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I was always making that girl cry, and I did back off this time. I stayed off her bus route and rerouted my attention. It was better I stayed away.
“You’re going to need to make a decision.”
Ignoring Dr. Easton’s voice, I texted my brother where we could meet for coffee. I probably could get some today since I wasn’t on a special diet anymore. The clinical trial the doctor had me in required it. There obviously wasn’t a point to keep doing that now.
I slammed my Hummer’s door shut in the hospital’s parking lot, and I was proud of myself.
I only punched the wheel once before pulling away.
* * *
“Ouch. You alright?” Bru pointed to my bruised knuckles. I’d fucked them up pretty good when I’d punched the steering wheel, but I’d barely noticed. My hands were numb half the time and tingling the rest.
I shrugged, then shoved both hands into the front of my hoodie. The kid and I had been chatting for a few minutes over our coffees. We just had some general back-and-forth about how he’d been doing, which was well. He was still seeing his therapist back home, and he’d been helping Mom out at her office to stay busy. Our mother was the mayor of the city.
During the short chat, I must have forgotten about my hand. I flexed my fingers. “Got it caught in the truck door on the way here.”
I mean, what was another lie anyway? I’d dug myself so deep, so why not just lie again? Lie forever?
Because it’s not possible.
I would if I could. I’d handle this shit all on my own so my family would never ever have to deal with it. The amount of trauma in my family could make headlines, and it had.
“Damn.” Bru gestured for me to show him my hand, and I did to humor him. He might have a future in medicine with the way he was looking at it. “Make sure to ice it when you get back to your dorm.”
“I will.”
Bru nodded. “So, you’re not going to ask?”
“About what?”
The look my brother gave me made me think I’d asked something crazy. He lifted his hand. “About Fawn. You’re not going to ask how she is? I told you I saw her today.”
I didn’t see the point. Not anymore and especially after today. It just made shit so much worse and added to the tension in my chest. My heart. “You know there isn’t a point to that.”
And he also knew how shit had gone down recently. Everyone knew that my attempts to be near Fawn hadn’t ended well. And that was all I’d wanted. To be around her, near her…
It’d been pathetic really. I thought if I just waited and was there that maybe she’d want to see me or be around me. I’d let my brother convince me at Christmas there was a point to reaching out. That there was a point to putting myself in a position to be around her, but today taught me differently. Fawn didn’t need me in her life right now. There was already about to be so much collateral damage and…
My hands flexed again, my body shifting, back straightening. Sitting in chairs was an effort these days, and the same went for lying down or even walking. I didn’t know when my body would betray me and have a bad day. Some days it was cool, and there was minimal discomfort. Others not so much.
“You know you two are incredibly frustrating,” my brother said, laughing a little. His awareness of my physical woes was the same as everyone else in my life. It was nonexistent, and that was intentional. I’d been good at hiding it, great at hiding it, and for months.
So many months.
Bru’s head tilted. “I wasn’t exactly honest when I said I came out to see Sloane and you guys. I mean, Sloane’s been bugging me, but I got in the car today because Fawn called me.”
That got my attention, and my focus dashed back to him. The kid slid something across the table, and when I looked at it, I realized it was a wedding invitation. My brow jerked up. “What’s this?”
“It’s a wedding invitation.”
“I got that, but why are you showing it to me?” And why had Fawn called him?
Bru smiled again. “That’s why Fawn called me. Apparently, she’s taking pictures at it. It’s this Saturday.”
“Okay.”
“Well, she needs an assistant. She’s taking pictures as a favor for a friend she has. Says his name is Heath?” he stated, and as I was aware of her friend, I nodded. “Anyway, he’s in the wedding, so he can’t take photos for the bride and groom. The groom is his cousin and asked if Heath knew anyone who could do photography. Their other photographer bailed out on them.”
