Page 102 of The Night Shift
Parker grabs his duffel bag off the floor and heads towards the guest bedroom to change into his…well, costume. I have one too.
I walk to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of water. My phone rings.
I answer the call, my voice neutral. “Hello?”
“Wow, he’s alive,” Emily says. Her voice sounds hushed, and I hear some chatter in the background.
“Where are you?”
“At Stacey’s. We’re having a sleepover. Her dad made us Chicken Tikka Masala.”
“Very jealous of you, Em.” Holding my phone between my ear and shoulder, I quickly rinse my glass and set it aside to air dry. “So, what’s up? Is everything all right? Do you need something?”
“Am I not allowed to call my brother just because I feel like it?”
“You are, but you never have before.”
“True.”
“What’s the matter?”
She hesitates for a second. “Um, I need fifty quid.”
“What for?”
“New trainers,” she says. “Mine tore and I really don’t want to ask Dad for money right now.”
“Why? Did he say something to you?”
“No, but you know how he is about money.”
Yes, I do. A total fucking dick. That’s how he is. “When is your match again?”
“This Tuesday. I’ll call you if we win.”
“And if you lose?”
“Stop being an arsehole and just give me the money.”
“I’ll transfer some into your account tonight. You still remember the password, or do I have to call the bank again?”
“ZaynMalik4Ever,” she says, and I hear a bunch of girls giggling in the background.
“Jesus, Em. A simple yes would have been fine.” A soft meow catches my attention. I turn my head towards the hallway and see Dog standing outside my room, staring at me with big, green eyes.
“What was that?” Em asks.
“My friend’s cat.”
Dog pads over to the kitchen and plops down next to his bowl, blinking at me, tilting his head, and meowing a bit louder.
“You have friends?”
I fill his bowl with some of the dry cat food. “You don’t sound shocked enough.”
She laughs, but it sounds hollow and unconvincing. “No, it’s not that, I just…I didn’t know you had friends and…an actual life out there.”
An actual life.Out there. Away from me.This time the tightness in my chest is harder to ignore. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
