Page 161 of Swallow Your Sorries

“You want to know why I said I was neutral on the first day of school? Why I didn’t jump to Gant’s defence?”

“To avoid severe awkwardness in our room?”

“You have no idea how awkward my family dynamic is. That would’ve been a cakewalk. It’s because your presence is bringing Gant back to us.”

“What do you mean?”

“He played lacrosse with the boys last weekend.”

Lacrosse…I remember him mentioning it when we first met.

“Gant was really lost for the past two years. You’re the connection between those years. Between those events. Your answers, no matter how small, are giving him some sort of closure. He’s coming back. You can’t tell because you’ve never known the Gant from before, but we do and we’ve missed him. Finally, we can see little slivers of him again because you’re bringing him some kind of comfort.”

I pause and Aria’s already ten steps ahead before I can catch up again.

“I think he’s bringing you comfort too.”

“Me?” I ask incredulously as we pant uphill.

Aria turns to me then. “You haven’t had a nightmare about your father in almost a week. Your therapy sessions with Gant must be helping.”

Lately, I’d been feeling so well-rested, that I just assumed it had to do with the bullying easing up. But then I think about Gant and how my heart flutters every time I see him in class or before a lesson, and not because I think he’s going to whip out his dick and give me another shower, but because lately…he’s been my peace.

Yeah…

I am losing it.

By the time we get to our hiding spot, it feels like a damn hour later and through the thinning trees I can make out the fringes of the tiny neighbouring town.

“How are we going to sneak in two backpacks of liquor?” I ask as we heft the bags onto our backs and the bottles clink with every step.

Before Aria can answer me, a voice stops us dead.

It’s cold and smooth, yet so quiet and so loud at the same time. It takes me a second to identify it given that I’ve heard it only once before.

Étienne.

“I promised you, didn’t I?” he asks.

Aria pulls me behind the nearest tree trunk and we both peer around the edge in the voice’s direction. Étienne’s standing behind the greenhouse talking to…

The girl whips her long black hair out of her tear-streaked face.

“Rin,” I hiss, but Aria swats my arm to get me to shut up.

“And I always keep my promises.”

“You better if you want us to work out.”

My heart slams to a stop as Aria draws in a breath.Us?

“When are you going to make it public? I can’t keep waiting.”

“The time isn’t right yet. We have to execute this with grace and patience.”

“Patience is painfully boring,” Rin hisses, and Aria and I both know that she knows exactly where we’re hiding as she stalks back toward campus. It’s Étienne who seems oblivious to our whereabouts as he slips into the greenhouse.

As the world begins to spin again, Aria readjusts the strap over her shoulder and storms off towards Maple House the moment Rin disappears into the theatre.

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