Page 40 of Chase
I’m not the only one who’s anxious. A is like a live fucking wire rocking back and forth on his feet, picking at his sharpied pinky nail with his thumb and chewing on the string of his hoodie while we wait to be buzzed into the homeless shelter to report for our volunteer hours.
“You don’t know if she’s even here, so stop fidgeting so much. You’re freaking me out.” I point out while we wait. I press the button again and hear it buzz on the other side.
“I don’t give a flying fuck where she is,” A defensively huffs out.Yeah, okayyyyy.
“You’re a shitty liar. It’s okay to care about her, you know. You’re not gonna burst into flames or anything.” As soon as the words are outta my mouth I wish I could stuff them right back in and swallow them down.
“Right, because if you get together with Red, the world is gonna fucking end and our dear sister is going to what? Be happy for you? Oh, the fucking horror,” he says with a mock shock on his face.
“You know Amy doesn’t really allow anyone to be here during the day unless they have special privileges. I bet she has class so you’re over here freaking the fuck out for nothing,” I point out and ignore his barb about me and Sloane.
“I’m not freaking out over anything, mind your fucking business.” He’s so goddamn dramatic with his eye rolls. One of these days they’re gonna get stuck in his head.
“Yeah, because you’ve been minding yours, lately.” I swear I hear him say asshole under his breath but I don’t turn to face him. I can practically feel him glaring at me as it is.
It’s been a shit twenty-four hours and if anyone should be anxious standing here it’s me. I have to get through this shift before heading over to The Wellness Center for the meet and greet with my new therapist.
I have to sit through that and her attempt to unpack my shit. Although that may not be the most difficult thing I have to sit through today. Tonight’s the Winter Showcase and we’re all expected to be in attendance. My sister will rip off my fingernails if I don’t go.
We’re let in and make our way to Amy’s office to check in. There are only a few people hanging around between the hours of ten and four but still, I can’t help but wonder what brought them here. Standing here makes me feel dumb as fuck for thinking my life is complete shit when the residents of this place have no other place to go.
We’ve been helping out with weekly shifts split between here and the soup kitchen since November. Havenwood donates to both and since the tournament weekend, we’ve been scheduled at one of the two every week. I ask Amy where she needs us today and she hands over a list of tasks while handling a conference call.
A and I start in opposite rooms gathering garbage bags to take the trash out. I head over to the female wing, it’s one big room with several beds lined up against the walls. There’s no privacy, no amenities, and it feels sterile.
I’m standing a few feet into the open room when I see her. Her back’s to me, but I don’t need to see her face to know it’s her. Her long black hair sticks out from underneath a navy beanie hat and lays over her sweatshirt covered shoulders. Her overstuffed bags are propped up against a metal bed frame that she’s standing next to and she’s talking to a woman who is wearing scrub pants and has a nursing bag hanging off her shoulder.Edison.
I haven’t seen her since I watched paramedics shock her chest in an attempt to bring her back to life and held my brother back from losing his mind as we watched her fucking flatline.
Images flood my system and overload my senses as I feel transported to that horrific night. I can clearly see B bloody, unconscious, and hurt as she lay still in Max’s arms as he cradled her to his chest and rocked her back and forth.
I can see A covered in his math tutor's blood holding a near-lifeless Edison who was almost unseen in the chaos.
I can hear Max screaming at the male first responders to stop touching my sister as he couldn’t bear to have anyone else near her.
I can taste the saltiness of my own tears from that night. Everything was crashing down around us and my emotional levy snapped under the weight of it all.
I can smell the metallic odor of blood that coated the room as it stained the walls, sheets, skin, hair, and carpet.
I swear I can feel Sloane in my arms. I held her when she fainted and daydreamed of her and I. She was my
escape from the real life nightmare. And when she came to and opened her eyes, I had no choice but to wake the fuck up, too.
“Hurry up in there. I want to start on that painting project.” He shouts out from the hallway. I don’t respond or warn him that he’s about to see her, too. I’m too lost in my head to get my words to work. It doesn’t matter, he’ll find out in three seconds when he walks in here. “What the hell?”There it is.
It’s like watching a live action movie in slow motion when Edison and the woman she’s talking to snap their heads toward us. And Edison looks fucking pissseeeddd when she sees A.
“¡Vete a la mierda!”Edison yells out while stomping across the room. She’s walking so fast her beanie flies off her head. “Get the fuck out!” She’s got her eyes locked and loaded on my brother and her hands are balled up into fists.Oh shit.
“Nah, fuck that. Why won’t you answer my texts? You cost me a fucking game!” He shouts back without any hesitation.
“Sounds like a personal problem to me. Leave!” He stands completely still and just stares her down while she rams her pointer finger into his chest.
“I don’t need to do shit. I’m volunteering,” he tells her with glaring eyes that are fucking glowing. “Why the fuck are you ignoring me? You look fucking fine to me,” he demands and because I know him, I don’t miss the slight twitch of his lips when he scans her up and down.The bastard is trying not to smile.
“No sabes nada, cabron,”she says and crosses her arms over herself and clicks her tongue while rolling her eyes.
“What the fuck does that mean? Are you not okay or are you just being a sassy little shit?”Oh fuck.
