Page 96 of Enraged

“Oh, I know it. Speakin’ of hotheaded…”

Here we go…

“How are things with Jace?”

“He is now on my shift startin’ today.”

Goddamnit. I had forgotten that until just now.

“Is that a good idea?” He sounded worried.

I sighed. “It will be fine. We both know the job comes first.”

“What about Cassie? How are things there?”

Also on the list of shit I don’t want to talk about right now.

“Dad, I’ll come and talk to you about it all tomorrow when I come get Athens. I gotta get ready for work now.”

“Aight, my buddy. I’ll see you then. Stay safe out there. Love you!”

“Love you, Pops.”

Despite ending the call with a smile, I jumped in the shower with fresh irritation, the mere mention of Jace killing my good mood.

Get there, do your job, and come the fuck home.

Jolene

I have new respect for my daddy.

I’d grown up on this farm, doing chores, but never to the degree that I’d done them today.

In Dad’s defense, I did keep askin’ for more work to do.

Every muscle in my body ached.

See, now I need the hot tub.

Snagging my phone from my jacket pocket, I checked my text messages. I was surprised to see that I had two texts from Cassie. She hadn’t reached out since she sent that stupid picture message.

Meet you for five minutes to hear you out? To HEAR YOU OUT?

I locked my phone without responding, refusing to give the bitch one second of my time.

What could you possibly have to say that could be justified under the category of ‘just hear me out’?

I twisted the knobs in my shower angrily. After stripping out of my work clothes, I pulled down my hair, combing my fingers through it as the bathroom filled with steam.

Hear her out…

I stepped into the shower, the water immediately attacking the tension in my neck. While I lathered my hair, I wrestled with the idea of what she could possibly have to say.

There was a part of me that didn’t give a fuck about any explanation that came from her mouth but there was also a part of me that wanted to make her look me in the eye and explain how she could do this to me.

Other than just being a shitty person altogether.

I rinsed my hair quickly, careful to make sure I hadn’t missed any of the dirt from the day. I used a rag to scrub my body, taking extra time on my most sensitive areas.

---