Page 14 of Don't Let Me Go (Don't Let Me 2)

Sure, there’s the bad kind of hurting. When you work too hard and have to stop pushing yourself so you can recover. Sometimes there’s a fine line between the two, and if I learned anything from my kiss with Theo, it’s that I’d gone too far. I’d crossed the line.

He crossed the line.

And I haven’t seen him since.

Not really.

We’ve crossed paths a time or two, but other than a head nod or a forced smile, we’ve been silent. And I refuse to have it any other way.

Which is why today is terrifying.

I cross my imaginary finish line in front of the fire hydrant by our house and place my hands on top of my head as I catch my breath.

In. Hold. Out. Hold. In. Hold. Out. Hold.

My legs ache, and there’s a slight twinge in my knee thanks to blowing it out during my sophomore year of soccer. But otherwise, I feel good.

Or at least I should.

If only my nerves would settle.

After taking the steps to the front porch slowly, I open the door and find Kate, Ash, and Mia surrounding the kitchen table with bowls of cereal in front of them.

“Hey!” they greet me.

“Hey.” I round the small kitchen island and fill a cup with water from the fridge as they continue the conversation I must’ve interrupted when I came inside.

“So you like him, then?” Ash asks Kate.

“I think so,” she hedges, tucking her dark hair behind her ear. “He’s really nice and funny, but…”

“But what?” Mia probes.

“Pause,” I interrupt, taking a quick sip of water. “Who are we talking about?”

“Wes,” Ash answers. She turns in her chair until she’s partially facing me in the kitchen along with everyone else at the table. “As you know, they’ve been dating for a few months now, and Kate knows she likes him, but…” She drags out the word and gives Kate a pointed look.

“But he wants to take things to the next level,” Kate admits.

“And it’s a bad thing?” I ask.

“Kind of?” Pushing aside her half-eaten bowl of Cheerios, she mutters, “I haven’t told him about my condition.”

Condition.

Also known as epilepsy, though Kate refuses to use the word. Pretty sure she treats the e-word the same way the wizards in Harry Potter treat he-who-must-not-be-named. I wouldn’t even know what she’s referring to if it weren’t for Mia explaining the situation. After I moved in, she informed me of the giant elephant Kate likes to avoid at all costs. Including keeping it from her casual boyfriend.

Yikes.

“Why haven’t you told him?” Mia prods. “It doesn’t have to be a big deal.”

“It is a big deal.” Kate’s spoon clatters in her cereal bowl as she lets it go and shakes her head, too frustrated to eat. “I finally found someone good in my life. I don’t want to ruin it.”

“It’s not going to ruin anything.”

Running her fingers through her hair from roots to tip, Kate flips it over one shoulder until it cascades down the side of her face, shielding her for a moment. Then, with a weak-ass smile, she bites her thumbnail and murmurs, “You have no idea. I can’t drink alcohol. I can’t see movies with flashing lights. I can’t have kids, or at least, I shouldn’t thanks to the medicine I’m on. I…” She lets out a soft, shuddering breath. “I can’t do anything.”

My heart cracks, and a silence fills the room as my attention shifts from Mia to Ash. But none of us know what to say. None of us know what she needs to hear or what we can do to help. Because…shit. Epilepsy sucks. And until this moment, I had no idea how much it affects her. The realization makes me feel heartless. Like I’m a shitty friend for letting her down, completely oblivious.

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