Page 90 of My Turn

“Just calling to check in. I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” Her tone had softened, but there was still a note of panic in her voice.

“You okay? You sound frazzled.”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“Are you sure? I’m not doing anything, so if you want me to come over, I can.”

“No. It’s fine.”

I ground my teeth together. That was one way to piss me off. The only way I was going to figure out what was wrong was through my alternate self, the one who I’d decided to put away.

Fuck.

“We should get coffee,” I suggested.

“Yeah, totally. We can do that tomorrow.”

Gripping the phone tightly, I pulled it away from my ear and took a deep breath. When I brought it back, I put on as much cheer as I could.

“Cool. I’ll pick you up at ten.”

“Perfect.”

“Love you, Alana.”

“I love you too.”

After we hung up, the phone immediately started ringing again. I dropped onto my back and shook my head. Instead of answering, I sent her a text.

Erebus:Busy. What do you want?

Alana:I need you.

Erebus:Why?

Alana:What’s up with the attitude?

Whatever. Mike showed up at my door.

I sat up straight and let out a growl. Suddenly, I remembered what my dad had told me. Mike was supposed to get served this weekend, which led me to believe that this wasn’t a friendly house call. I hit redial and put the phone on speaker while I hunted for clothes.

“It’s about fucking time,” Alana shouted.

“Tell me what happened.”

“He showed up and I didn’t answer the door, but maybe I should have. Is he going to kill me or something?”

“Calm the fuck down.”

“Why are you being so rude? Shouldn’t you be jumping for joy that I’m trying to talk to you?”

“No. If you don’t tell me exactly what happened, I will drive to his house and put a knife through his fucking skull, Alana.”

She sucked in a breath and I took a moment to compose myself while she probably did the same.

“Just come over and I’ll tell you,” she said softly.

---