I swear there’s something in the damn water down here that makes people act irrationally. Alex and E might be related. How can he not see the problem? Taking a deep breath, I give myself a moment to gather my thoughts. “Okay, E, let me make this as simple as I can. If I am your girlfriend, then there is no one else. No. One. No pretend girlfriends, no society girlfriends, no newspaper girlfriends. No grandmother setups. You’re almost 18 years old. Handle your business. You can be cordial to people without them touching you inappropriately. You allowed that to happen, and that's wrong. Did you miss your grandmother quoted in the article as approving the relationship, E? You and I need to take a break until you get your life sorted.”
“What does that mean?” E asks, his voice quieting.
“It means we're back to being friends, E. I'll be here as your friend, but not your girlfriend right now.”
“How can you doubt I love you?”
We are speaking different languages; I swear. “I care about you too, E, but you’ve genuinely hurt me, and you don’t seem to grasp that. You’ve put conditions on your feelings for both of us, and I can’t accept that. I’m sorry.” After hanging up, I cry quietly, my face buried in Jake’s soft, familiar pillow. Did I really just do that? Break up with E?
My phone rings a few minutes later, and I see Seb’s name. “Hurry,” I cry.
“I know Sunshine. You are so strong and brave.”
“Did you guys break up too?”
“No. We didn’t get into that. I definitely want to kick his ass, though.What's he thinking?”
“He’s thinking about his inheritance, not me. Do you think he and Alex switched bodies somehow?”
“Seems like it. Maybe he'll handle things now and realize what he’s doing?”
“I won’t hold my breath, Hurry.” Look at Alex, still engaged despite not proposing. What is wrong with people that money and reputation come before all else?
“Everything is so messed up, Sunshine.”
“Yeah, it is. I wish I could fix everything so badly.”
Chapter 22
Seb
I’m sitting in my last morning class on Monday, impatiently waiting for lunch, when an announcement comes over the speakers calling me to the office. That’s never happened before. I shrug, gather up my stuff, and leave the classroom.
When I get to the office, the principal is waiting for me. “Seb, please follow me to my office.”
Nodding, I walk behind him. Troy is standing by the window when I enter. “What’s going on?” I ask, getting concerned.
“Seb, your mother is here, asking for you. Since I knew Troy was your legal guardian, I called him immediately,” the principal says.
“Oh, shit.” What did she do? Did she cause trouble? I gave her $300 on Saturday. That should've been enough for a while.
“I’ll give you a few minutes of privacy,” he says, leaving and closing the door.
“Seb. We need to talk. I know you’ve been giving Beth money regularly. She’s your mom, and you want to help her, but it needs to stop. You’re blasting through your savings, and she’s not using it to take care of herself, but for more drugs. Now she shows up during school, demanding to see you. That’s not good,” Troy says.
I drop into a chair, feeling defeated. I know I’m enabling her addiction by giving her money, but I don’t know what else to do.She doesn’t have a home or money of her own. Surely, she’s using some of it to eat and sleep somewhere. I have to try to help. “What am I supposed to do, Troy?” I feel like a little kid again, trying to fix something broken with pieces missing.
“We are going to convince her to leave with us and drop her off at a rehab facility. I’ve already made arrangements. The rest is up to her,” Troy says.
Fuck, I’ve got a great big brother. “Okay. How do we do this?”
“Don’t mention rehab to her. Let’s offer to take her out for lunch. If that doesn’t work, I’ll figure something out. Come on, she’s across the hall.”
I get up and follow him to a small conference room. Beth's pacing in front of a round table across the room. She looks more put-together than she did on Saturday, and she's brushed her hair and put on clean clothes. Beth looks up as we enter, and Troy closes the door. “Sebby, what took you so long?”
“Hi Beth. I was in class,” I shrug. “What brought you to school during the day?”
“Oh, I thought we could have lunch. I didn’t know what time classes ended. I guess I was early.”
