Page 48 of Unfix Me

“I’m happy, Dad. Everything is exactly how it should be.”

He smiled, crinkling his eyes at the corners. “Good. You have to be happy. I told your mom that the first time I held you. I said, ‘As long as he’s happy, we’re doing alright.’”

I hated that I couldn’t hold myself together. It had been a while since I was able to have a conversation with him. Sometimes, he got confused and frustrated. If it went on for a while, he’d get too agitated. This was what I needed today, but it wasn’t enough.

I wanted to be home with him. I wanted my dad back. Just for a moment.

He turned to look at something. “It’s almost two. We’d better get going if we want to get there on time. We’ll see you soon.”

“See you in the stands, Dad. I love you.”

When the screen went black, the phone clattered to the floor. I pulled my knees up and rested my elbows on them. I dropped my forehead into my hands, letting out the sob I’d been holding back.

Portia showed up at a certain point. When she couldn’t get me to tell her what was going on, she assured me that she’d take care of things there until I was okay. I was embarrassed, but I knew I didn’t need to save face with her. People went through shit. I just needed a minute to go through it. Or an hour.

“Kai,” a deep voice said, making me look up.

“West. What are you doing here?”

“Apparently, I’m your emergency contact.”

“Damnit, Portia.”

He sat beside me and put an arm around my shoulders. I leaned against him, tucking my face into his chest.

“Talk or cry?” he asked.

I laughed through a new round of tears. “I don’t want to talk.”

“Alright. I owe you a good crying session. You’ve dealt with a few of mine since we got here.”

“You’re a big freaking baby.”

He perched his chin on top of my head. “I won’t tolerate verbal abuse, even if you’re fragile.”

“This sucks,” I whispered. They were the only words that passed between us for a long time. And they were enough.

Chapter 17

Sen

“Hey, you came,” Brooks greeted, standing from his seat to give me a hug. I returned it a little awkwardly before I settled beside him.

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure that I would, but here I am.”

“You must be busy lately. I haven’t seen you around very often.”

“Just not feeling up to doing much.”

“I feel it. If you ever need to talk…”

With a tight-lipped smile, I nodded.

The stadium was just as full as last time. Someone must’ve saved these seats for us again or Brooks just managed to snag them ahead of time. I wasn’t brave enough to ask.

Directing my gaze to the sideline, I watched the cheerleaders do some routines. Kasey stood out among them with bright red streaks on her cheeks, whereas the others had blue. She looked in her element, completely at home while she danced and ran through well-choreographed moves. After they finished one of their sets, she spotted me and waved, giving me a bright smile. I returned the gesture and hoped it appeared more genuine than it felt.

“Are you boning the head cheerleader?” Brooks asked with a laugh.

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