AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“My boss had extra tickets and I decided to go.”
I frown. I mailed the tickets myself. None of them went to a Mr. Hanifin or to the university.
“I quit at the university,” Trace tells me to explain away my confusion.
“What? Why? When?”
“After we broke up. I couldn’t handle the anxiety. It wasn’t worth it. So, I quit and got another job about a month later. It ended up being a good decision. Why aren’t you and Rebecca living together?”
This makes me frown. “She got engaged, so I left for him to move in. Her and Dustin were on and off and now on forever.” I’m not a fan of Dustin at all. Not after we were able to confirm him ratting out Trace. But there’s something about him that Rebecca can’t resist. She always goes back to him. It’s strained our relationship some. I try to hang out with her whenever Dustin isn’t around. If it can’t be helped, then I suck it up and remain civil.
Trace nods. “Do you still see Dr. Gunner?”
“No,” I quickly answer. “Not after he admitted me like that. I mean, maybe I shouldn’t have stopped seeing him, since he did come up and see me while I was in the hospital, but I don’t know. I felt like he should’ve told me before I went to the hospital.”
He frowns and his brows pull together. “He came to see you?”
“Yeah. He drove up that Friday and left Monday.”
“Damn it.”
I don’t understand his reaction. Why would it matter that he was here? “What is it?” I ask.
“I had lunch with him while he was here.” Confusion flit
s across my features and he continues, “He’s an old friend from college. He knew I was seeing you and that I broke up with you, but he would always say how he wouldn’t give me any details if I ever asked because you were his patient. I can’t believe you were his emergency.”
I don’t know how I feel about this and I don’t want to think about it. There’s a knock on the door and Trace gets up to answer it, returning with a box of pizza. The delicious aroma fills my living room. I didn’t think I was hungry, but now that I’ve smelled it…
“Want any?” Trace pops the lid and moves it in circles under my nose like that one time when I wasn’t hungry. The memory hurts. Breathing the same air as Trace hurts.
If I can just let him say what he wants, then he’ll leave.
I snag a slice of pizza. He reclaims his seat and places the pizza box on the coffee table.
“How are your parents?”
“Fine.” They’re disappointed in you. They would kill you if they knew you were here. They hate you as much as I do. “How’s your dad and Amy?”
“Good.” Trace clears his throat. “They know.”
This catches me off guard so much so that I nearly choke on my pizza. Thankfully, I’m able to regain my composure before Trace has to pat me on the back or help me in any way.
He gives me a small smile. “We should probably eat before I tell you more.”
I nod, though I don’t want him to tell me more. He doesn’t have to say anything else for me to know that he’s spent his time away from me by doing better, improving. I was bad for him, I guess. It also pisses me off that while he was off getting better, I was here getting worse. Sure, I’m happy for him. But I’m pissed the hell off too.
“Are you still seeing Mrs. Potter?”
I shake my head. Something in me cracked about two months after our breakup. I couldn’t stand going to therapy. All I did was cry or stare at the wall. Mrs. Potter only pissed me off with her suggestions and responses when I spoke to her. She wasn’t helping. So, I stopped going. I don’t really like my new psychiatrist either, but he gives me pills that are supposedly helping me.
“Are you seeing anyone?”
“None of your business, Trace.” The last thing I need is to hear how I should be in therapy. My parents tell me enough.
We finish eating in silence. Trace angles toward me and I make a point to stare at the black screen of my television.
“I flew to Texas about six months ago to tell my dad. He handled it as if I had told him I was dying.” Trace absentmindedly reaches for his neck. My fingers twitch to pull it down and hold it instead. I need space before I do something stupid. Trace watches me stand and pace, but he stays on topic. “I stayed for about a week. He, um, had such a hard time because my mom was depressed. She died by suicide.”
