Page 87 of Crew
She sighed. "Okay."
I waited.
This was where a parent or guardian figure would get angry. How dare I go back out, especially now. Where was I going? What would I be doing? When would I be back? Channing hadn't asked about the fight, so I wasn't sure if Heather would step into those shoes now.
She ran her fingers through the end of her hair. "Goddamn, I need a cigarette." She started to leave, but turned back and pointed at me. "Be fucking safe tonight. Okay? Be safe. And call your damn brother to let him know when you're getting home. He stresses me out too."
She went back in their bedroom, shutting the door with a bit more force than necessary.
I didn't move. I stared at the closed door.
I had a weird feeling inside me, churning around.
It didn't feel bad, or wrong. It just felt...different.
Cross chuckled, seeing the look on my face. "She cares."
Yes. "I thought she hated me."
"She's caught in the middle." His hand fell away from my back, and he went to the window. "Do you still want to do this tonight? Jordan and Z just got here."
"How'd you know they arrived?"
"My phone buzzed in my pocket." He smirked at me. "Took a gamble."
I started to laugh, but winced at the movement. Someone got a decent wallop in there. It'd hurt worse in the morning, once the painkillers wore off, so I nodded. Now was the time.
"Yeah." I went to my closet. I'd need dark clothes for this. "Better tonight while I'm a little loopy than tomorrow. Tomorrow's not going to be fun."
"Stay home."
I paused as I shifted through my shirts and looked at him.
"Take a sick day." He gestured to the doorway. "You heard Heather. She wants you to do that. Hell, she probably wants to dote on you. That's what parents do. Makes them feel good about themselves."
"Your parents do that?"
He hesitated. "They should--for Taz."
I frowned at him.
Cross knew my relationship with Channing was messed up, and I knew there were problems at his house, but I hadn't pushed for the details. Hearing him now, I wondered if I should.
"I'm sorry," I told him.
Cross' eyes met mine.
"For Taz, I mean. She'd enjoy that kind of treatment."
His Adam's apple shifted as he swallowed, and he cleared his throat. "Do you need help changing?"
"No. I'm stiff, but I'll manage."
I took my clothes into the bathroom and examined myself. I sucked in my breath. I was bruised everywhere. There were scrapes on my head, like someone had wrenched my hair back and left a mark. The bottom half of my chin was one giant bruise. It went from ear to ear. Then there was another at the corner of my eye. I felt over my ribs, just skimming. I had a bruise the size of a basketball on my side. There was a yellow lining around it.
No wonder Heather had wanted a cigarette. If she showed up looking like this, I would've been smoking too.
Nonetheless, I hadn't lied. I was stiff, but I was still able to move around. Everything would be painful as fuck in the morning. I made up my mind. Whether Heather or Channing wanted to dote or not, I'd take a skip day tomorrow.
