Page 76 of Losing the Rhythm

“There were three boxes.”

“Doesn’t matter to a bottomless pit.” Toby kept hold of my hand as we went into the living room. Justin was already finishing off a slice.

“Don’t eat it all!”

“I’m too hungry to wait,” Justin said. “There’s still plenty left.”

“Are they all pepperoni?” Toby asked as he sat me down. He went over to the coffee table and lifted covers to see what was inside.

“Pepperoni, cheese, and a veggie,” I said.

“Which one do you like?” he asked.

“The veggie.”

The sound Toby made clearly said he wasn’t impressed as he dug through the bag that had been on top, pulling out paper plates. He tossed one at Justin and forced the poor starving guy to put the box down and use it.

“Oh, pizza.” Seth brightened with a big grin as he came over. Paxon and Bryan weren’t far off. All of them crowded the table, claiming their pieces.

“Here you go,” Toby said, handing me a plate with two veggie slices on it.

The talking got quieter as they all focused on the food. I picked at mine, eating some of the peppers and onions off first.

“Are you okay?” Bryan asked. He was sitting on the right of my feet, leaning against the couch. He had turned enough to watch me.

“Yeah, why?”

“Because you’re eating like a hen.”

I frowned at him and then made a show of lifting up my slice and taking a big bite before the hot cheese could drip off onto my lap.

Someone chuckled, but I was too distracted wiping the cheese off my chin to know who exactly.

“So…” Seth trailed off, not quite meeting my eye. He was on the floor on the other side of the coffee table, facing me. “You called your dad?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You met with him yesterday. Is everything okay?” Seth asked.

“Do we need to break bones?” Toby asked.

I coughed, nearly choking on nothing. “Break bones. What?”

“Your dad. If you need us to break bones, we’ll do it.”

“Right, because breaking bones is a normal reaction,” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“If he’s being an asshole, yes.”

“Whose bones have you broken before?” Bryan asked sarcastically. “And your own do not count.”

Toby rolled his eyes. “My point being, if you need us to help you deal with your dad, we’re in.”

“Why is this all of a sudden going in a negative direction?” I was so confused, like I was missing a puzzle piece.

“We also saw him leave,” Paxon said. “He seemed upset when he was leaving.”

“Definitely not happy,” Justin mumbled.

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