Page 51 of Free to Run
“Is that you picking up on things from him, or your own doubts pushing at you?” she probes.
I pick at a loose string on my ratty UConn T-shirt. “If I’m being honest, I don’t know.” Her eyes are sympathetic. “I didn’t think asking for time to take things slowly and not agreeing to spend the week with him was blowing the whole idea off.”
“It wasn’t, and that’s why my next stop is the office to smash a pie full of whipped cream in his face,” she says smoothly. “That was a total dick move.”
“I know, right? And this is why I’m so confused…wait, what the hell do you mean you’re going to shove a pie in his face?” I demand.
“Did you really think he was going to be sitting in our offices all week and I was going to watch you here, broken, without exacting some sort of revenge?” Her honeyed voice is smooth. And hard.
“He didn’t break me, Corinna,” I say sharply.
“You sure about that?”
I raise my chin. “Positive.”
“Did this family break you?” she demands.
I inhale roughly, my breath shuddering. That one is harder to answer. Cassidy, with all of her demands to play nice or face her displeasure. Em’s constant support of Cassidy. Phil and Holly watching from the sidelines. And all of it circles back around to… “Keene. It’s all about him.” I drop my head.
Corinna slides off her stool and joins me on the floor. “What they did to you Monday was just wrong.”
“And you know that was only the portion of the iceberg that was visible. I’ve been dealing with this for months.”
She quirks her head. “What pushed you over on Monday?”
I think back. “The feeling even work isn’t a comfort anymore. They trapped me in my office—Holly included. That hurt. Killed. Like nowhere is safe.” I rub a hand over my chest where it aches. “I feel like I don’t belong anymore. Nowhere I go is a place for me to think. My house isn’t safe. Keene was waiting for me the night we got home. Work is out. I get questioned about him all the time. The only place I’m safe is when I’m running. If I could run all the time and never stop, I would,” I admit.
Corinna reaches for my hand. “What can I do?”
I squeeze hers in return. “You’re doing it. You’re giving me faith I’m not completely lost.”
We sit like this for a few minutes in silence when Cori’s phone goes off. She reaches for it, makes a face, and flips it toward me to see who’s calling. Cassidy’s name appears on the screen.
“What?” Corinna snaps out. I huff out a giggle. Corinna disengages our hands to hold a finger to her lips, so I hush and listen to her end of the conversation.
“I’m with Alison. Why?” Her face becomes pinched. Suddenly, her head snaps straight. “No. No way in hell. Are you crazy?”
The acid begins to churn in my stomach.
“No, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to drop by, Cassidy. No, nor Em, or Phil. Even Holly. Keep everyone away,” Corinna rasps.
“You know what? I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but y’all are being a bunch of bullies. Right now, Ali doesn’t need your crap. The last time she talked to you, you accosted her in her office.” A myriad of emotions cross Corinna’s face as she listens to Cassidy. They range from resignation to irritation, to flat-out anger. “No, this isn’t one of those times when talking it through will make things better. I remember not too long ago when you froze people out too. No, I am not making comparisons to the situations, Cassidy. What I’m saying is that people take time to process things, and you have to respect that.”
Corinna rolls her eyes at me, like what she’s saying should be fairly obvious.
“Hand me the phone, Cori,” I say quietly. Before I can change my mind, I want to get a few things out of my system.
Corinna covers the mouthpiece. “Are you sure?”
I nod. I’m exhausted, and I just want to sleep.
She puts the phone on speaker. Taking a deep breath, I open my mouth, and no words come out because Cassidy is still talking.
“…I just want to talk with her, Corinna. So does Keene. That’s all. Just talk,” I hear Cassidy plead.
“What makes you think I want to speak to either you or Keene right now, Cassidy?” I say coldly.
“Ali?” Cassidy chokes.
