Page 28 of Told You So
“She’stryingto make you happy.” My mom’s tone is almost frantic, and I can tell she’s exhausted, trying to make him understand, like me.
“No, she’s doing whatever the hell she wants. If she wanted to make me happy, she’d listen once in a while. She would’ve quit her job when she decided to double major—she wouldn’t have assumed she could handle a double major in the first place. Her grades would be up. She’s been fighting me the whole way, and look where it’s gotten her.”
“Maybe if you’d help, instead of throwing money at her—”
“Oh, and your relationship with her is so much better? When was the last time you even had a conversation with your kids? You work just as much as I do, so don’t try to make me the asshole.”
“You don’t need any help in that department,” she mutters.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
I take a step backward, caught somewhere between shock and fear of what they might say next.
“I’m trying to make this work,” my mom finally says, wearily.
“Yeah, since when?”
There’s a sudden chill in the air as I back further away from their room. The acid in my dad’s voice—the desperation in my mom’s—makes my heart ache for them. For me, and for Jesse. I don’t know how it came to all this, but we are beyond broken.
Twelve
Nick
If my dad hadn’t stormed out of our family dinner a couple nights ago, I wouldn’t have taken his blowing me off for breakfast this morning so personally. Should I be worried about him? The more I think about it all, the angrier I get. He hasn’t just been distant, lately he’s been almost absent.
As I pull into the parking lot at the U, my phone rings again, his fifth attempt to reach me this morning, and I finally pick up.
“Nicky?” he says, and I hear the surprise in his voice.
“I’m heading into class,” I tell him and shut the Explorer off. “I can’t talk right now.”
“Well, we need to, and soon.”
“We could’ve talked this morning,” I remind him. “I was there, waiting for you.”
“I know. I’m sorry, son.”
“What’s going on with you, Dad? This isn’t like you, at all.”
He heaves out a breath, and I can practically hear him shaking his head. “There’s a lot to say, and now’s not a good time, okay? I’m at the office. We’ll talk tonight.”
“Yeah, okay.” I don’t expect him to bear his soul in a room with his subordinates, so I don’t push him. “I’m gonna be late for class, I gotta go.” I end the call, staring at the darkening screen for a moment and wondering if I shouldn’t try harder to get some insight out of my mom. Thinking back, I wonder how I couldn’t tell something was wrong sooner than this. Clenching my hands, I let out a deep breath. Whatever is going on with them, it isn’t good.
When I look at the dash, my mom and dad fade away, and I grab my bag. “Goddammit.”
I hop out of the Explorer and slam the door shut behind me. I’m fucking late. I jog through the parking lot toward the quad. I know I won’t make it there in the two minutes I have until Professor Murray’s class officially starts, but I haul ass anyway. By the time I get to Building C, there are only a few students hustling around, which means I’m officially screwed.
When I get to Professor Murray’s lecture room, I brace myself and open the door. He’s addressing the class, writing down names as they shout them out. He glares at me as I hurry to an open seat in the second row, his eyebrow raised. “Nice of you to join us, Mr. Turner.” He looks back to the rest of the class.
“And, Miss Martinez, who will your partner be?” he asks as I pull out my notebook and peer at the person’s desk next to me to see what they’re talking about. There’s no handout and no one’s books are open yet.
“Debra Hess,” she replies, and the young women exchange a grin. Professor Murray calls out a few more names before the lecture room door opens again. Everyone stops chattering as Bethany walks in, her chest is heaving and her hair mussed, probably a lot like mine.
Professor Murray looks from Bethany to me. “Since you and Mr. Turner don’t seem to care who your project partners are, the two of you can work together.” He smiles with false amusement and writes what I assume are our names down on his paper.“We’ll see if between the two of you, you can get your project completed on time.”
Heaving out what little air is left in my lungs, I lean my head down on the desk and silently groan. There are worse things than being her partner for a project, but this isn’t what I need right now.
