Thirty
IwassoenragedI didn’t even care if I got pulled over by the cops. All I wanted to do was drive Aunt Maddy’s car back to our house and hide for eternity. When I got home, I fled to my bedroom and was comforted by my familiar surroundings. My own bed cocooned me into dreamland.
Unfortunately, waking up in this house alone isn’t such a comfort. My body aches, my mouth runs dry, and my head is a heavy mess of ugly thoughts. I drag myself out of bed, my eyes two slits as I trudge toward the kitchen. It feels like only a three-feet walk compared to spending so much time moving around the Nelson’s home.
After chugging a tall glass of water, I look around for a heavy-duty aspirin. When I pinch the bridge of my nose to help my headache disappear, there’s a knock at the door. My shoulders tense and a tremendous ache burrows between my eyebrows.
The jig is up.
I can only imagine an angry Mrs. Nelson on the other side of the door, ready to drag me to school. I edge my way toward the front door, too timid to ask who it is.
There’s a second knock at the door.
“Jamie?” Milo’s voice calls through the door. “Are you in there?”
“Milo?” I ask, reaching for the door handle. I open it up, double-taking at him not wearing school uniform. “What are you doing here?”
“Hi,” he mumbles with a shy wave. “Can I come in?”
I beckon him inside, checking the street for his mom’s SUV. “How did you get here?”
“The bus,” he replies as I close the door.
I fold my arms and look down at the floor as I wander by the sofa. “How did you know I was here?”
“I knocked on your door last night, and found an empty bedroom,” Milo replies. “I looked downstairs for you, and was at a loss, so I looked out the window. Anyway, I saw Maddy’s car gone and put two and two together.”
I gulp, hugging my middle. “Are your parents mad?”
“They didn’t exactly catch on. I got up early and covered for you with Mom,” he says, placing his backpack on the carpet. “I told her Laura needed the car to move some catering gear, and that we agreed to help before school.”
“Oh. Thanks, I guess.”
“Why did you leave? I was worried about you.”
I frown, looking off to the side. “I just couldn’t handle the way everyone was looking at me. I thought I was safe in that house, but everyone stared like I was scum.”
“No, they didn’t,” he counters. “It was just a shock because we were throwing around words we’d never used before.”
I dig my toes in and double-down. “I got the looks my mom got. The ones she promised to protect me from.”
“I’m sorry for fighting with Kai in front of my family, and making things worse,” Milo says, visibly angry at himself. “I shouldn’t have said anything about you being in Kai’s bed. I was trying to defend you, but it came out all wrong.”
“Yeah, it didn’t make me feel great about myself.” I gesture at his bag. “Are you planning on going to school?”
Milo smiles nervously. He bends down and unzips the bag. He pulls out my rollerblades. “It’s a peace offering. I know it’s silly, but I wanted to prove I care.”
My heart swells and I clasp my hands together. “Aw, Milo. I never thought you didn’t care.”
He puts the rollerblades down and moves closer. “Kai got the better of me and my mouth started running. The last thing I wanted to do was make you feel bad about yourself.”
“I had to get out of there.”
Milo shifts his weight, causing me to look his way. “Is it okay that I came over?”
I let my guard down and smile. “Of course, it is. You’re the only person I want to see.”
His grin lights up the room. He clasps my hand and tugs me toward him. Giggling, I lean into him, loosely draping my arms around his neck. His soft kiss sends my thoughts numb and I could easily float above the floor.
