Page 25 of Glad You Exist

“I hope it’s okay that I’m calling and not texting. I’m just checking in since you haven’t been to school. Are you okay?”

I can hear the shock in Liz’s voice, “Oh yeah... My mom’s been sick the last few days. I guess it wasn’t the mimosas. I just didn’t want to leave her because Danny had online classes for the last two days and then had to take his finals. But I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Is Aunt Cat okay now?” Oh shit, that came from me.

“Brad?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” I scrub a hand over my mouth, annoyed with my inability to keep it cool when it comes to Liz.

“Is Kyle—?”

Kim swats my arm and I cringe, careful not to make a sound but that shit hurt. I have more respect for Kyle now.

“No, he’s at practice.”

“Oh, okay.” The confusion is evident in her voice. “I think she’s feeling better now that she can actually eat without throwing up, but she’s going to see her doctor tomorrow just in case.”

In the background, we hear Aunt Cat calling her.

I frown because again I’m reminded of the conversation I overheard.

“Okay, well we’ll let you go but... can we all get together at Kyle’s tomorrow for Social Studies?” Kim rushes to ask before Liz hangs up.

“Sounds like a plan. I have to go make dinner; do you guys need anything else?”

Kim gives me a pointed look and I respond, “No but it’s good to know everything is okay.”

I hear the smile in her voice. “I appreciate you both checking up on me. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.”

Kim taps her screen, shoving her phone in her sweats. She scans me from head to toe making me feel like a kid who got caught sneaking into the kitchen at midnight to eat ice cream.

Yes, that happened. Once or twice.

Shaking her head, she kicks the door closed with her foot without looking then places her hands on my desk, leaning forward like a cop in an interrogation room.

“We need to talk.”

I’mon my way to English class when I see Liz almost knock down a few freshmen as she hurries past them to her locker.

I realize I have never seen her late to school until now. She doesn’t even notice that I am standing just a few feet away from her. She fumbles with her combination for a few more seconds before resting her forehead on her locker and huffing out a breath, willing herself to calm down.

Before I know it, I’m already tapping her on the shoulder and taking her backpack from her. She turns her head in surprise and when she realizes it’s me, she drags out a sigh of relief.

I tamp down the impulse to pull her sweater up over her exposed shoulder. She’s wearing an oversized light blue sweater over a white tank top, with jeans and ankle high boots.

But her hair is pulled up in a messy bun, clear evidence that she was in a rush.

Cute as fuck.

I ignore the tugging in my heart at her doe-eyed expression as she gazes up at me.

“Can I help?”

She nods and steps away from her locker, extending her hand,

“I can carry my backpack if you can help me get this locker open. Please.”

I nudge her, “We have English together next, I got it. What’s your combination?”

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