Page 37 of Clap Back (Carter Brothers)

Dorsey had gotten just as much as I had, unfortunately.

“Well, he’s back!” she chirped. “And is back to being my switch teacher. I’m so freakin’ excited! He helped me hang up all the posters today. And get this! He asked me out for coffee!”

I grinned into my pillow, trying to be excited for her but becoming sidetracked when a wave of pain in my belly hit me.

“I gotta go,” I admitted. “I’m about to throw up.”

Dorsey said her goodbye, unsurprised by my abrupt departure.

I’d done enough bailing on her over the years because of my PCOS that she was used to it.

Heading to the bathroom at a run-shuffle, I bent down over the toilet and lost my lunch.

Or dinner.

At this point, it was so late into the day, that I wouldn’t be eating anything for dinner. And the last thing I’d had to eat was lunch.

I closed my eyes and let my head rest on the toilet seat.

I might be grossed out about it tomorrow. But for tonight, I was just trying to survive.

It was long moments later when I finally made my way back to the bed and collapsed into it.

I gave a weak clap, and the lamp at my bedside turned off.

I opened my phone and turned on the alarm, then was about to shut it down when my Google Home alerted me to movement seen on my cameras.

I switched apps to the camera that was pointed at my street and was unsurprised to find Scott there at my door.

I’d fully expected him earlier.

The man had no chill, and we’d pissed him off earlier at the coffee shop.

That, and he would be trying to finagle information out of me to take back to Dad in regard to my lawyer visit.

Luck wasn’t with him, today, though.

Sometimes I indulged my curiosity and opened the door for him.

Others, I left him hanging.

Today was a leave him hanging kind of day.

Heck, forever might be a leave him hanging kind of day after the meeting with my lawyer this morning.

Though she was hopeful that she could file for harassment charges and likely win, she was worried that by doing so, it’d just paint a bigger target on my back.

The lawyer was right, though.

My dad had a long reach.

I’d held on so far, but it was only a matter of time until I couldn’t anymore.

Maybe tomorrow I’d go look for a new area to work out of.

Luckily, I could open my bakery tomorrow.

Unluckily, I wouldn’t be opening because of the massacre currently happening inside of my uterus.

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