Page 138 of Hooking Up
Chapter Twenty-One
Iris
She stares at me with recognition in her dark eyes. But it's hazy. She's hazy.
She's high.
Walker is already on the other side of the room. He's calling someone. His parents, I think.
I can't stop staring at his sister.
She keeps asking him to bail her out of messes. That must be an understatement.
But she is trying. I've seen her at a few meetings. The ones in Beverly Hills. One of my friends from rehab talked me into going to sessions that were well-known for celebrity sightings.
We saw a ton of TV actors and musicians, but I still switched to meetings on the Westside. It felt shady trying to see famous people at their weakest.
She was there. Walker's sister.
She tilts her head. "You're Walker's girlfriend?" Her voice is easy. Slow.
"Close enough."
"And he knows you're…" Her brow furrows as she considers her words. Or tries to.
"No."
"Oh."
He tosses his phone on the counter. Runs a hand through his hair.
His eyes go to his sister. "You can't stay here."
"Are you… are you going to let me explain?" She pulls her arm over her chest. Wraps her fingers around the crook of her elbow, covering an injection site.
But it's too late. Too slow. Walker sees it.
His voice drips with frustration "What could you possibly say?"
Her eyes turn down. She looks wounded. Like she really is sorry she's hurting him. Like she has no idea how to stop.
No. It's not like.
She doesn't.
I know. I've been there.
He looks to me and mouthssorrythen looks back to his sister. "I'll drive you home."
"But." Her eyes go to the floor. "I'm sorry."
He shakes his headno, you aren't.
But she is. It's all over her face.
This is way too familiar.
She's here because she trusts him. Because she has nowhere else to go. Because, deep down, she wants help.
