CHAPTER31
The next morning,I hope my mom is settling in. I send her a text, but I’m not sure what the time zone difference is right now, but I try not to panic when she doesn’t respond. She’s fine. Declan is with her. There’s no reason to be worried.
Not that I’m able to calm myself.
I’m about to try calling my mom when my phone rings.
“Hey, Robyn.”
“Girl! I can’t believe how savage you are!”
“Savage?”
“Don’t try to deny it. You broke Joey’s nose!”
“Damn straight I did. He deserved it.”
Lauren huffs and rolls over on her bed.
“Sorry,” I mumble to her, and I quickly grab some clothes and head to the bathroom.
“Don’t be sorry,” Robyn says.
“He’s the one, right? Rob broke his nose.”
“Yes, and you broke it again! Is it true that he tried to rape you?”
“He was going to touch me somewhere that I didn’t want him to, so I didn’t let him. I kneed him—”
“Love it!”
“And broke his nose. At least I think I broke it.”
“That’s what I heard,” Robyn confirms. “Damn, girl When you said you were going to be known as a legend, I wasn’t sure if you could do it. I mean, I wanted you to, but you did it. Just you wait and see. By the end of the day, everyone is going to be talking about you!”
“That’s great,” I mumble, but I’m not so sure it will be. I don’t know if I want that kind of attention, and it might cause other guys to hate me, to target me, and I’m not going to see if the Grim Reapers really are on my side or if they’re just playing mind games with me.
I almost don’t want to know which is the case. It’s hard to trust anyone, and I don’t want to be used and abused anymore, but what if this is a new way for them to torment me?
“Breakfast?” Robyn asks.
“Not today.”
“You won’t be able to keep a low profile for long,” Robyn almost sings. “I’ll see you for lunch, won’t I?”
“Yes,” I mumble. I know I’ll need my friends, but I also just want to curl up into a ball. I wish my mom were safe and here and that she could hug me, but I’m on my own here. As much as I wanted that, I’m not sure I can handle everything. The threads of my life are all unraveling, and maybe I’m not capable of holding onto all of them, but I’ll be damned if I allow my mom to be lost or for me to become lost either. My father will not be the one to snip any of my threads. I will survive, but more importantly, my family will survive.
My father is not a part of my family. He hasn’t been for a long time, and there’s no way he’ll ever be a part of my life anymore.
Robyn’s still taking, and I tell her I have to go. She lets me go immediately without a fuss, which I appreciate, but it’s also depressing, the silence. I’m back to feeling like I’m all alone again. I’ve been depressed for this reason or that over the years, but this depression hangs over me like a heavy, oppressive cloak. It’s nearly clinical at this point.
Well, if there’s someone who can pull me out of this slump, it’s Rob. At least I hope he can.
I open the bathroom door. “You don’t have to worry about me tonight. I won’t be back.”
“Good,” Lauren says, and she rolls over.
I roll my eyes and head on out the door.