Page 9 of Unwanted

But the hopes and dreams of five rejected kids, who met one another in a group home because nobody else wanted them, had been tainted by the constant disappointment of real life.

None of us were those people anymore.

Especially me.

And I couldn’t live a life where Frankie and I existed in the same circles. I couldn’t survive seeing every single one of my failures written on his face, every day, knowing I was the reason he left.

As I went through rehab and my recovery steps, he was the one person I chose not to make amends with. Because the heartache and hurt between us was too much to deal with.

When you’re sober, everything was too much to relive without being numb. And everything with Frankie was too much to revisit and too much to resolve.

But now, four years later, knowing he was so close to me, every part of me hurt just as much as it did the day he left me behind.

Time promised to heal wounds, but when it came to Frankie, the more time that passed, the deeper the hurt ran.

I may have learned to rise above rock bottom, but I was yet to rise above and forgive Frankie York.

What was worse is, I was certain I hadn’t yet learned how to unlove him either.

3

FRANKIE

I’d been here for a little over twenty-four hours and a war waged inside me with every hour that passed. I wanted to stay, but I so desperately wanted to leave.

I was a stranger to these people, and I had never felt the after effects of my departure more than I did at this moment.

Lennox wouldn’t even look at me, and while I knew the aftermath of his accident had profoundly changed his life, the resentment in his eyes whenever I entered the room had nothing to do with that.

Undoubtedly on purpose, I was never left alone with him, and the notion that it wasn’t even an option for us stung me to the core. Clem and Remy took turns sitting in the non-denominational prayer room that sat empty across from Lennox’s room, alternating between keeping me and Lennox company.

But it was his friend from college, Samuel, who played the role of round-the-clock bodyguard.

He hadn’t left Lennox’s side since I’d arrived, and the way he glared at me told me I was the reason why.

After tearing into me when I’d arrived yesterday, Clem had then jumped into my arms and cried as I held her close to me. She’d never hidden how much she hated me for leaving, but her decision to keep in contact with me over the years despite how angry she was, made all the difference.

There wasn’t a person on this planet who loved me as much as she did, and, as I sat here alone with my head in my hands, I’d never been more grateful.

My whole body startles when something nudges at my foot. I whip my head up and come face-to-face with Remy.

“Coffee and breakfast.” He holds out a large coffee that I know didn’t come from this hospital and a small brown paper bag. “Clem will kill you when she finds out you’ve been here all night.”

I run my hands over my tired face before sitting up and taking the coffee out of his hands. “What’s in the bag?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know, I just picked whatever looked good in the window.”

Remy takes the seat beside me, his shoulders slouched, his long legs stretched out enough to reach the chairs in front of us.

“How is he this morning?” I ask.

“He seems fine. I don’t know if he thinks he suddenly can’t talk, too, because he can’t hear, but he’s still not saying a word.”

“At least Samuel lets you in the room.”

Remy chuckles. “They’ll come around. Eventually.”

I take a long sip of my coffee, and the hot liquid brings me the only comfort I’ve felt since receiving Clem’s call.

---