Page 195 of Shy Girls Can't Date Celebrities
He shakes his head again, wincing from the pain. “No, you don’t understand. If I quit, all these people will lose their jobs.”
I swallow hard. “What people?”
“I have a contract,” he rushes, looking off to the side as if someone’s coming after him. “I have commitments. I’ve jeopardized too much by walking away.”
“Wyatt, slow down.”
His shallow breaths accelerate. “People depend on me.” He pants hard. “They need me to show up for their own livelihoods.”
I wrap my arms around him, hoping it’ll ground him and help him calm down. “Wyatt, you haven’t let anyone down. You’re in recovery. You haven’t quit.”
His eyes grow glossy and he has trouble steadying his eyes in one place. “But... But, I...”
“No,” I say firmly, holding his chin so he has only me to focus on. “Those people were manipulating you into rushing back to work. You saw the journal entries in your own handwriting. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”
Wyatt hugs me back, holding me tight like a security blanket. “Crap, Joze. They’re stuck in my head. It’s like a vice grip.”
“I’ve got you,” I whisper. “You don’t have to go back. You’re home.”
He exhales slowly, trembling slightly. “I love you.”
“Wyatt, you have my whole heart. I love you so much.”
Kylie and Parker rush back toward us, and before they can ask us if we’re okay, I ask Parker to drive us home.
Twenty-Nine
“Josie, what were you thinking?” Mom hounds me when we walk through the front door. “Skipping school?”
“Mom, we were...”
“I don’t want excuses.” Disappointment wrinkles Mom’s face. “I couldn’t believe it when the school called me. My daughter doesn’t walk out on her classes. At least, shedidn’t.”
I step in front of Wyatt. “Don’t blame him. I did it all on my own.”
Mom frowns. “Not according to the school.”
I hold my middle as I droop with sadness. I didn’t mean to get Kylie and Parker in trouble too.
“You’re lucky they’re not suspending you.”
I gulp. “They’re not?”
Mom steps forward and gently rubs my arms. “You have a good reputation, Josie. You don’t want to wreck that.”
My vision turns glossy and I sniff hard. “I know, but people were talking about me in classes.”
Wyatt steps beside me. “Who was talking?”
Mom shakes her head. “This is no reason to skip school.”
I clasp my hands in front and let out a sigh. “I just couldn’t handle it.”
Mom steps aside. “We’ll talk about this later. Go freshen up.”
I move toward the staircase, but Wyatt grasps my arm. “Who was talking about you?”
I hunch, wincing. “Wyatt, I...”
