Page 48 of No Cap

My hands were on a present when I felt his hands on my hips, turning me in his direction.

I turned everything but my face toward him.

He must’ve sensed my anxiousness, because he caught my face in his hand and turned my chin toward him, studying my expression with his all-knowing eyes.

“Are you sure you want to go?” he asked. “You look…”

“Nervous?” I teased.

That was the wrong word, though.

Anxious. Unnerved. Pre-annoyed.

“Pissed.” He studied my face. “You look like you don’t want to be here.”

I would rather be getting a mammogram and a coloscopy at the same time in front of a sold-out Cowboys Stadium than going into my parents’ place.

“I don’t,” I admitted, tugging away slightly. “But I have to.”

When he let me go, I turned for the presents I’d abandoned in the back seat when he’d taken me into his arms.

I still felt nice and cozy as he watched me.

“I’m just going to warn you,” I said as I gathered the presents up into my arms. “This is about to piss you off.”

I knew he’d see the day for what it was. Yet, I still hoped, like I did every year, that I wouldn’t feel so left out this time.

He frowned as he took all but the smallest package out of my arms. “Why do you say that?”

Did I warn him?

Maybe it wasn’t going to be that bad this time.

“Just don’t freak out. I’m used to it,” I said, deciding not to explain.

When I explained, sometimes it tended to come out sounding worse than it actually was.

That was why Keda had hated my family.

Though she’d been a witness to their actions quite a few times, and sometimes they didn’t present themselves in the most flattering of light.

You can fuck off with that shit. You can fuck straight off to fuck off mountain, while riding your fuck you horse to the land of aww hell no.

—Hollis’s secret thoughts

HOLLIS

“What are their names, again?” he asked before I could say a word.

“My sister is named Humfrid. She’s seventeen and graduated last month. Then there’s my brother, Tayson. He’s a genius, and works in tech when he feels like it. He works from home and helps my parents with the bills—at least, that’s what my parents say.

“My mom and dad are Dael and Broddie. Mom doesn’t work. She’s been a stay-at-home mom for most of my younger siblings life. Dad works in investment banking now. When I was a young kid, though, he worked as a janitor at the same investment banking firm. They’ve all come really far in life, and I’m really proud of my sister for graduating early, and Tayson for finding a job right out of high school.”

Quincy, unfazed by my word vomit, grinned.

“Do I have to knock?” he asked curiously as he jerked his head in the direction of my parents’ door.

“I do,” I said. “I’ve never lived here.”

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