Page 122 of Bad Wolf
“Please just stop. I promise I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. Look what just happened. You got so mad you punched your brother.”
I fall back against the comforter, closing my eyes. I didn’t intentionally hit him but I’m glad it was him and not the door made of solid oak. That has catastrophe written all over it.
“Look. I’m gonna go call Dad and set up a place to meet. Then we can all get out of here. You need fresh air and some food,” she says gently, and then scurries off to call her dad.
“He comes back forty-eight hours before the first playoff game. Seems fishy to me,” Casey says.
The bed dips and he sits down next to me while Scott and Jason stand like centurions at the bedroom door.
“What do you need from us?” Scott asks.
“Nothing,” I tell them all, “just getting him out of here has helped.”
Wren appears back in the room. It’s too small for all of us in here, but I still don’t move.
“Okay. I’m going to come for breakfast, well brunch now, and then I’ll go meet him after.” She’s so breezy. So excited. And I get it, I really do. He’s finally showed up after practical radio silence with a pep in his step, looking fresh and well.
But fuckin’ come on! Is she that naive?
I sit up, Scott shakes his head like he can finally see for himself what Pete has done to her.
How he’s still got his claws in her even now we’re back together, “And what, he’s just come back and everything is all okay? He’s not a gambling addict who won’t ever hurt me or my family and is going to start doing right by you?” I ask.
“Well, we didn’t get much time to talk. And now he’s left because I had to come in here when you punched your brother.”
“Will you stop saying that? I didn’t punch Jason on purpose, and better an accidental blow than a real, fired-up one.”
“Pardon me?”
“I said better that, than losing my temper with your dad.”
“Knox.”
I scrub my hand over my face and then look from my brothers to her again.
“Look, it’s okay. Let’s just get the fuck out of here. I feel like a fuckin’ caged animal right now. You were right. I need some air.” I’m still sitting on Scott’s bed for Christ’s sake. It’s starting to feel cramped again, especially with us all in here.
“But it’s not!” she explodes, and Casey’s head snaps up beside me at her outburst, “it’s not okay is it?”
“Wren, you aren’t reading the room at all,” Casey chides. “We love you, but you cannot do this right now.”
I wave Casey off, “No, let’s talk. Let’s, the five of us, have a little powwow about how fucked up all of this is. What’s gonna happen now that he’s here?”
She purses her lips and squares her shoulders, not at all taken aback by the fact that Casey, Scott, and Jason are present.
“I hope that we can start rebuilding what was broken. I’d like to be able to forgive him and I’d like for you to eventually not feel like breaking a door every time you come into contact with him.”
“Don’t even waste your time. And forgiveness, Wren,” I give her a hard stare, shaking my head, “Don’t ever think that piece of shit will get it from me. I’ll carry it until the day that fucker dies.”
“HEY,” she snaps, “I know how you feel about him, but please don’t lose sight of the fact that he’s my father. You forgave me. You never know, in time you might be able to forgive him too.”
I roll my eyes, “that’s never going to happen.”
Don’t do thisI coach myself.You’ve come so fucking far. Don’t react just because you’re scared.
She’s not leaving you again. She won’t leave.
