Oh boy.
Oh no.
You arenotallowed to like him. Not now, notever.
Not only is Dylan a walking red flag, but Hayley would flip out.
Plus,after what Nate told me, I’m meant to hate the guy… aren’t I?
I give myself a mental slap before giving Mom’s picture a couple of goodnight pats, locking up, and strolling down the street to my car. As I walk past the building next door, I promise myself I won’t look up at Dylan’s window and see if his light is on.
Three steps later, my eyes dart upward. There’s a soft glow of light shining from his living room, but there are no cars parked out the front. No sign of any Cindis with an “i.”
God, why am I even thinking about that?
I up my pace and bound away with a guilty feeling gnawing at my gut. But somewhere even deeper inside it, in a place I can’t reach, there’s a nervous thrill building that I can’t seem to switch off.
CHAPTERELEVEN
DYLAN
I fucked up.
Those words keep running through my mind the entire drive over to my parents’ house for yet another family meeting. The only reason I agreed to it is because Ella is going to be there, and I haven’t seen her since she got sick a few days ago. Iris assured me she’s right as rain now, so Ella and I will be hanging out all day tomorrow. I can’t wait. I’ve missed not seeing that little monster.
Alex twists the dial on the radio, muting Kurt Cobain’s soulful voice. “Why are you in a mood?” she asks.
“I’m not.”
She snorts. “Clearly.”
I don’t know why it pisses me off so much that Jade’s opinion of me is the same as everyone else’s. It shouldn’t matter, but for some reason it does. And today would’ve been the perfect opportunity to tell her the truth about what really happened instead of letting that fuckwit she’s dating control the narrative. But what did I do instead?
I basically told her to fuck off.
My therapist would say I’m avoiding the issue. What’s so wrong with that? If I saw a gigantic crocodile in the middle of the road, I’d sure as hell avoid it too. And talking about this hurts a lot worse than a big-ass reptile with the world’s strongest bite.
Alex pulls into Mom and Dad’s gravel driveway, and like every other time I’ve come here since the accident, I expect to see them waiting on the stoop, but there’s no one there. That is until the front door flies open and a tiny human comes barreling out, catching my legs the moment I climb out of the car and squeezing with all her might.
“Uncle Pickle! I’ve missed you so, so,sooomuch.”
“I missed you too, monster.”
This kid is seriously the coolest person in the world. The only way to release myself from her stronghold is to tickle her under the arms. She knows it too. The moment I do, she squeals and takes off back into the house. I dutifully chase after her, nearly ramming into Iris on my way into the kitchen, where Ella’s sparkly pink shoes peek out from beneath the fluttering curtains.
Turns out she’s as bad at hide-and-seek as her mother. “Has anyone seen Ella?” I say. “I heard she’s been too sick to play.”
Iris closes the door behind Alex. “Nope. Haven’t seen her in days. I’ve been thinking about sending out a search party.”
“Call the police. No. The FBI! No. The president!”
A high-pitched giggle emerges from the vibrating curtains before Ella pops her head out and grins. “I’m right here, you ninny.”
What is she, a ninety-year-old grandma? Who the hell says ninny? “Hey! Who are you calling a ninny?”
“Ella, what did Daddy say about calling people names?” Iris chides.
I scoop up my niece and whisper in her ear, “Your daddy is a ninny.”
