Page 7 of The Enemy

Everything was closing in on me, and I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe. It was nothing—really, I shouldn’t have been as easily triggered, but everything inside of me hurt.

Someone had said something nasty to Martin, and he responded in kind. Then they said something that might not have triggered me a couple of weeks ago, but now it did. “Your mother must be proud.”

The sneer cut through Martin and through me, too. I held it together for him, but those words kept repeating in my mind. Would my mother live long enough to be proud of me? Was she already proud? What would I do when I graduated high school and she wasn’t there? As soon as Martin calmed down, I needed to escape because I was about to lose it.

I hadn’t told anyone about the sit-down I had with my parents that weekend. A part of me was in denial, and I had convinced myself that if I didn’t speak about it aloud it might not come true.

I had begun to mourn someone who was still alive.

My mother was dying, and there was nothing I could do about it.

The weight I carried on my shoulders all weekend intensified and moved right over to my beating heart. I gasped for air, but none came. I closed my eyes as if that would make it any easier. Breathing, something that came naturally for all of us, was something I suddenly forgot how to do.

My shoulder stung, but I ignored it. Instead, I tried not to think, at least not of my mother. The more I wanted to get ittogether, the more our memories flooded through me. For all the things we had done, there would be a thousand things we would never get to do.

That thought alone fucking killed me.

It wasn’t fair…but then again, when had my life ever been fair?

“Are you okay?”

The words were muffled, almost as if they were said underwater. Before I could dismiss them, that pressure on my shoulder returned, and as I focused on it, I noticed someone shaking it.

“Just focus on my voice. Breathe.”

It took a few minutes, but I did as the voice said. Little by little, the void I had found myself in left me. The first thing I noticed was the light. It was still daytime, and it surprised me how quickly everything had turned dark.

“You with me?”

The voice wasn’t one I recognized. Before I answered him, I took a moment to get myself together. I was still pressed against the wall, and at some point, I had pulled my knees up to my chest. Which wasn’t a great idea, because I wore my skirt uniform today.

Hopefully, he couldn’t see mychonies.

No seas descarada.

I could practically hear my mother telling me not to be vulgar. A lady didn’t show her underwear.

The thought made me want to smile and throw up simultaneously. Would she always be in my head, only for her to haunt me because she wouldn’t be here anymore?

Instead of pondering on this, I lifted my head and instantly blushed.

Deep brown eyes stared back at me. Dark, long lashes framed them. The next thing I noticed was gorgeous curls.

Neo Caldwell was talking to me.

“Are you feeling better?”

He cocked his head as his eyebrows scrunched together with concern.

I don’t know why I blurted out my problem. Maybe part of it was that I was tired of keeping it inside, the other part was he made me nervous, and I didn’t know how to act. But the damage was done.

“My mom is dying.”

His eyes widened in shock at my admission.

Instead of saying sorry or telling me everything would be okay, he shared his own confession.

“My dad doesn’t have much life left in him either.”

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