Page 54 of Pulse
I stood in the doorway watching Ren disappear down the driveway. What I wouldn’t give to run after her and beg her to stay, but I knew space was one of the things that was keeping us together.
“She’s good for you.”
I glanced behind me as Violet shuffled out into the foyer.
“You think?”
She smiled. “Duh. You haven’t been an asshole to me once since she came back.”
“Is that how you measure success?”
She tapped her forehead. “I have an inbuilt asshole-meter.”
I turned back just as Ren slid through the gate, her hand rising in a small wave. I waved back, already feeling empty without her here.
Closing the door, I turned to my little sister who was grinning at me like a fool. I was feeling the exact same way inside, but fucked if I was letting that shit crack my tough exterior.
“I like her,” Violet said as I stepped around her.
“I know. I see you two talking when you think I’m not looking.”
She laughed, punching me in the arm. “Why didn’t you tell her about me?”
“It never came up,” I replied, telling her the exact same thing I told Ren.
“It never came up?”
“We were too wrapped up in one another, I guess.”
“That’s what she said.”
I raised my eyebrow at her and she shrugged. “Girls talk, Ash. It was bound to come up.”
“I’m a little worried about that. You could be plotting world domination for all I know.”
“I’ve decided to go back to the therapist,” she said out of nowhere.
Violet had stopped talking to people a long time go and since I was locked away, I couldn’t really do anything about it. Our parents had cut ties with us and I was powerless behind a set of iron bars. As a result Violet had become a recluse, a total homebody, scared of the outside world. She saw a threat in everything but since I’d been let out, she’d been getting better. She still needed to talk to a pro, I wasn’t going to do shit for her but be company. I didn’t even have answers for myself, let alone for her. I was happy she and Ren were talking.
“That’s great,” I said.
“And what he didn’t say was, thank god.” She rolled her eyes.
“Violet.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve gotta practice what I preach.”
I stepped into her, pulling her against my chest. How the universe put us two together in the same family, I’ll never know. “You took a risk going to see Ren,” I murmured. “You’ve come a hell of a long way.”
“Thanks.”
“I would’ve liked to have seen you face off with Ren.”
“She wasn’t very happy with you.”
“I bet,” I murmured, letting Violet go.
She shuffled nervously, obviously wanting to talk about something. Typical Fuller trait. “Coach Miller was there, Dean and Lincoln…there was some blonde woman.”
