Page 126 of Patching Over

“No, no hospital,” I rush out.

“You appear to be in decent shape,” Nylah says.

“Apparently, Angel worked on me before they ever brought me back here. I still have a small bruise on my chin, but considering the asshole who was beating on me shattered my jaw, I feel very fortunate.”

“I bet you do,” Nylah replies, as she continues to slowly feed Moira.

I’m equal parts fascinated and appalled because she’s swallowing as though she’s awake and functional, but herexpression and mannerisms never waver. It’s kind of freaky, at least to me, but I’ll keep that thought to myself.

“I’m going to go find Jingles. Do you need anything?” I question, anxious to leave the room.

Then I chastise myself because what kind of best friend does that make me? A shitty one, that’s for sure. Guilt swamps me because I know Mo would be doing everything in her power to wake me up. Leaning over, I wrap my arms around her and pull her into a hug.

“Please, Mo, come back to me. There’s so much more we both wanna do, remember? Plus, I met a guy. Okay, I’ve known him for a long time, but after all the shit we went through, I figured I’d tell him about my crush, and guess what? He’s receptive to me! I’m kind of stunned to be honest, and I don’t know how we’re going to work it all out since I live in Cleveland and he lives here, but honestly, outside of finishing up school, I don’t know if I can live in Cleveland again after what happened. So, I need you to snap out of this and help me figure shit out.”

Despite my heartfelt words, she remains motionless in my embrace, causing tears to prick the back of my eyes. I refuse to cry any more, though, so I move back and smile at Nylah. “Thank you for what you’re doing for her.”

“My pleasure, Belle. Glad to meet you. I’m sure I’ll see you downstairs at dinner.” Her soft, kind words help me relax.

Clearing my throat, I say, “Probably so. This whole thing is new to me, to be honest.”

“What whole thing?” she asks, leaning forward.

“Well, my brother’s a member in another chapter, but they don’t have many ol’ ladies. Plus, he’s kept me away from the club for the most part, so I’m afraid I’ll say or do something that’s wrong.”

“Just ask your ol’ man, he’ll tell you if there are any rules you have to follow,” Nylah suggests.

“That sounds like a good plan,” I admit. “I’ll see you later at dinner.”

Before I head downstairs, I go back to the room I’ve been given, close and lock the door, then take another shower. It’s not that Ryleigh and Rory didn’t get me clean; I just want the luxury of bathing myself with no one watching me since I was never really left alone when we were with Alvin and company.

Shuddering at the memory of him, I make quick work of drying myself off, relotioning my dry skin, then putting on another soft, comfortable outfit. This one is a pair of blue jeans that feel as though they’ve been pounded by rocks, they’re so soft, and I add a purple Henley long-sleeve shirt since I’m still chilled.

“Must be all the weight I’ve lost,” I mutter as I brush out my hair then quickly put it into a high ponytail. Finally satisfied, I slip on socks and a pair of low boots, then head out in search of Jingles, who is apparently my man now.

CHAPTER

SIXTEEN

Jingles

By the time we come back upstairs, after taking a few good jabs at both Alvin and Bert, the women have dinner ready. As I walk toward Belle, I see her laughing with Nylah, Ryleigh, and Rory, and it hits me that she’s going to fit in just fine. I just need her to see that for herself.

Once I make my plate, I find myself seated between Belle and Sleeper, but am more interested in listening than I am talking as he peppers her with questions about what she wants to do, then lets her know their IT guy went into the college computers and made it look like both girls took a semester off so it wouldn’t impact their degree.

“That was nice of him,” Belle murmurs. “Honestly, Sleeper, I don’t even know if I want to use my degree now.”

“And that’s perfectly fine, Belle,” he replies. “But at least you’ll have the paper for any future thing you want to pursue.”

“I can always pay you back what you’ve spent,” she offers.

“It’s not about the money, Belle, because it was given freely without any kind of expectations. I just know how you are aboutfinishing shit you’ve started. Why not see if you can finish up the courses you need online? That way, you don’t have to worry about whether or not you can handle being around a lot of people.”

“He makes a good point,” I tell her, leaning closer since the noise level in the common room is high right now. “Maybe go home, finish up your degree, and see how you’re feeling about things. I don’t mind coming up to see you, Belle.”

She looks at me and I can see gratitude in her gaze. While I know she’ll have to face her demons at some point, she doesn’t have to do it today. In fact, she can wait until she’s back here with me and I’ll stand by her side ready to fight them off if necessary.

She tilts her head thinking it over then settles on what she wants, and tells us, “Then that’s what I’ll do, as soon as Moira is ready to go home.”

---