Page 47 of Unfix Me

I wanted to go back. That was the stupidest thing to want right now. With a roar, I slammed my palm against an empty metal dish, sending it across the room.

Asshole. The worst part was that I didn’t understand why he was acting like this. I’d done nothing but try to be his friend. What made Brooks acceptable for him to be around but not me?

Movement to my left made me glance in that direction. Sen grabbed his backpack and headed for the exit. I didn’t say anything or try to stop him. When I heard the door shut, I pulled out my phone.

Kai:Can I talk to him?

*****

It was hard to keep my tears from falling as I looked at the screen. Green, confused eyes stared back at me. It opened up the crevice in my chest, threatening to turn it into a cavity. He blinked a few times, then smiled.

“Kai.”

My breath turned into a sob. Putting a hand over my mouth, I internally begged myself to get it together.

“Hey, Dad.”

“Why are you so sad?”

“I’m just happy to see you. You look good.”

“Do I?” He glanced down at himself briefly, then at me. “Where are you? You’re supposed to have a game.”

“Yeah, uh, I wanted to talk to you first.”

“But we’ll be there soon.”

“I know, I know. Nerves, I guess. You know how I get.”

“You worry too much,” he chided. I’d never been happier to be scolded by him. “Your mother always says you’ll give yourself an ulcer.”

“Surprised I haven’t yet,” I laughed. Sniffling, I slid to the ground and leaned back against the wall. “God, I miss you, Dad.” He looked confused again, so I backtracked. “It’s been a bad day. You always know how to fix it.”

“That happens when you’re old. One day, you’ll learn how to fix things too.”

“I hope so.”

“Tell me what has you looking like that, Kai.”

My nostrils flared when my eyes burned again. “I have this friend… Well, I thought he was a friend, but apparently, he hates me.”

“If he hates someone like you, he must be a very bad person.”

“No, I don’t think he is. I don’t know what he is, actually. I know that I should let it go and move on, but something keeps nagging at me, like it wants me to figure him out. He doesn’t want that, though.”

His eyes traveled around the room. I waited for him to sift through his thoughts. I’d grown used to this part over the years. His cognitive functions had been declining for a while, so he needed time to process things and come up with answers. When he returned his gaze to me, though, his brow furrowed.

“Kai. Don’t you have a game?”

My jaw worked as I fought a reaction. A few tears rolled down my cheeks, but I forced a smile. I could feel my chin wobbling no matter how hard I tried to stop it.

“Yeah, Dad. I do. Me and West are gonna knock it out of the park.”

“That’s baseball,” he laughed. “You’ve got too much on your plate. When you get to college, you’re gonna have to take on less activities.”

“You’re right. I’ll stick with football. Is that okay with you?”

“Only if it’s what will make you happy. Are you happy now? Your eyes look sad.”

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