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Nana frowns at me over her magazine, curling the edge down with her hand so she can see me properly. “What are you talking about?”
“Am I weird? Brandon Moore said he wouldn’t go to the dance with me because I’m weird.”
“Yes.” She lifts her magazine back up, ignoring my gasp. “What? You asked, and I answered.”
“That’s rude, Nana. You were supposed to make me feel better, not rub it in.”
She drops her magazine in her lap, lips pursed. “Honey, you should know by now that you’re weird. It’s okay to be weird. If anything, it makes you unique. Can you imagine how boring the world would be if everyone living in it was normal?” She lifts her magazine back up, ending our conversation. “Now leave me alone weirdo, I’m trying to read.”
Trisha grabs my arm, lightly shaking me, so I look at her. "Don't you hear the siren? Someone pulled the fire alarm; we have to evacuate."
Now that she's said it, I notice the white and red lights blinking on the ceiling and hear the loud wailing. "Yea, sorry, I was just in the bathroom."
"Well, you're out now. Let’s go."
There's knocking on my door, and I look over my shoulder with a frown as I wash the dishes. When they don't just come in, I shake off my hands, grabbing a rag off the counter to dry them. There's another knock before I get there, "Hang on."
Swinging the door open, I blink at Kyler. "What are you doing here? How did you even know my address?"
He shifts in front of the door, looking over my shoulder into the house. "Can I just come in? I just want to talk."
"What is Vickie out of town?" I step to the side, opening the door further for him. "If you came here to fuck, I'm not interested." He shakes his head, walking past me, and I shut the door behind us. He stops in the living room, awkwardly looking around. "Well? You wanted to talk, so talk."
His hand raises to his hair, shaking the dark brown strands anxiously through his fingers. "I just... I'm just worried about you, Hadley."
I huff, crossing my arms over my chest, watching his fingers nervously fidget. "Over what? We aren't even friends, Kyler."
"Don't act like that. I've known you since my freshman year at University, Hadley. We might not hang out all the time or talk as often as we used to, but I obviously care about you."
"Yea, whatever. Get to the point, Kyler."
He looks away from me again, eyes falling on my Nana's wind chime. "Were you at the nursing home when the fire alarm went off?"
I run my hand down my arm, frowning at his question. "Yes? Why?"
"Did you do it?" He turns to face me after he asks, his face blank of emotion that I can read.
I scoff, shaking my head at his ridiculous question. "What? No! Why would I do that."
His tongue comes out to swipe over his lips, hand brushing down his face again, "Are you taking your meds?" My lips pinch at his question. The words sinking in my gut. "Don't look at me like that, Hadley. Just answer the question."
"It’s none of your business. It wasn’t your business when you filled in for one of your dad’s pharmacists, and it’s not now. But yes, I am."
He laughs like he doesn't believe me. "I don't know that I believe you. Dad said, you haven’t been by the pharmacy in a while."
I shake my head, heart thumping beneath my ribs as I walk back into the kitchenette. Dunking my hands in the soapy dishes, I start washing again. "It doesn't matter what you believe. And it’s gross and creepy of your dad to be keeping such tabs on me. If all you did was come here to yell at me about something I'm already doing, then you can leave."
"Who's Rhys, Hadley?"
My hand slips on a plate, and I almost drop it. "We already had this conversation, remember?"
"I remember. I want you to remind me, though, where is he now?"
I shrug, dropping some silverware into the clean side of my sink. "How would I know? I don't have a tracker on him."
He walks past me, grabbing a black hoodie Rhys left last time he was here that's off the hook to holding it up. "Is this his?" I don't answer, and he grabs a pair of sneakers, "Are these?"
Setting more dishes into the sink to rinse, I shrug again. "Yea, they look like his."
