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I winced and closed the door.
Chapter 11: Andrea
“Are you okay?”
I looked up from my computer and forced a smile when I saw Jane watching me from the backroom door. She had a worried look on her face, and even though she tried to look like a tough old bird, I could tell she was ready to turn into the soft mother figure I’d need. I nodded quickly, giving her an exaggerated thumbs-up.
“I’m fine,” I lied.
“You look like you haven’t slept worth shit,” Jane said.
I chuckled. “Let’s just say it was a rough night.” Understatement of the year.
I had been in my room the night before when Bobby came home. I heard him march up the stairs like a man with a mission, and he almost kicked my door down coming in. He was like a tornado on full throttle, shouting so loud I could have sworn the windows in my room shook. He was making absolutely no sense at first, until I was able to make sense of some of the words and realized he was angry about Andy and me.
The fight had gone on for at least an hour, both of us trying to shout over the other. I was crying halfway through, and that seemed to only make him angrier. I lost track of what was being said, at the insults we were throwing at each other, the blame game we were playing, how I accused him of being our father and he accused me of being the little brat who had run away years before.
It was ugly. So bad that I had thrown my book at him in anger, barely missing his head. And still he came at me. I was right about one thing, though. He was a lot like my father, especially when it came to how he used his words. They stung, hit all the right chords, and shattered me from inside the way I had never been hurt when Dennis used his hands. If ever anyone had told me that my brother could kill me with his words, I would have laughed it off. Last night proved just how wrong I could be.
He didn’t even try to stop me when I packed a small bag, took my keys and stormed out of the house. I think he even wished me luck, like he knew that I wouldn’t be able to make it without him. I hated how much I needed him, how safe he had made me feel, how normal, ever since I got to Mansfield. To have that ripped away from under my feet was devastating, and I felt like I had been thrown back to square one, back in the prison I had been trying to escape from.
Straight to jail. Do not pass ‘Go’. Do not collect two hundred dollars.
Thank God for Andy.
He had been nice enough to give me the bed, taking the couch himself while he tried his best to make me feel comfortable. He didn’t ask about what happened, and although I knew he could hear my sobs, he didn’t try to get me to talk. He gave me the space I needed, and I was grate
ful for that. Grateful for him.
He looked like he had been through hell himself, an ironic turn of events given how the day had started. Bobby had been very vocal about how he felt about Andy, and I was sure the two of them had had a nice little fight of their own back at the station. It was probably why Andy had been drinking. I felt like a total bitch, the reason why my brother and his best friend were fighting, and it didn’t help the shitty night I was already having.
So, no, I hadn’t slept very well. I had hardly slept at all, and driving into work this morning, strung up on coffee and fighting the urge to break down and cry again, had been a massive toil. Still, I had a job, one that I probably needed more than ever now that I had no idea what would happen between me and Bobby. And Jane was counting on me. I couldn’t let everyone I knew down.
“Rough night sounds like you’re underplaying what actually happened, sweetheart,” Jane said.
“I’ll tell you all about it, I promise,” I assured her. “But right now, I’m high on caffeine and a desire to work. I want to get as much of this done as possible while I’m still on a roll.”
Jane looked at me for a beat, nodded, and said, “I’m outside if you need me. And if you need to go home instead, that’s okay.”
“I’m fine, I promise,” I smiled.
“Sure,” she countered with a wink, and closed the door behind her.
I sighed, ran a hand across my face and rubbed my eyes. My cellphone rang, and I cursed under my breath when I saw Karen’s number flashing. I hadn’t called the office since I left, and a part of me had hoped they’d just somehow forget about me and find a more reliable replacement. I braced myself and answered.
“Where the hell are you?” Karen hissed.
I frowned, thinking that it had taken her long enough to even realize I was gone. Then I remembered it was only Tuesday, and for all she knew, I had only missed a day of work without an excuse.
“Hi, Karen,” I replied.
“Don’t ‘Hi-Karen’ me, Andrea. Are you okay?”
I almost laughed at how many people were asking me that today. “I’m fine.”
“I thought the bastard killed you or something,” Karen said. “Which would probably be better than what Karp is going to do to you when you finally show up.”
And you only thought of calling me now?
