Page 130 of Unspoken Truths

Nacio the douchebag:

Lili are you home yet? I need to know.

Deciding to test him,I lie.

Me:

I’m at the hospital. Ranger found me and was able to fish Rachelle out of the creek. I don’t know if she’s going to make it. It’s all your fault.

“I may be shit stirring,”I tell Emil, glancing up to shrug.

“He deserves it,” he says, leaning back to cross his leg over his knee. “Don’t stop on my account.

With his father’s blessing, I continue to lie.

Ignacio:

Jared told me that the creek shallowed out farther down the mountain. You’re lying.

Me:

No, there are undercurrents, fucker. The ranger and I hiked down to the creek and searched for her. The water kept pushing her head under. Did you know that she can’t swim?

Ignacio:

That isn’t possible. She lived in Florida. How does she not know how to swim?

“Why doesn’tRachelle know how to swim?” I ask, glancing up in surprise.

“We hit a snag in her swim classes when she was kid,” Julia says, leaning against the door frame. I didn’t even notice her walk up. “Rachelle is fine, she said she was going to nap while on the IV, and the paramedic said that was fine.”

“Rory knows his stuff,” Mr. Emil says with a nod. “So she never learned?”

“Rachelle learned the basics, but the teacher she had as a kid scared her,” she explains. “She figured out enough that she can tread water, but the creek would have been outside of her ability. Even when she went to the beach, Rachelle wouldn’t wade outside of thigh deep in the water.”

“Shit,” I whisper, realizing how close we were to losing her. “She managed to get out because of blind luck. Rachelle told me she wants to learn how to swim. We’re also starting to go for runs as soon as she’s able to. Fuck these guys for forcing all of this on her.”

“What are the odds of Ignacio coming home any time soon?” Julia asks.

Mr. Emil swallows hard, and I imagine he’s thinking about how many of the hidden weapons places she may know about. Ignacio pissed off the wrong mother.

“Very low,mi amor,”he says, watching as she nods.

“Good. I’ll let you get back to it. I am going to make myself a sleeping bag to sleep in outside of the living room in case she needs anything,” Julia says.

“I may do that same,” I sigh. I don’t know if this could fuck with her dreams. It's definitely going to mess with mine.

My phone has buzzed several times during this conversation. As Julia walks away with a nod, I glance down to check it.

Ignacio:

Lili! Tell me the truth!

Ignacio:

Fuck, fuck, is she alive?

Ignacio:

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