Page 49 of Easy Reunion
Chapter 20
Kelsey
“Words have the power to come back and haunt a person long after you’ve forgotten about saying them. Think about your favorite song; what kind of emotion does it make you feel?”
“Happy,” one of the center kids calls out.
“Ready to dance,” another yells.
“You’re always ready to do that,” one hollers. The room laughs.
“My favorite songs are the ones my nana sings. They’re kinda sad even though they’re pretty,” a little girl pipes up. The room goes quiet at her words.
“Some of the best songs do that,” I assure her. Her brown eyes brighten as I get close enough while I’m walking around the room to lay a hand gently on her shoulder. “But what if the song made you sad? Would you want to replay it over and over in your head? Unable to not hear the words?”
The chorus of “No’s” is overwhelming. “Then end the cycle right now. Because the words you say to each other matter. I can hear the words that were said to me when I was your age in my head just as clearly as if one of you said them to me.”
I make my way back up to the table in the front of the room where I agreed to do an impromptu signing for these kids. “I was humiliated. I tried to stay under the radar. I was physically assaulted. And guess what? Right now, even overhearing one harsh comment, I, too, can be transported back to my nightmare called high school. Is that what you want to be known as? Mean? A bully?”
I pick up the first of Pilar’s stories. “You asked me how I started writing the Pilar Martell series. I had to purge what was still wounding me, what still had the power to control me. I wanted to make it so the people who hurt me didn’t have the power to when I ran into them again, and I was sure I would.”
Taking a deep breath, I meet Angel’s eyes. She nods, even as she swipes her fingers under her lashes. “You become who and what you are not only because of the things that happen around you, but because of things done to you. So, learn from what’s happened to me and become a better person, a better friend, a better human. Be the voice for people who can’t.” I stop talking to take the pulse of the room.
And that’s when I spot Ry leaning against the wall with an expression of awe mixed with pain.
Who the hell agreed to let him in here?I think furiously. But I know it must have been Lisa trying to mend the breach between us I still wasn’t sure how to handle.
Because like I just told these kids, words hurt. And when they’re said by the man who managed to lay inroads to your heart, they leave you with no obligation to be kind, no duty to be polite, and no responsibility to care for anyone’s emotions but your own.
Pretending as if Ry is nothing more than one of the motivational posters tacked up on the wall, I return my attention to the reason I’m even standing in the room baring my soul to begin with—the kids of Le Cadeau. Some of them are smiling, some have expressions of mild distress on their face, but one—the boy from yesterday—looks like I simultaneously shot him even as I pumped his heart full of life-saving blood. It’s hurt and pain, war and peace. It’s like looking into a mirror.
Catching Angel’s gaze, I flick my eyes over to the boy. She gives an almost imperceptible nod, understanding my concerns. “Okay, everyone!” I clap my hands together. “Normally there are people who handle this for me, but what I need you all to do is to line up…”
The sudden scraping of chairs overpowers my voice until Morgan lets out a sharp whistle. “Keep calm until Kee’s done talking,” she orders.
“Right, as I was saying. If you all line up, I’ll be happy to sign the books I have here.” I gesture behind me. “Ms. Morgan’s going to take pictures to keep around the center. With her approval, I was hoping we could name it after the title for the next book I plan on writing for Pilar. I just finishedHumilityand sent that one off to the publisher last week. My next one, I plan on callingStrength. That is, if you all approve?” The murmur of excitement causes the same emotion to swell up inside me as well.
There’s not going to be another chance where someone takes away my self-worth. The last chance for that happened at Audubon Park. I may not ever be up to Ry’s standards, but that’s because I’m better than that.
I’m up to my own.
Moving around to the back of the table, I pick up the first book, open it to the title page, and look up into the smiling face of the anxious girl in front of me. “Hi, sweetheart. What’s your name.”
“Clara,” the adorable girl who’s missing a front tooth lisps.
“Can you spell that for me?” After she does, I carefully pen her name in the book in print so she can read it. “How old are you, Clara?”
“I’m six.”
“So, this book may be old for you now. I want to make sure you have an adult’s permission before you read it,” I caution.
She nods her head. “Nana reads your books. She said I could get one, but I’m not allowed to read beyond the dead…deadi…what’s that word?”
My heart melts. “Dedication. Do you know what that means?”
She shakes her head.
I explain. “When authors write a book, they often give a special thank-you to the person who supported them while they wrote it. Did your Nana tell you who this one’s dedicated to?” At the shake of Clara’s head, I tip mine over to my best friend. “To two people. One is Ms. Angel. She’s my bestest friend in the whole world.”
