Page 84 of Rebel Romeo

And that’s what I was trying to be, wasn’t it? A good guy? A nice guy? The kind of guy that deserved Katherine’s attention.

Even though I wasn’t sure I could do it. I wasn’t sure I had it in me. My family was diseased. We were sick. The Dorseys were a plague… an infestation that could destroy entire fields of crops in a single sweep.

Which left the question: Why was I doing this? Why was I putting in the effort with Katherine when I knew we were doomed to fail? When I knew someone in my family, quite possibly me, would hurt her.

She gives herself so freely. Loves so openly. Doesn’t she know how vulnerable that leaves her? How could the girl with no walls around her heart fall for the guy who has a fortress around his? Doesn’t she know that?—

My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. With a sigh, I toss my pen and journal aside.

Another call from my mom.

It’d been weeks since we’d spoken. Since I’d seen her confronting Kate,trying to convince her to quit the show…

Trying to pay her off to quit me.

If only Mom had known that I’d been trying to keep Katherine at arm’s length from the moment I saw her. All Mom had accomplished by coming here and intervening was stirring both of our rebellious sides.

Between my Mom confronting Kate a few weeks ago and my Dad crashing into our movie night on Thursday, Kate was getting a fast and brutal lesson into Dorsey Family Politics 101.

Lucky for me, after my dad declared I had to quit the show—fat chance, pops—he left my condo and I hadn’t seen or heard from him since.

Any normal person would assume their father had gone away to cool off and would be in touch soon to grab dinner or breakfast. But I knew better than that. My dad wasn’t waiting around to have a heart to heart with me… he’d probably gone home. Or actually, more likely, he’d gone to find a mistress somewhere.

Hopefully after having canceled the meeting with McCay.

When I didn’t answer her first call, Mom called a second time.

I shoved my thumb into the mute button, refusing yet again to take her call. But within seconds, a text from her comes through.

Mom:

Please, Holden. Please talkk to me.

My lungs burn at the sight of the text.

Drunk. She’s drunk again.

Which meant Dad definitely didn’t go home Thursday night.

I should have suspected. I shouldn’t be surprised. And yet, I was. That was the thing… I never learn my lesson. Not with Mom or Dad or Megan or even Kate.

I hated the tears that burned in my nose.

I hated that she was in so much pain and for once, I was the one causing it.

Again, my phone vibrated with her next text message.

Mom:

How,d it go with your father? He was so upset when he left here to see you. I tried to calnm him down, but yuo know how he gets.

Do I ever.

Mom:

Pleeeeze. Talk to me. Imiss u.

One after the other, her texts kept coming in like a tidal wave.

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