“Yes…” Her hand wavers.
She blinks at me as though she can’t even see me. As
though I’m the ghost, the one who’s crept into her house, that
masked dude in the horror movies who comes in with some
implement of horrific destruction. I might as well be wielding
a two-foot knife or a chainsaw or a freaking pitchfork or
something.
“You just need time,” I say weakly. “To think about
what I’ve said. To process everything. Maybe we should talk
tomorrow. Or the day after.”
“Yes.” She’s still so distracted and unfocused that it
scares me. I’ve never seen my mom like this.
“Can I drive you home? Or call Dad? You look like
you need…like you shouldn’t be driving right now. Let me
make you a cup of coffee. We don’t even have to say anything,
but I can’t let you leave like this.”
My mom has always been one to see sense. She’s
talked that into my brother and me so many times I can’t
count. She processes that for a few seconds, then she nods.
“Yes,” she whispers vacantly. “A cup of coffee would be
nice.”
Chapter 24
Adley
When Steph called me and asked me to come over, her tone
didn’t say come over and snuggle, come over let’s stay in,
come over let’s make out, come over let’s do
something/anything fun. It sounded way more like there was
something wrong, but when I asked, she told me she was fine,
that everything was fine.
It didn’t sound fine. I don’t think everything’s fine.