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Emmett isn’t one to yell, and now that I look back, I don’t think I’ve ever heard him raise his voice until this moment. He will swear, he will make damn sure someone is aware of how serious he is, but he doesn’t yell.
“You have me, and I’d miss you if you left,” he follows up, voice a little softer this time.
“Emmett . . . I just—”
“Jenna Alissandria Watkins—”
“Oh my God.” I burst out laughing. “Did you middle-name me?”
“It’s the only way I know you’ll listen to me.” He turns so his whole torso is facing me again, thick forearm slung over the steering wheel. “If you run, I run with you.” He lets that sink in for a moment before continuing. “But if you stay, you’ll prove you're stronger than your piece of crap family and you’ll rise above them. It sucks, I get that. But God, Jenna. We’re so close to graduating. A few more months and we’re out of here. You can gowhereveryou want without having to drop out of school. Stay—come home with me, and we’ll figure out a real plan.”
Those tears I thought were all cried out are back, filling my eyes to the brim.
“You can sleep in my bed; I’ll sleep on the couch. First thing tomorrow morning we’ll talk to my parents. If you still feel the same way, if you want to leave, I will drive you to the train station.”
“I don’t want them to know . . .”
He tilts his head to the side before exhaling painfully and leaning back in his seat. “It’s no secret what’s going on at home. Maybe they don’t know the extent of it, but they know it’s not good.” He reaches a hand up to squeeze my shoulder. “But they love you anyway. Hell, some days, I think my mom likes you more than me.”
I swipe the lone tear that’s fallen from my eye as I chuckle. “That’s because your mom is a baller and my BFF.”
“She is pretty baller,” he whispers.
I consider his proposition for a moment and wonder if he’s right. Maybe dropping out of school when I’m so close to the finish line isn’t the smartest move. I know with every bone in my body that I can’t stomach another night in that house. I don’t have the energy anymore to be the high school student, the athlete,andthe child who takes care of their parent. Who makes sure the bills are paid and the fridge is full, and the garbage doesn’t stink. For these last few months of my high school freedom, I’d like to feel like a teenager.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” he says with a smirk. “Because I’m ready for west coast life if you are. Sushi rolls, avocado smoothies?”
I playfully shove him. “Shut up. Don’t make fun of my one sad dream. And avocado smoothies? Do you know anything about California?”
He gets settled back in the driver’s seat, hooking an arm behind my headrest to look behind us as he reverses out of the parking spot. “Doyouknow anything about California?”
I roll my head to the side and gaze at him, taking in his handsome features along with the dark half-moons underneath his eyes from waking up in the middle of the night to come to my rescue.
He reverses out of the lot, turns down the narrow single lane road that leads out of the park, and for the first time in a long time, I have hope.
Chapter Four
Present Day
“H
ow was house hunting this weekend?” Meg asks, sliding in next to me and leaning against the wall in the tiny room off the nurse’s station.
Once upon a time we were fully staffed, and able to take real lunch breaks in the actual break room. We had chairs to sit in and rest in which now sounds like a foreign concept from an era long, long ago. We have been short-staffed for months, most of our lunches are shoveled in at a pace that would make a competitive eater jealous, while standing in this little alcove. Our unit resembles a large horseshoe, with the nurse’s station at the center and this alcove off to the side, giving staff a bird’s eye view of each patient’s doorway. It allows us to get a bit of a break and eat while still making sure we are watching for call lights or emergencies.
“Meh. Alright, I guess.” I sigh, unwrapping my giant sub sandwich from Kathy De’s deli. “She showed me some really great houses, ones I should have liked, but none of them spoke to me.”
Meg nods along, cracking open a Diet Coke and taking a long swig before opening her Tupperware to reveal baby carrots and a dollop of mustard.
“Really, Meg?” I scold. “We run our asses off all day, barely getting to drink water, get any sort of real break, and when you do decide to eat it’s a sad pile of carrots and a Diet Coke? You need some protein, carbs. Something for your body toworkwith.” Not to mention Diet Coke is weak. If she wants to survive on carrots and soda, she should at least drink an orange soda.
She rolls her eyes and shrugs, popping a carrot into her mouth and crunching. “I have a date this weekend with a stockbroker, and he’s taking me to Alinea. There is a specific dress I have in mind to wear that flaunts all the necessary curves, but it is currently two sizes too small and doesn’t allow for this,” she says, slapping a palm to her non-existent stomach and pinching her invisible muffin top.
I stare at my best friend, wondering when she became so fucking crazy. Meg is like a Disney princess with a foul mouth. She has the long, thick red hair of Ariel, sparkling eyes like Cinderella, plus huge boobs and curves for days.
“Meg, you are a knockout. You don’t need to starve yourself to impress anyone. It pisses me off that you are considering it.”
