Page 91 of College-Virgin & Dark Bully Next-Door

Again.

When Chase told Dad, he immediately cleaned himself up. It explains why there’s four new garbage bags sitting outside. He cleaned out his room, he’s actually there. He’s present and alive and all for the woman who left him.

“It’s wrong,” I whisper.

“I’m coming over.”

“No!” I yell, startling my poor spider and sending him skittering away. I curse, drop my phone and bundle Dracula in a sheet. I set him in his tank, and he runs for cover. I apologize to him, slide the lid back in place and pick up my phone. “Please. Not right now.”

“Sky …”

I look over at him through the window and see him pacing. I know he wants to help. He wants to support me, be here for me. I feel bad telling him no, but if I lean on him for this … it’s too big.

Then I’ll need him, and when he leaves me, when I leave, either way, it will be so much worse. Leaving is hard enough, but with my mom coming in and riling everything up, my dad might be worse than he started and then who will pick up the pieces.

“I need to get my bearings before I can ask for help. I need to know how to even start to help this,” I insist. “I know you want to help, and that’s good. That’s enough for now.”

He takes a slow breath. “You frustrate the hell out of me.”

I chew my bottom lip.

“You don’t have to tackle everything by yourself. It’s okay to need someone else every now and again. If not me … if itcan’tbe me, have Bonnie around.”

The fact he takes himself out of the equation surprises me. The last two weeks have been filled with sex, time together, texting, phone calls, and building his online profile. He’s even let me take videos.

His Instagram page is doing well, with constant engagement on his workout and fighting videos. Even if it’s mostly fangirls fawning over him, his numbers are increasing, and he has so much going for him. But he’s always focused on me, wants to weave himself closer to me, deeper into my life. The fact he’s willing to take himself out of the equation is shocking.

“I will.”

“And keep me updated, at least. One text a day?”

“Okay,” I say.

We linger on the phone, and he sighs. “You drive me crazy.”

“Hate you,” I murmur.

“Liar.”

I hang up and try to sleep. I get an hour. Then I’m up because I hear others up. Dad is downstairs, cleaning up. I gape at him. He’s a stranger. He’s shaved his face, looks younger and almost seems happy.

“I knew she’d come back,” he says to himself.

“Dad.”

“I knew it, Sky. I just had to wait. Had to give her some time.” He flashes a huge smile that lodges my stomach in my throat.

How can I possibly break his happiness with the obvious? That Mom isn’t going to stay. I feel it in my bones. So all I can do is help him. We put things away, organize things, then sit. Dad talks excitedly and shares photos of Mom and us as kids.

But when Chase comes in, and I see the absolute pity on his face, I can’t wait anymore. I can’t be here. I can’t sit and watch my dad have such pointless hope without saying anything. Chase takes a slow breath. “Dad, Mom’s just coming for a few days.”

The smile freezes on his face, but I swear I can see him shattering inside. I hug him. “It’s okay, Daddy. You have us. We love you. We don’t need her.”

“She’s staying,” he says softly. “I … I know she is. We’re her family.”

“I don’t think so, Daddy,” Chase replies.

“She’s staying!” He jumps up, ripping himself from my arms, then goes upstairs, slamming the door.

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