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There’s a knock on the door, and I hop over to answer it. It must be Momma here to pick me up.
When I open the door, though, Jessie stands in her place.
“What the hell are you doing here?” My words still drip with anger from the last time I saw him.
“I’m taking you to your appointment,” he replies as though everything is just fine.
“Why? Where’s Momma?”
“I begged her to let me take you instead.”
“Again, why?” I cross my arms over my chest.
“Because you and I need to talk, and you won’t answer my calls or texts.”
Sighing, I reply, “And apparently, you can’t take a hint.”
“Here’s how I see it…you can let me take you to the doctor. I’ll grovel, and you’ll get your cast off. Or you can call someone else to take you.” He glances at his watch. “But at this point, who knows if you would make it there on time.”
I consider his offer to call someone else, but he’s right. There’s no way I’d get there on time.
I grab my jacket and crutches without saying a word before heading out the front door. Jessie tries to help me, but I shrug him off. I’m still pissed at him.
We drive in silence for a good ten minutes before Jessie is the one to break it. “Thank you for agreeing to this.”
Replying through gritted teeth, I reply, “I’m not doing it for you.”
“I know. But still. I think we should talk.”
“You can talk. I have nothing to say to you.”
“Fair enough.” He takes a long pause before speaking again. “Jen, I’m sorry about what I said to Shane. I’m sure it sounded awful.”
My plan to keep quiet and ignore him flies out the window because I can’t keep my mouth shut. “Yeah, Jessie, it sounded pretty fucking awful. Imagine if when you and Tracy got together, you heard me telling her she should watch out because of your history with drugs and alcohol. What if I told her that she should be aware of what she was getting herself into?”
“People did tell her that—”
“Not me! Not your own sister!” I find myself practically shouting. “I’ve always gone to bat for you no matter what stupid decisions you’ve made. I’ve always had your back!”
“And I’ve got yours! That’s why I was telling Shane that he shouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”
“By telling him how much of a basket case I am?”
While stopped at a red light, he takes off his baseball cap and runs his fingers through his hair. “Jenna, Shane is a good guy, but I’m always going to worry about you.”
“Well, don’t,” I say with all the conviction I can muster. “I’m fine.”
“Yeah, Jenna, you’re fine…until you’re not.”
My head snaps toward him. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” He snaps his mouth shut.
“No, please, enlighten me,” I sarcastically urge.
“You just have a habit of pretending you’re fine, and then, you melt down, and then, you push everyone else away.”
Even though he’s right, I refuse to admit that, so I give a spirited, “Bite me.”
