Page 134 of Under Her Skin
“Sure,” he says. “I’m really sorry,mate.”
“Thanks. Bye,Kip.”
I end the call and go out to get the groceries I bought and now will go to waste as I have no idea of how to use them. I walk with the arm load of bags to Josh’s house and ring thedoorbell.
He answers the door.“Hi, Blake. What can I do yafor?”
“I wanted to see if you want thesegroceries.”
His eyebrows arch up high. “Why’sthat?”
“She left me again. I went to get these things she sent me out for and she left. I don’t know how to use any of this stuff. You may as well havethem.”
He steps back. “Bring them in and let’stalk.”
I walk inside not wanting to talk. I just want to go to bed and sleep and hopefully I’ll wake up to find this has all been some horriblenightmare.
Rachelle
I’ve been back home two weeks and find myself feeling so empty. Blake hasn’t tried to contact me, not even once. He must hate me and I should be happy about that, but I’m not. I’mmiserable.
Instead of heading home after my last class, I’m heading over to cry on Peyton’s shoulder. My mother keeps calling me and talking to me about how I have so much of my father in me and how alike the two of usare.
It’s literally making mesick!
Ipullinto the driveway and Peyton opens the door and lets Pax walk on his little legs to me. I pick him up and he kisses my cheek and hugs me. I hug his tiny body and nearlycry.
Peyton takes him out of my arms as I get to her and she pulls me into her arms where I promptly fall apart. “I’m a mess without him,” I say as Icry.
“I know you are, sweetie,” she says as she leads meinside.
Loud sobs I make and try hard to stifle them as Kip approaches us and I see him through waves of tears. “How’s our girl?” he asks as Peyton hands Pax tohim.
“Not well, but I’m about to get to the bottom of it,” Peyton tells him as she pulls me down the long hallway to the bedroom I always stay in when I comehere.
She stops by the kitchen and grabs a tub of chocolate ice cream and two spoons then we go into the room and we climb up on the bed and sit shoulder toshoulder.
Peyton dips a spoon into the chocolaty miracle food and hands it to me. “Eat,” she commands in a soothing tone. “You’ve easily lost ten pounds,girl.”
Somehow I choke down the spoonful and find it spurs me on to eat more. “I haven’t eaten more than a few crackers since I left him.” I sob again. “Why did I do that,Peyton?”
She shakes her head. “You told me your mother, and you have been talking. Now dry up the crying so you can fill me in on all the details and maybe I can help you figure out why you made such a drastic and baddecision.”
Peyton hands me a tissue from the bedside table and I blow my nose, she hands me another and I wipe my eyes. I swallow back the sobs and try to get determined to stop crying so she can helpme.
“Okay, I think I’m okay for now,” I say as I shake my head and take another bite of ice cream. “It was going great. No, more than great. Oh, Peyton, the way he makes me feel is out of thisworld.”
“So why run?” she asks as she scoops out another chocolatemound.
With a deep breath, I say, “Well, it all started when I found out who my real father is. He’s a homeless man whose really crazy and lives under an overpass in myhometown.”
Peyton’s spoonhalts in midair and she looks at me. “You have to be shittingme!”
I shake my head and gulp down another bite. “I wish! I went to seehim.”
Her hand juts up, and she stops me. “Wait! You went to see a crazy man under a bridge. Why on Earth would you do such a thing and please tell me you took someone with you when you didthat!”
“No, Mom! God! You sound like Max and Lexi and Blake!” I shake my head and take another bite. “You know what would go great withthis?”
