Page 48 of Thick & Thin

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey.”

Usually, she would walk away from the open door, expecting me to follow her and close it, but this time was different. She closed the door around her body, not allowing me to see inside the home I had practically grown up in, and her face went stiff.

“What’s up?” I asked. “I’m here to see Josh.”

She looked behind her as if she were asking what to do. When she turned back around, her face was pale.

“He’s sleeping.”

I moved closer to the door. “That’s fine. I won’t wake him. I just want to see him.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she responded, her slim fingers turning white with her tight hold on the front door.

“Genie, what the fuck? Just let me in. I don’t have time for this.”

Her usual smartassed expression was wiped clean, and instead, her eyes softened as if she were truly sorry for keeping me out.

“Jenny, I can’t.”

“Why not?” I asked, confused.

“Because he doesn’t want to see you.”

An invisible dagger lodged itself in my heart.

“Excuse me?”

She frowned and cleared her throat. “I said, he doesn’t want to see you.”

That was a lie.

“Did he really say that?” I asked, sure she was full of shit.

Her face grew even softer, and she nodded, the knot of hair on the top of her head shifting with the movement. “He did.”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

This wasn’t right at all.

“Why the hell not? This is stupid. Just let me in,” I repeated, pressing my hand against the door to push it open.

The heavy oak door didn’t budge.

“For real, Jenny. This is serious. He specifically said not to let you in. He’ll call you when he’s up to it, okay?”

I reached up and tugged on my ponytail. This was unacceptable. I had rushed from Texas to see him, and that was exactly what I was going to do.

“No. I rushed all the way here from Texas. I’ve been miserable. I just need to see him. I just need to know he’s okay.”

Tears pressed at the back of my eyelids, but it would be over my dead body before I cried in front of someone.

She tugged the door closer as if she thought I was going to force my way inside, and she said, “I’m sorry. He’ll call you.”

She moved back and tried to close the door in my face, shocking me and breaking my heart at the same time, but I wasn’t having it. I shoved my foot in the opening, keeping her from closing the door, and using all the strength I owned, I pushed on the door with both palms, slamming the door open and pushing Genie back.

“What the fuck, Jenny!”

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