Page 27 of All My Broken Pieces

I glance at my phone, a smile spreading on my face. Andrew and I have spoken several times since I bared my miserable state to him. I want to be annoyed at his mother henning, the constant check up messages and excuses to hang out.

But, oddly enough, all I feel is gratitude. It’s been a long time since I’ve had someone care about me this much outside of Fallon, and even then, the first time someone whotrulyknows who I am. What I am. And still accepts me.

Me

Bet your sweet ass I do *winking emoji*

Drewbie

*eye roll emoji* very professional

Me

*middle finger emoji*

The text bubbles pop up and disappear several times, making me chuckle as I imagine Andrew trying to think of the best comeback. After a while, he gives up as the bubbles disappear.

I shake my head, tucking away my phone. I know he’ll get me the info when it’s ready, even if he’s pissy when he does it.

Pushing up from the couch, I walk into my bedroom with the intent to shower and get ready for when the hit comes through. Sir Ichabod chirps from his crate, derailing my plans.

“My precious baby boy.” I croon, crossing the room and unlatching the metal to pull him into my arms. He chitters away, nuzzling against me in an attempt to roam free.

Chuckling, I set him down, watching as he darts about the room. An uneasy feeling settles low in my gut as I watch him, a gnawing sensation I’ve become familiar with in the time I’ve been separated from Fallon.

As he moves to explore the rest of the apartment, the melancholy spreading through me deepens. It makes no sense, but as I watch him disappear, all I can feel is the emptiness my life is. A feeling I haven’t had in a long time.

I slam the door, stomping into the house.

“Stop it right there, young lady.” Linda calls out, emerging from the kitchen. Her hands are covered in flour, the apron she has tied around her waist also sprinkled with the white powder.

Rolling my eyes, I flip her off and continue my furious stomps down the hall. I beeline toward the room that has become my bedroom, opening and slamming that door as well.

This fucking sucks.

Kicking off my shoes, I fling my body face first down on the bed. I want to scream, I want to cry, I want to dosomethingto get rid of this feeling inside of me. But somehow I know it won’t do any good, nothing I do now can change what happened.

A quiet knock sounds on the door. “Go away.” I grumble against the bedding, too drained to lift my head to shout the demand.

The door creaks open anyway and I let out an exasperated breath, pushing up on my hands to glare over my shoulder. “I said goaway, Li-” My words cut off as I spot, not my adoptive mother, but one of the other boys her and her husband adopted and expect me to call my family.

Even though I have a family.

Hada family.

“Hey, Arri.” Cooper murmurs, his easy going smile only serving to aggravate my nerves.

Huffing, I crawl up the bed and slump back against the headboard, leveling him with a venomous gaze. “What do you want, Cooper?” I bite out, crossing my arms.

He glances over his shoulder before closing the door and crossing the room. “Can I?” He gestures to the empty space beside me.

I shrug my shoulders, already feeling the volatile emotions beginning to fade, leaving behind an empty ache. Not that I’d admit it to anyone, but I’d rather not be alone when the worst of it hits.

Cooper crawls up beside me, bending one of his legs and stretching the other out in front of him. “Rough day?” He finally asks after a few moments of silence.

I scoff, rolling my eyes. “Guess you could say that.”

It really was one. Stupid Suzie Crawford found out what happened to my parents, myrealparents, and made it her personal mission to terrorize me all day. Not that it’s any different than any other day with her, but this one hit extra hard as she poked fun at my dead mother and incarcerated father.

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