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“Well,” he starts, pushing off the wall and passing me a towel from the rack behind the bags. “I have some good news.”
Raising a brow, I stare at him impatiently; but his only response is a deep chuckle. “Go get Fallon and come to my office. Trust me.”
Fallon
My eyes stay locked on the TV while Betty grumbles beside me, though, I’m not taking any of it in. For the last four days, I’ve been trapped under a blanket of anger and sorrow.
Saturday night, I thought I was fine after that conversation with Theodore, but come Sunday morning, it hit me like a tonne of bricks, and nothing has felt right since.
I hate my mother.
I hate my father.
I hate Gregory.
The only thing I can think about is them.
They’re consuming every waking moment, every thought in my head.
What happened could have been worse, and yet I can’t get past any of it. Knowing he’s still out there, somewhere, believing he’s owed me; I can’t stop the fear from crashing over me.
Wherever I go, it’s as if he’s there, over my shoulder, waiting.
My phone rings, the noise rattling my ears. Glancing down, I notice Theodore’s name and consider ignoring it.
It’s not that I don’t want to talk to him, but he won’t leave my side, and I’ve only managed to get him to go to classes today for the first time this week. He’s supposed to be graduating in less than nine months; I won’t have him failing all because my life fell apart.
With a deep breath, I swipe the notification, seeing the text he sent.
Theodore: Rule number nine – meet me in Bennett’s office. Now.
Weird. He hasn’t given me a “rule” for weeks. Though, surprisingly, I’ve missed them. Betty watches me, her eyes darting to the screen when I flick my gaze to hers. I chuckle, the first one in a while, knowing my nosey friend is trying to pretend she isn’t being just that.
“You going?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” I shrug, pushing off the couch. My outfit is a basic Eyam Green hoodie that I stole from Noah and a pair of leggings. I look unkempt and homeless, but honestly, I don’t particularly care right now.
“Want me to come with you?” she asks, offering me a lifeline. I’m under no illusions that whatever I’m being dragged to Bennett’s office for is probably not good.
Knowing my luck, my dad booted me off the campus to make it easier for his friend to grab me.
“Would you?”
“You’re my bestie, Fal. I’m with you all the way.” She stands, grabbing my hand and tugging me towards the door. “Let’s see what this drama is about.”
My hands clench into trembling fists when I spot my father sitting at Bennett’s desk. Snapping my head towards Theodore, I stare at him accusingly, but he only offers me a short head shake and mouths that he doesn’t know what this is about either.
“Fallon,” Dad says, resting his palms on the wood and leaning forward. “How are you?”
“Really, Dad? That’s what you’re going with?” I deadpan, staring at him blankly. Not once has he tried to contact me to find out how I’ve been. But now he gets to sit at that desk in his fancy pinstripe suit and ask me how I am?
Fucking winner.
Father of the year right here.
He lowers his gaze, his expression hesitant. There are a million things I could say in response, a million answers I could give him. Each would be a way that I’m not okay, but he doesn’t deserve that from me.
He doesn’t get to hear me voice my fears, my feelings. He doesn’t get to alleviate his guilt by hearing me lie and tell him I’m okay when I’m fucking not.
