Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97409 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97409 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
I have to sit on the bed to take in his words while he makes me breakfast. Then he’s rushing to get dressed and kissing me on his way out. “I’ll be back for lunch. Call the doctor.”
“I already left her a message. She’s going to call me back.”
“Well, if she doesn’t call you by nine-thirty, why don’t you call her again?” He gets into his truck. “It’s an emergency.”
“I haven’t had any cramping since last night, so I don’t think it’s an emergency, plus there has been no bleeding,” I remind him again. I’ve told him five times now.
“Why are you still standing there? Go inside.” He shoos me away, and I close the door, laughing as my phone rings from the kitchen.
I run to answer. “Hello?”
“You have a collect call from Montgavin County Jail from inmate Harris Henderson.” I sink down on the couch at the automated voice. “Say yes if you would like to accept.”
“Yes,” I say, even though I know I should say no.
“You need to bail me out.” My father skips right over saying hello. “I’m going to court today, and you need to be there and talk to a bail bondsman. Sign whatever they need you to sign for collateral.”
“What did you do?”
“I did nothing,” he snaps. “I’m going in front of the judge sometime today, so get your ass down there.” Someone says something to him in the background. “Fuck you,” he swears at them. Then he says, “I have to go.” The call cuts off abruptly.
My hand is shaking like a leaf on a tree in the middle of a storm. “Stay calm,” I tell myself, but I can feel my teeth clattering.
My eyes fix on the screen saver of my phone. My heart is hammering. The breakfast Theo made me threatens to come up. I put one shaky hand on my head as the doorbell rings.
I don’t know how I do it, but I walk to the front door and open it.
My mother, face streaked with tears, barges into the house before I can speak. “Are you ready to go?” she snaps out, looking me up and down. “Your father was arrested last night.”
“He just called me.”
“Well, we have to get down to the courthouse to meet with the public defender or something. Make sure everything is set up with the bail bondsman.”
My head feels like it’s spinning around and around. “What?”
“This is your fucking fault,” she hisses, her finger coming up to point in my direction.
I take a step back. “Me?”
“It’s because of your boyfriend.” She takes two steps toward me. “Now you have to fix it.”
“Get the fuck away from her. Now!” My head whips to the doorway. Theo. He looks like he ran here.
“You,” she hisses at him, “this is your fault.” She’s stalking toward him now. “He did nothing wrong, and they arrested him while he was sleeping.”
“That’s not what the evidence says,” Theo replies.
“What is going on?” I ask him. “What is she talking about?”
“He”—she points to Theo—“had your father arrested.”
“What?” I ignore my mother and look at Theo.
“A couple of our building sites have been broken into.” I feel everything leave my body. “Tools and stuff taken. We placed cameras. The other day, we caught someone on video breaking into our office. We saw a part of his face, not all of it. But Burke confirmed it, it’s your father. I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t know how to tell you.”
“Oh my god.”
“You don’t know it was him!” my mother shouts, throwing her hands over her head.
“Out!” Theo roars. “Get the fuck out of my house right now, or I’ll call the cops, and you can join your husband.”
“You’re just going to let him talk to me like that?” She stares at me, expecting me to take her side. “Your own flesh and blood?” I don’t say anything. “Remember who took care of you.”
“I don’t have to remember,” I whisper. “I know. My whole life it was me who took care of me.”
“Sorry excuse for a child. Give me money to get to the courthouse.”
“You are not getting a cent from her,” Theo declares before I can reply. He takes out his phone. “And you have one minute before I call Officer Burke.”
“You’ll be sorry about this,” she hisses at Theo, storming past him and out of the house.
“I can’t.” My eyes fill with tears so big I can no longer see Theo clearly. “They’ll never stop. Now do you see why I can’t do this with you?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
THEO
I watch her stand here, shoulders slumped, tears dripping down her face, and the only thing I can think is: I hate her parents. I don’t hate a lot of people in my life. I find the energy just drains you. But those two people, who I hate with every single fiber of my being? She shakes her head side to side as she wipes away the tears with the back of her hand, but it’s like a million more pour out of her. “I can’t do this to you.”