Page 8 of Two Minutes for Holding

“Knox, I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“Of course not, because you know I’m right, and you’d never want to admit that. I guess until you tire of being treated worse than the gum on the bottom of my shoe, this is a complete waste of my time and breath.”

“You know I’m right,” I mimicked, growing even more annoyed at his holier-than-thou attitude.

“Peyton, I’m going to tell you something, and I’m only going to say it once. After this, if you don’t get it, you’re on your own. Allowing others to dim your light and not let you shine like the star you are only brings you down to their level. Learn it and start surrounding yourself with those who bring you higher.”

“Oh what, like you do?”

“Yes, exactly like I do.”

“When are you going to get it, Knox? I’m not you.”

“Of course you aren’t me, but you’re not a piece of garbage either, Peyton. You are a smart girl capable of having an amazing career in whatever area you decide. You’re also an attractive girl, and if only you’d believe in yourself, it might change some things for you.”

“Knox, Tor doesn’t bring me down.” I sighed.

“Yes, Peyton, he does. Mom thinks he’s the reason you ended up being removed from school. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he was the reason that you were shoplifting, too.”

“No, he’s not the reason I was shoplifting,” I lied, knowing full well he was the reason. At the time, he’d taken every drop of my last six paychecks, aside from what I’d owed to Mom for two of the bills, to pay his pusher for the drugs he’d gotten, leaving me with no choice but to shoplift the things I needed. Mom had been struggling financially after being out of work for a little over two years, so I did what I had to do.

“Believe what you want, but I’m telling you now. I know the truth, Peyton.”

“No, you think you know,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Well, William and Tor are the reasons I’m debating moving you and Mom here to Vancouver.”

“What?” I questioned, almost horrified at the thought of moving away from Tor and my friends.

“Yep, Lorelai and I have already talked it over, and tonight I plan on bringing it up to Mom.”

I watched as Knox shoved the rest of his chicken wrap into his mouth and then sat back in his chair. The more I stared at him, the angrier I got.

“You know, for someone who has a lot to say about people bringing others down, why are you allowing Mother and I to bring you down?” I bit back.

Knox let out a breath and rested his head against the back of the chair.

“Peyton, you aren’t people, you’re my family. Mom’s going through a rough patch, no doubt because of all the shit you’ve put her through. You’re on a collision course and are about to crash.”

My mouth dropped open at what he’d just said. Had he really blamed my mother’s problems and toxic relationship on me?

“Stand there looking like that all you want, Peyton. I speak to Mom pretty much every week. I hear what is going on, and I cansee how it’s affecting her, and I live across the country. I know the shit you’ve been up to better than you do.”

“If you know everything, then you should have known I was lying to you about Tor,” I said, a smug smile on my face.

“Trust me, I knew. I’d hoped I’d been wrong. All I try to do for you is to make sure you have the things I didn’t while growing up. I want to make the path you choose easier to navigate than it was for me.”

“You are such an ass.”

“Really?” Knox said, standing up and crossing his arms.

“Yes, really. You, brother… are an ass,” I said, walking up to him and poking him in the chest with my forefinger. “God, Tor was right about you.”

Knox stared at me. There was no way I was going to win this stare down. The intensity in his eyes was insane, and soon I could feel his tension throughout my entire body.

“Peyton, all I want is to be able to trust you, and for you to know that no matter what, you can always come to me when you’re ever in trouble.”

I tried to maintain eye contact, but when I heard a key in the door, I swallowed hard and tore my eyes away. Lorelai and Mom walked into the living room, their conversation coming to a complete halt as they saw the two of us standing only a few inches apart.

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