Page 24 of Something to Someone

That hadn’t stopped me from texting her as I always had—sending her memes, videos, and music that I thought she would like or reminded me of her.

“I swear, I can see the smoke from the gears turning in your head,” I quipped as I slipped into the chair across from Theo. He dropped his pen and leaned back in his seat, dragging his hands down his face. I could feel the stress rolling off him, but I immediately knew it wasn’t only related to our impending finals or graduation.

“What’s up?”

Theo sighed and dropped his hands against the book still open in front of him then handed me a piece of paper. It took me a second to register what he gave me—the crappy handwriting and the name at the end.

“This is from your mom?” I asked a little too loudly. I threw an apologetic smile to the girl at the table behind us and mouthed “sorry.”

He nodded and looked out the window to his left. “Yeah. It’s the third one in as many months. I haven’t responded to any of them, but she’s not getting the hint.”

“Fuck,” I muttered, shaking my head. I skimmed the letter and was unsurprised by its contents. Simple, surface-level apologies which included no accountability for her actions.

Theo’s mom had so many issues. She’d been a chronic gambler who couldn’t manage to keep enough cash on hand to pay her debts, and Theo had been her first stop every time. Finally, when he’d told her he had nothing left to give, she’d gone off the rails. She’d set fire to her own house and pointed the finger at him.

The police quickly realized Theo had nothing to do with it, and his mom had taken a plea deal for a handful of crimes. She was supposed to be serving three to five years.

“What are you going to do?”

He shrugged as I handed the letter back. He unceremoniously shoved it in his bag and picked up his pen. I could feel the frustration rolling off him. I hated to see him like that. His mom—hell, his entire fucking family—had put him through shit. Until he met my mom, it seemed like he couldn’t catch a break.

“Nothing. Keep ignoring them, I guess. I might try to talk to the attorney or maybe the prison and see if we can keep her from contacting me. She thankfully hasn’t tried to call yet. I haven’t shown Nat any of the letters either, and I don’t really want to.”

I nodded and took a deep breath. “I’m really sorry, man. Maybe we burn them? Get rid of all the bad shit attached to them?”

Theo cracked a tired smile and shook his head.

“Why not? I guess it’s worth a shot.”

Theo glanced back down at his book, and I took the hint—he was done with the subject.

Studying was the last thing I wanted to do, both Theo’s situation and Caroline were sitting in the back of my mind and taking up more real estate than I could afford with three finals next week. But I did it anyway. I threw on my headphones and zoned in on the task in front of me. Reading through my notes from the semester and relistening to the recorded lectures, it was two hours before I looked up again.

Theo and I both leaned back in our chairs at the same time. I stretched my arms out to my sides and glanced out the window to see the sunlight quickly fading. The trees and red brick buildings surrounding the library cast in red and pink light.

“I think I need a break. Want to grab dinner?”

“Fuck yes,” I sighed, quickly gathering my books and notes, I shoved them in my backpack and stood. Too focused, I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until Theo had mentioned it.

Theo chuckled and shook his head as he tossed his backpack over his shoulder and followed me out of the library. Pushing open the front door, we stepped out into the warm night and started walking toward our favorite burger place right off campus.

There wasn’t a preamble or discussion, it was our favorite brain food when we were both cramming. The place was fairly packed for a Thursday evening. It was an older building almost as old as the university itself, so the ceilings were low, and the lighting was dim. The line to order was curved around the perimeter, and Theo and I took our place at the end next to the wood-lined wall.

Old metal signs that hadn’t moved in decades hung sporadically around the place and the soles of my shoes stuck to the floor with every step. So, you knew the food was going to be fucking good.

The line moved quickly, and after we ordered, the cashier gave us a number, and we found a table in the back room near a few pool tables and old video games.

“So, what’s up with you and Caroline?” Theo didn’t waste any time the moment we sat down. I was surprised it had taken him that long to bring it up.

I cleared my throat and rolled my lips to hide the smile that was threatening to break free.

“Oh, fuck. What did you do?”

“What do you mean?” I asked without looking up from where I was fidgeting with the label of my beer.

“I know that look. I’ve seen it at least a few times before, and it’s always after you’ve done something I’d probably consider stupid.”

Scoffing, I tilted my beer to my lips and took a long swig. When I looked up, Theo was watching me expectantly. And I knew it was a battle I wasn’t going to win. Theo was hardheaded through and through; he would have sat there all night if he had to.

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