“That’s enough, Eli,” she spits out. “I’m going to bed. Don’t follow me.”
With that, she turns, and I do as she asks. I don’t follow her. Instead, I stand there thinking about how much my leaving hurt her and how much I want to make it right. It might be the smallest thing I can do right now, but it’s something. I go to the cabinet, take out a bowl, and make her brownies.
When I’m finished, I leave a plate of them outside her door. They aren’t as good as hers, but it’s a start.
Chapter 13
Maggie
I roll over in bed and look at my clock. I don’t need to get up for another hour, but I know I’m never getting back to sleep. I barely slept at all. Flipping the covers back, I sit up in bed and drop my head into my hands.
God, this is a mess. I feel like I’m all over the place.
“Dad, you better come back to me.” I say to myself before standing up from my bed and walking over to my dresser. I pick up the framed picture of him, Eli and me from my seventeenth birthday. God, we looked so happy. I’d always felt like my dad and I were a family, but it was always just the two of us. I loved having our family grow. Or I thought I did.
Now I have no idea what’s happening. Eli’s sending me mixed signals that don’t make sense. I can’t go there right now. I already feel like my broken world has now become unfixable. I can’t lose my dad. I just couldn’t bear it. Not having him or Eli… I push the thought from my head. I can’t go there right now.
I want to kick myself for all the moping around I’ve been doing these last months. I should have been soaking up every second I could with my dad. What if I never see him again? A sob leaves my throat, and I choke it back.
I walk into my bathroom and brace my hands on the sink, looking at myself in the mirror.
“Get it together, Drummond.” I say it in the same tone my dad would always use on me when I was having a tantrum or an emotional breakdown. “Get your ass up and do your day.”
I let go of the sink feeling a little better and start getting ready, moving through my regular morning routine like it’s any other school day. When I open my bedroom door I stop short when I see a plate of brownies sitting there. I pick it up.
He made them. My heart does a little flutter at his effort, but another part of me questions what is happening here. Why he is doing this? Does he really want me? Maybe he’s just making nice because he knows he has to. He’s my legal guardian now. He has no choice, so he has to be here.
I hear a sob come from Alice’s room and I go over. I enter without knocking and find her lying in bed. She looks like she’s been crying all night. I drop the brownies on the bedside table and crawl into bed with her. I wrap myself around her and let her cry. There isn’t much I can say that hasn’t already been said. I know she needs a good cry. It will make her feel better, and I want her to know I’m here. I’ll lie here forever if it makes her feel better. Alice has already lost enough people in her life. Major better get his ass back here.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“I love you,” I tell her, and she gives me the words back. I crawl from the bed, grab a box of tissues, and bring them back to the bed. She sits up and takes a few from the box.
“He’s coming back,” I tell her again, the same thing I told her last night.
She nods, but I can read the doubt all over her face.
“What are those?” she asks, looking at the oddly shaped brownies.
“Eli made them.” I hold out the plate. “Want one?”
She debates for a second before picking up one of the brownies and taking a bite of it. She barely gets a few chews in and she’s flying off the bed, making a beeline for the bathroom. I hear her vomit.
“Jesus, are they that bad?” I pick one up and take a bite. They aren’t great, but they aren’t vomit-inducing, either. I hear the faucet turn on, and Alice comes out a moment later.
“Think I’m still sick,” she mumbles, falling back into her bed.
“What did the doctor say?” I ask, remembering we hadn’t talked about it last night.
“It will pass.”
I place my hand on her forehead to check her temperature, but she feels fine.
“I was going to go to school, but maybe—”
“No, please go. I’m going back to sleep. I’m going to try to sleep this off.”
“You sure?” I ask. I don’t like the idea of leaving my crying and vomiting best friend alone.
“Really, I can call or text if I need you.”
I level her with a stare. Alice is not great about asking for help. She doesn’t like to be a bother, something her shit parents ingrained in her. “Promise,” she says, making me feel a little better.
“Okay. Anything I can get you before I go?”
“Close the curtains.” I do as she asks, then leave her room and shut the door. I walk down to the kitchen, and I stop when I see Eli making breakfast. I’ve missed that sight.
“Morning, sunshine,” he says, placing a plate with a bagel and strawberries in my spot on the breakfast bar.
I set down the plate of brownies and slide into my seat, unsure of what to say. Instead of trying to force it, I give a small mumbled thanks. I don’t want to face whatever it is he has to say. So I choose to eat as fast as I can so I can leave.
I can feel him watching me the whole time as I eat my food. When I’m finished he takes the plate from in front of me before I can grab it to take to the sink.
“I’m taking you to school,” he says, shutting down any chance I had of a quick goodbye.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Maggie, I’m driving you.” This time he says it with more force, and I clench my teeth.
I’m mad that he’s calling me Maggie, because it makes what he’s saying feel like an order. And it is. Technically, he’s my guardian, and I have to do as he says.
“Fine.” I turn and grab my backpack. Walking outside, I fish out my cell phone and scroll for Sam’s number.
“Hey,” Sam says when the call connects. He’s always so chipper this early in the morning.
“Hey,” I say back.
“What’s wrong?” Damn, I thought I was hiding it better. I tell him what happened as I stand outside Eli’s truck. Well, a short, quick version about my dad.
“God, Maggie, I’m sorry. I’m sure he’s fine,” he tries to reassure me.
I watch Eli come out of the house and head for his truck. His gym shorts and shirt are gone, and now he’s wearing slacks and a buttoned-up shirt rolled at the sleeves. God, why does he have to look so hot? I notice he doesn’t even limp a little anymore. I hear the truck unlock, and I tear my eyes from him and climb in.
“I know he will,” I agree.
“What can I do?” he asks.
“Will you check on Alice for me today? She’s not feeling well and—”
“Of course,” he says quickly. “I’ll go between classes. I have a three-hour break in the middle of the day.”
Eli climbs into the truck and starts it up.
“You’re a lifesaver, Sam. Thank you. It means a lot.”