Page 53 of Rue

Opening the car door, he helped her in and got in with her, then pulled her close in a half hug and held her there the whole ride back to his house. Leading her upstairs, she wanted to go to bed, but he led her past the room she’d slept in and to his room to the bathroom.

Justin came out as they were going in. “All of her stuff is ready, and I got the shampoo you asked for. It’s in there already.”

“Where the other bitch at?” Geo asked, pausing on his way into the bathroom.

“Day’s down in the kitchen. Sophie asked him to do something for her.”

Geo didn’t respond, leading Sailor into the bathroom and shutting the door. Turning her, he gently helped her pull her clothes off and got her in the shower, then took his clothes off and joined her. He stayed quiet as he washed her hair, and then her body, being extremely gentle with her.

Leading her back out to his bed, he laid her down, then climbed in and took hold of her waist in both hands. Leaning close, he pressed his head to her tummy and held her there.

Sailor could feel it then, the grief that was in him. His loss was cutting him as keenly as it was her. Finally, he rolled his head and planted a soft kiss on her tummy, then another and another in a small circle all around her belly until he came full circle. Lifting, he moved up the bed and laid down next to her, pulling her to lay on his shoulder as he covered them both. Squeezing her in tight, he kissed the top of her head and just held her there like that. Tears were rolling down her face and onto his shoulder, but he said nothing, just holding her through it. Sailorcried herself to sleep as he squeezed her, and he was still holding her when she woke in the morning.

Her heart ached as she lay there. He woke and she sighed, knowing the bubble of suspended reality was about to burst. He gripped her tightly for a moment in a small hug, then let her up.

“Go on’n get ready for school, Rue,” he rumbled. “You got clothes there in that closet.”

The last thing she wanted to do was go to school like anything was normal, but she also considered that it might be a way to get away.

Chapter 28

She was disabused of that thought when Geo led her down to eat. Justin and Davon were there waiting for her, their school uniforms on, too.

Mig dropped all three of them off, Geo going with and gripping her face in his hands before letting her out of the car. “Be good for me today, Rue,” he told her darkly, then pulled her close and kissed her lips.

She got a lot of stares as Davon and Justin bracketed her and led her in. They followed her to every class, and the teachers acted like they weren’t there. They acted like she wasn’t there either, half terrified of acknowledging her.

A few people tried to talk to her, but Davon told them all to fuck off. He kept holding her hand everywhere like she was his, and people seemed to think it was normal. Janine waved at her, but Justin cut her off quickly, whispering something that made her turn and walk away. No one was allowed to speak to Sailor at all.

When they got in the car after school, Geo looked at Davon expectantly. “No issues, man. They all got the memo,” Davon promised him.

“And her?”

“Walked around like a zombie all day,” Justin grumbled. “She didn’t try to talk to anyone. She didn't even look around much until her best friend got close. I warned her off.”

“Her? Her best friend is a bitch?”

“Yeah?”

“She can talk to her tomorrow. No dudes, though.”

“Aight.”

When they got home, Geo led her to the office and sat her down, then moved back to a chair and sat and watched her.

She knew he expected her to work, but she started her homework instead, working on it until Mig poked his head in and said dinner was ready.

Geo said nothing when he came and looked over her Lit paper, then her algebra pages. He just took her hand and led her to dinner. After, he led her back in but left her alone with the door open. She could hear him talking to people in the living room, but she kept doing homework as Justin came in to sit in the same room.

The next day was the same, but she had finals. It seemed pointless as she sat there doing the work, knowing they wouldn’t be graded. The teachers would score it perfectly because Geo had told them to. This was all to appease her for some reason.

Still, she continued to do make-up homework after school, but Geo said nothing. Davon and Justin babysat her all day and after school in the office as she worked. She didn’t speak to them or look at them.

Mig drove them all to the care facility that Friday after school and dropped them off. Davon entered the room with her, but Justin stayed in the foyer to watch the big TV. Her mom watched Davon more carefully than she’d watched Geo, looking stressed, but her gramma talked to him and asked him questions that Davon answered in his usual charming manner.

Mig didn’t come back to get them until 8 PM when visiting hours were over.

Sailor felt like it was so incredibly off and surreal, not understanding any of it.

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