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“How’s Haven?” she asked as soon as she opened the door for me.
I sent her a perky smile as I stepped inside. “I’m great,” I answered sarcastically. “Thanks for asking.”
She rolled her eyes and smacked my arm as she shut the door behind me. “I know you’re fine, doofus. I would’ve already heard if you weren’t. You just mentioned that she’d missed class last week when I saw you, so I was wondering if she was any better yet.”
I chewed on my lip a moment, kind of wanting to keep Haven’s business private. But then, I just couldn’t take it any longer, so I pretty much blurted everything.
“I don’t know what to do, Iz.” Pacing her room, I ripped my hand through my hair and glanced at her for advice. “It feels like this needs to stop. But it’s not like she’s drinking or doing drugs. No substance abuse or cutting or suicide attempts. She’s just…watching TV. Decompressing. How is that so wrong? She needs some time to get over everything. To process and build herself back up again. Why should I interfere with that? How is it honestly my place?”
I knew I was arguing against interceding in Haven’s life while doing nothing was actually the last thing I wanted, but I was kind of hoping my sister—who loved to contradict me—would step in right about now and fucking contradict me.
“Well, who else is going to take care of her?” she argued. Yes! I knew I could count on Izzy to plead for the case I was arguing against. “As her roommate, you may be the only person who really knows what’s going on with her?”
I shook my head. “Her phone buzzes, people are reaching out to her. And I see her respond. I’m not the only person. Her family checks in and keeps tabs. It isn’t my place to say anything.”
“I don’t know, Wick. A week of it feels like a long time.”
No fucking shit.
“Maybe this is what she needs,” I mumbled miserably. “I don’t know.”
Instead of driving home an excellent point of why I should do something, though, Izzy just sent me a cringe and agreed, damn her. “Yeah. Maybe,” she said.
Fuck.
Now I didn’t know what to do.
How long was it okay for Haven to do this? How long should I continue to let her do it?
When I got home that night, I stood in the doorway of the front room with my arms folded over my chest as I watched her without her realizing I was there.
Her phone buzzed. She reached for it, read the message, answered it, and then tossed it on the armrest of the couch in order to keep watching the show.
Frowning, I stepped forward to snoop. I just couldn’t seem to help myself.
Before the screen went dark, I was able to read that it was her mother who’d been checking in on her. And her response had been that she’d gone to classes that day and everything was fine.
“You lied to her,” I cried, blinking back my shock, and unable to believe my eyes.
Haven jumped before looking up at me. “What?”
I pointed to her phone. “That was your mother,” I accused. “And you fucking lied to her. You didn’t go to school today. You haven’t gone to a single class since last fucking Tuesday.”
She sent me a dirty look and sniffed. “Like it’s any of your business.” Then she returned her attention to the television.
“That’s it,” I said.
I was done.
Limit reached.
I stepped forward and snagged the remote from the coffee table. When I turned the whole damn thing off, she sat up straighter and cried, “Hey! I was watching that.”
“Well, now you’re not,” I shot back. “So get off the couch, go take a shower, and put on some fresh damn clothes.”
“Excuse me?” Her back straightened and eye
brows shot sky high. “Did you just tell me to go bathe?”
