Page 5 of With a Broken Wing
The lump in my throat made it difficult to speak, and I let out a sob when I opened my mouth. “Jules…” My voice broke as more tears made their way down my cheeks and to my shirt.
“Woah, woah. What’s wrong? Are you okay?” She mumbled to William to give her a minute and then the line went quiet on her end. Her worry could almost be felt through the phone.
“I got fired.” I told my best friend the story through tears and gulps of tequila. “I literally don’t know what to do. I’m so fucked.”
Jules hesitated before responding, and I took another drink to try to control the nerves. I was like an anxious teenager waiting to get yelled at by my mom, even though Jules would never yell at me like that. “Look, maybe you’re notfucked. I may be able to help… but you have to keep an open mind, okay?”
With a promise to call me soon, she hung up, and I let my hand drift back to the bottle on my counter. No matter how much tequila I could drink, it wasn’t going to change the humiliation of getting fired today. Still, I took the last swig, leaving the empty bottle on the counter and making my way to the couch. It was only early afternoon, but my favorite blanket was calling my name. I wrapped myself in the soft comfort, laying my head back and closing my eyes.
It was getting dark when a knock at the door woke me up. I sat up too quickly, causing my head to spin, and I groaned, holding my fingers to my temple. The next knock at the door was more impatient, and I rolled off the couch to open it.
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
The door was only half open when my twin brother pushed his way through and into my apartment. His hazel eyes were full of frustration, and when he turned and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest, his red hair fell across his face. “I’ve been calling you for three hours. Where have you been?”
“I took a nap. It was a really bad day.”
He looked from me to the blanket on the couch and then to the empty tequila bottle on the counter. My brother knew me better than anyone, and he’d know without a doubt I’d spent most of my day crying; my eyes must have been swollen and red. His shoulders sagged, and as he closed the distance between us, he uncrossed his arms and wrapped them around me.
“Come here.”
I didn’t know I had the ability to form more tears, but I cried against his shoulder. His shirt was wet when he stepped back from the hug, and he led me to the couch, wrapping me in the blanket and pointing for me to sit. He moved into the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cabinet and filling it with ice and water before joining me on the couch. I took the glass from him with a sigh.
“I got fired from my job today.”
Auston pulled me in for a hug without a word and held me against his body. Our whole lives, he had been the one to comfort me. It made me laugh now because he didn’t look like the kind of guy who would rock his twin sister on the couch while she cried, but behind the tattoos that covered both of his arms, his neck, and the back of his hands was a soft shell.
I sniffled and tried to calm myself with measured breathing. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. Mom and Dad are going to lose it.”
He stiffened and grunted. “They don’t have to know. I still don’t know why you even talk to them after everything they’ve done.”
It was an argument we’d had a few times every year since we were teenagers. As soon as we had turned eighteen and moved out of the house, Auston stopped talking to our parents. He had stronger willpower than I did, though, and I couldn’t seem to ignore the phone calls.
“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to disappoint you. I just can’t ignore—”
He interrupted me with a tsk. “You don’t disappoint me. But Andy… they almost let you die. Twice. I held you while you almost died.Twice!And I’ll never forgive them for that. I don’t understand how you can.”
When I spoke, my voice was almost a whisper. “I’ll never forgive them either, but I can’t help answering the calls. I promise I’ll try to be stronger. Having you here helps. You’re my favorite brother.”
He laughed and tightened his arms for a second before pulling back and opening a menu on his phone for our favorite Thai restaurant. My stomach growled as he ordered more food than we could possibly eat.
For the first time since I’d sat down in Rachel’s office, my anxiety lessened, and I relaxed against the back of the couch. He smirked and tucked his phone back in his pocket, grabbing the remote from the side table.
“I’m youronlybrother.”
On the fourth ring,my brother finally answered, probably just a second before it clicked over to voicemail. “Yes?”
I swallowed and pressed my fingers to my temple to mask my frustration at his gruff greeting. “Gee, I’m sorry to interrupt whatever you’re so busy with.” He could act like he was at the office or focused on work, but Jules was giggling in the background. He was going to be distracted if he was sitting with her.
“What do you need, Demetri?”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re starting to get on my last nerve with this dismissive attitude.” I paused, and when he didn’t speak, I continued. “I need you on this pitch. It’s only a summer. The app is going to sell itself, but I can’t handle the workload of three men on my own.”
“I’m not going with you. I’ve told you this. I’ve also told you I’d help you with the workload here while you’re gone, so stop bitching.”
The frustration I’d masked earlier rose to the surface, and I gripped my phone in my fist. Before I could yell at him the way I wanted to, there was a struggle on his end, followed by a low grunt. Then Jules cleared her voice and took over the call. “Demetri, it’s Jules. Hi.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, but I wasn’t in the mood for whatever game was being played. “Hello, Jules.”
