Page 78 of You Had Me at Hello World
“He’s dangerous. If he hurt me and my mom, he can hurt you too.”
“I know. Do you think I don’t know?” For a moment doubt flickers in her face, but then she seems to decide something. Her mouth straightens. Hardens. “I’ll be fine. I’m turning eighteen in two months. And I can crash with Drew. Or maybe I’ll hit up my mom in Italy.”
Something shifts between us, some newfound understanding. We spent so long ignoring each other that I never saw it until now. Michael didn’t just happen to my mom and me—healso happened to Olive. And we’re luckier than her, maybe. At least we can actually ditch him. Carve him out from our lives like he’s a malignant tumor.
No matter what Olive does, she’ll always be shackled to Michael through blood.
“Take care of yourself,” I say before stepping out. “You can always call me if you need anything.”
She waves at us through the car window. “So I guess… have a nice life?”
It’s weirdly underwhelming, like the ending of some bad Netflix movie. I feel like I should say something profound or poetic.It’s been an honor serving with youstuff, but for a sister.
The only suggestion my brain coughs up isWhat Disney princess nickname did Drew giveyou?But bringing up the Mulan crap would kinda ruin the mood. Besides, Olive is totally an Aurora.
I wish I knew more about her.
We spent years living on top of each other, yet we’re basically strangers. It’s a real shame. Whydidn’twe try to bridge the gap between us?
But as I watch my stepsister’s taillights wink into the darkness, the answer hits me. The reason, of course, is Michael.
Mom barely says a word during the whole flight and taxi ride to campus. I keep sneaking glances at her, trying to figure outwhat’s happening in her head, but her face is a blank slate. Meanwhile, Khoi is on high alert, constantly reaching for my hand like he’s scared I’ll gopoof.
We finally roll up to Simmons at eight a.m. Khoi crashes in his own room. I show my mother to mine and we both pass out cold.
When I wake, it’s early evening. Golden-hour light filters through the windows, painting a yellow grid on the floor. Mom is still knocked out, so I tiptoe outside to find Khoi in his room. He’s awash in the bluish glow of his laptop. There’s a crease between his brows that only appears when he’s intensely debugging.
And I’ve seen Khoi code a thousand times before, but for some reason, my heart does this stupid little somersault.
“When did you wake up?” I ask.
His eyes dart to my face, then back to his screen. “Not too long ago. I got a notification saying our most recent deployment failed. Throwing some build error…”
I sit. Should we even talk about what went down in Chinook Shore? Maybe now that Khoi has met Michael, now that he has truly seen the Chernobyl-grade meltdown that is my family, he’s ready to bounce.
I want to run far, far away from this ugliness. The thought of Khoi knowing everything makes my stomach churn. He is so pure and kind and sweet and I’m scared to drag him into this chaos.
But I have to say something. I have to let him know that I see it—this enormous gift he’s given me.
“Thank you,” I say. “For buying the flights to Oregon. For standing up to Michael. For helping me with my mom.”
It doesn’t feel like enough. I don’t know how to express my gratitude. I mean, the kid basically saved my life. I don’t know if I’ll ever deserve this boy.
I misjudged him before. He’s soft, but he’s no coward. Khoi freakin’ Astor.
Khoi freakin’ Astor who can’t ever stay in his own damn lane, but maybe that’s one of the best things about him.
He sets his laptop down and turns to me. “Char. I willalwaysbe there for you.” His eyes are so wide and sincere.
There’s a familiar swell in my throat.
Nobody has ever told me that before. And I’ve never believed anybody ever would be there for me.
I wish Khoi was less… good. I wish he could say something cruel. I wish he would see everything that is broken within me and nope out. Because at least I would know how to deal with that.
I don’t know how to not ruin this.
I swallow hard. “Tell me more about the error.”
