gone on for so long?
“Well?Are you going to tell me what happened?”
So,I did. “I was taken to the hospital.”
