Page 72 of A Hurt So Good

“To get Sasha from school. She’s in trouble again,” he tells us.

“Want some company?” I ask. He shrugs but then nods his head. I climb out of Har’s lap and follow behind Denz up the stairs. We head out to his car, and I climb in and buckle up.

“What did she do this time?”

“Fighting. I don’t know what else to do with her. She can’t keep getting in trouble,” he says, sounding pissed. We pull out of the driveway and out onto the road.

“Would it be okay if I talked to her?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” he asks, glancing over at me.

“I just didn’t want to overstep,” I admit.

“That’s not possible. You’re as much a part of this family as she is.” My chest tightens, and I feel those damn tears prickle the back of my eyes. I don’t think he knows what he just did to me. When I don’t respond, he glances over again.

“Shit. Come here,” he says, holding his arm out. I scoot across the seat, and he pulls me into his side, turning to kiss my forehead quickly. “You know I mean that, right?”

“So much has happened lately. I wondered how you guys felt.”

“Nothing is going to change the way we feel about you, Arya. Nothing.” I rest my head on his shoulder as we drive over to the school. Denz runs in and gets her, and she smiles brightly when she sees me in the car. She climbs and starts talking about anything and everything she can as we head back to her house. Once Denz parks the car, he turns to face her.

“You can’t keep doing this shit, Sasha.”

“You don’t know shit, Denz. You have no idea what the hell I did it for.”

“So fucking tell me!” he roars. She huffs out a breath and shakes her head, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Can we have a minute?” I ask Denz. He looks at me and back to her before getting out of the car.

“What’s going on? You have your brother worried,” I tell her.

“He’s too hard to talk to.”

“Then talk to me, Sasha. What’s going on?” I see the tears in her eyes as she climbs over the seat and sits in the driver’s seat.

“They talk shit, the kids at school do, mostly about my mom. And I know she isn’t a good mom, Arya, but she’s still my mom,” she cries.

“And they say mean shit?” She nods her head. “Sasha, people are mean. They are ugly. They want to bring you down because they’re down. Your mom, she’s something that can’t be replaced. Has she always been good to you guys? No, she hasn’t, but I get it. She’s your mom.”

“She’s dying, Arya.”

“I know she is. But you still have time to forgive her, Sasha. You still have time to make things right in your heart.”

“Is it okay that I love her still?”

“Of course it is. She’s your family, and she brought you into this world. You can love her all you want, Sasha.”

“Do you think Denz will be mad?” I shake my head.

“No. He won’t be mad because there’s a part of Denz, deep down, that loves her too.”

“I don’t think she has much time left,” she says as tears roll down her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, Sasha. You know I’m here if I can do anything for you,” I tell her as I pull her into a hug.

“Will you talk to Denz for me?” I hold her for a long time before pulling back and nodding my head.

“I will, but you have to cut him a little slack. He’s doing the best he can for you,” I remind her.

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