t-shirt, how his cheek bristles against mine.
“Don’t go to work. Stay home, we can hang out.”
“What?” He plucks off his glasses. “A minute ago you were suffering.” He looks at me suspect.
“I am, I mean I was, but I took some pain pil s and I feel better. Come on, when was the last time we went out to a movie—just you and me? It can be Skyla and Daddy ditch day.”
“It could be, but it won’t. Now get back upstairs and get to bed, curl up with a good book. Your mom wil kil me if I took you to the movies on a school day.”
I consider the irony.
“OK, then let’s watch a movie here.” I shrug. Bril iant.
He folds over the top of the newspaper and mul s it over.
“OK.”
Watching a crappy B rated movie with my dad, turns out to be the single most greatest experience of my entire life. I don’t pay attention to the characters or the plot instead, I nestle in his warmth like a baby chick. I pul his arm over my shoulder and touch my cheek against his bare flesh
—press my lips into the soft underbel y of his arm and close my eyes. God, I miss my father.
I must have fal en asleep on the couch. A colorful patchwork quilt my grandmother made covers me. I look out the family room window and see that the sun has come up over the backyard, which is usual y where it was by the time I came home from school. Shit!
I bolt up and search the dining room—no sign of dad.
“Sweetie?” I hear his voice in the kitchen.
“There you are,” I say relieved. He’s making a sandwich, stil in his sweats and t-shirt. He didn’t go to work today. I changed things.
I give him a ful rocking hug.
“I’m going to bed now. I feel delirious. I might not remember any of this later.”
He turns to look at me.
“Why? Are you losing your mind?”
“Something like that.”
I head upstairs and find Chloe hunched over my computer.
“Just friended you on Facebook,” she says casual y.
“I should total y friend Logan and Gage!”
“No,” she snarls. “Let’s get out of here. I have a biology test in the morning.”
I take Chloe’s hands, and we sit on the hardwood floor in front of my closet.
“You’re wearing my shirt,” I say recognizing the zebra stripped t-shirt. I hated it even then.
“Yeah, you’ve got bad taste.” She plucks at her chest.
I lock fingers with her and give her a yank.
“You’re like a sister to me, you know that?” I tel her before crossing my legs.
“And you’re like a sister to me.” There’s something sinister in her eyes when she says it, but I believe her.
The room fades to a palpable darkness, everything vanishes, and we’re sitting in a vat of nothing. Before I can say anything, or panic properly, we’re gone.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Caught
My father died that evening doing an ice cream run for my mother. That would explain my sudden disdain for the frozen confection and the fact I have no recal of my mother purchasing it since.
Paragon is enveloped in a storm—might as wel be a monsoon.
Gage has gotten in the habit of picking me up and dropping me off. Drake and Briel e usual y take her Jeep. I miss spending time with Bree.
Here I thought we’d be getting closer, and yet we’ve drifted into our own hormone-ruled worlds.
“What’s going on?” Gage asks leaning over his desk. “You haven’t said a thing al morning.”
The bel rang minutes ago, and Marshal is late for class. He’s already quite the sensation around campus. The girls have renamed him Studley Dudley, so there’s a buzz in the air in anticipation of his arrival.
“I went back and tried to save my dad.” I look down at the floor and get lost in the black and white checkered pattern for a moment. The windows rattle in concert with the baritone thunder.
“Same results?”
“Always.”
“So who’d you go with?” He tries to hide the look of disappointment, or maybe it’s jealousy. I’m too worn out to analyze.
“Chloe,” I say, as Mr. Studley strides into class
“Don’t go to work. Stay home, we can hang out.”
“What?” He plucks off his glasses. “A minute ago you were suffering.” He looks at me suspect.
“I am, I mean I was, but I took some pain pil s and I feel better. Come on, when was the last time we went out to a movie—just you and me? It can be Skyla and Daddy ditch day.”
“It could be, but it won’t. Now get back upstairs and get to bed, curl up with a good book. Your mom wil kil me if I took you to the movies on a school day.”
I consider the irony.
“OK, then let’s watch a movie here.” I shrug. Bril iant.
He folds over the top of the newspaper and mul s it over.
“OK.”
Watching a crappy B rated movie with my dad, turns out to be the single most greatest experience of my entire life. I don’t pay attention to the characters or the plot instead, I nestle in his warmth like a baby chick. I pul his arm over my shoulder and touch my cheek against his bare flesh
—press my lips into the soft underbel y of his arm and close my eyes. God, I miss my father.
I must have fal en asleep on the couch. A colorful patchwork quilt my grandmother made covers me. I look out the family room window and see that the sun has come up over the backyard, which is usual y where it was by the time I came home from school. Shit!
I bolt up and search the dining room—no sign of dad.
“Sweetie?” I hear his voice in the kitchen.
“There you are,” I say relieved. He’s making a sandwich, stil in his sweats and t-shirt. He didn’t go to work today. I changed things.
I give him a ful rocking hug.
“I’m going to bed now. I feel delirious. I might not remember any of this later.”
He turns to look at me.
“Why? Are you losing your mind?”
“Something like that.”
I head upstairs and find Chloe hunched over my computer.
“Just friended you on Facebook,” she says casual y.
“I should total y friend Logan and Gage!”
“No,” she snarls. “Let’s get out of here. I have a biology test in the morning.”
I take Chloe’s hands, and we sit on the hardwood floor in front of my closet.
“You’re wearing my shirt,” I say recognizing the zebra stripped t-shirt. I hated it even then.
“Yeah, you’ve got bad taste.” She plucks at her chest.
I lock fingers with her and give her a yank.
“You’re like a sister to me, you know that?” I tel her before crossing my legs.
“And you’re like a sister to me.” There’s something sinister in her eyes when she says it, but I believe her.
The room fades to a palpable darkness, everything vanishes, and we’re sitting in a vat of nothing. Before I can say anything, or panic properly, we’re gone.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Caught
My father died that evening doing an ice cream run for my mother. That would explain my sudden disdain for the frozen confection and the fact I have no recal of my mother purchasing it since.
Paragon is enveloped in a storm—might as wel be a monsoon.
Gage has gotten in the habit of picking me up and dropping me off. Drake and Briel e usual y take her Jeep. I miss spending time with Bree.
Here I thought we’d be getting closer, and yet we’ve drifted into our own hormone-ruled worlds.
“What’s going on?” Gage asks leaning over his desk. “You haven’t said a thing al morning.”
The bel rang minutes ago, and Marshal is late for class. He’s already quite the sensation around campus. The girls have renamed him Studley Dudley, so there’s a buzz in the air in anticipation of his arrival.
“I went back and tried to save my dad.” I look down at the floor and get lost in the black and white checkered pattern for a moment. The windows rattle in concert with the baritone thunder.
“Same results?”
“Always.”
“So who’d you go with?” He tries to hide the look of disappointment, or maybe it’s jealousy. I’m too worn out to analyze.
“Chloe,” I say, as Mr. Studley strides into class
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