Page 185 of The First Time
Chapter Thirty-Three
Piper
Imanage to drag myself to the shower. I manage to wash up, dry off, get into my pajamas, and collapse in bed.
I'm tired, but it's not the kind of tired that encourages sleep. Every part of me hurts. And, worse, I keep thinking about how much Kit must hurt.
He's alone with everything.
Maybe I'm pathetic or desperate. Maybe I should hate him for ending things so abruptly. Maybe I really am a naive nice girl who doesn't realize how awful the world is.
But what I really want right now, is to help ease Kit’s burden.
I hurt for him more than I hurt for me.
Minutes pass. Hours maybe. It's enough time for me to come to terms with my level of... whatever I should call this. The guy dumps me and I'm lying here hoping he's okay.
It's late, really late, when the front door opens. There are footsteps, the strong steady footsteps that can only belong to Mal (Ethan is more bouncy).
He stops in the hallway, in front of my half-open door. "I've been calling."
"My phone is downstairs."
"I saw that." He moves into the room. The yellow lights from the hall cast highlights around him. "What happened?"
I sit up and wipe my eyes. "Kit... his mom ODed. He went to go to her. She's at a hospital in the bay."
Mal flips the light on.
I cringe.
He drops his poker face, his eyes filling with concern. "You've been crying."
"He didn't want me to come." I grab my closest pillow and squeeze tightly. "He ended things."
"Fuck, Piper. I'm sorry." Mal leans in to hug me. "You want to be alone?"
I shake my head.
"You want Violet to come?"
I nod. That's exactly what I want. Mal really is a mind reader.
He pulls out his cell, taps a few buttons on the screen, and holds the phone to his ear. "How soon can you get here?" There's a voice on the other end then Mal replies. "Piper needs your help... Yeah, I'm sure." He hangs up the phone and turns to me. "Ethan and Violet will be here in half an hour."
"Oh." That means I have to tell Ethan. Shit.
He offers his hand. "Come on. I'll put on some coffee and an episode ofGossip Girl."
* * *
Violet rushes rightto the couch. She plants on the cushion next to mine and wraps her arms around me.
She leans in to whisper. "You want to talk about this alone?"
Hiding this from Ethan forever is tempting, but I want to talk to him too. As annoying and overbearing as my brothers can be, I love them and I need their support right now.
"No," I whisper back.
