Page 70 of Chasing After You
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Mirabelle
MOM’S LIGHT GREEN eyes are shining as she looks at Hunter after he sets his backpack next to the door. “Who changed my phone number at the school to Mira’s?” she demands, and I cringe, despite not being the one in trouble. Mom isn’t yelling, but her tone isn’t particularly pleasant either.
“I’m sorry,” he says, hesitating to meet her gaze. That doesn’t answer her question, and the frustrated exhale tells me Mom thinks the same thing.
“What is going on with you two?”
Hunter shakes his head, and my stomach drops.He’s not going to tell her.Hunter promised me he was going to tell them everything when we go home. “Nothing,” he says, confirming my thoughts.
“Bullshit. You can tell me now, or you can tell your father and I together. I can promise you I’m asking a lot nicer than he will.” She puts her hands on her hips, waiting for him to make a decision. Unfortunately, he makes the decision to stay silent.
Mom laughs in disbelief, turning to look at me for answers now. “Do you know?” Mom asks, using a softer tone, and I look at Hunter, giving him one more opportunity to come clean.
His eyes widen in panic. “Mira, pleasedon’t,” Hunter begs.
“You promised. I told you to tell them, or I would,” I say. I love my brothers, but Bailey is clearly working through something. I can’t keep this to myself. It’s not fair, especially when today has only made it clear Bailey needs some form of help.
“Bailey quit soccer.”
Mom’s jaw hangs open in disbelief. “He—what?”
“I don’t know why, or when he did it, but there’s something going on with him.”
“He’s fine,” Hunter tries to insist, shooting me a dirty look.
“No, he’s not, Hunter. If you care about Bailey, then you’ll tell Mom and Dad what’s going on,” I snap at him, fed up with whatever secret he’s trying to keep for our brother.
“Bailey’s right. Perfect fucking Mirabelle to save the day, like always. Just because you’re all buddy-buddy with our parents again after choosing your boyfriend over our family, doesn’t mean you can stick your nose into our business. You left, not us.”
Hunter has played the peacekeeper between Bailey and me so often that I’ve forgotten his words can be sharp enough to go for the kill shot too. I didn’t pick Henry over my family . . .did I?
“Hunter.”Mom gasps loudly, and I bite my inner cheek hard enough I can taste the blood on my tongue. “Give me your phone now, then you can bring all of your and Bailey’s electronics to me, because if I have to get them, I’m going to break them into a million tiny pieces.”
His face pales, and he ducks his head again, pulling his phone out of his pocket to hand it to Mom. “Yes, ma’am.” He walks past without looking at me.
Mom sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I don’t even know what to say right now,” she whispers, but I don’t think she’s talking to me. Behind her, hanging on the wall, is a picture of the six of us before Dad’s last game. Our smiles are wide, and we look so damn happy. It’s crazy how different things are now, not even a year later.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner, but Hunter promised he would. I think Bailey needs help. I don’t know what is going on, but he’s not himself,” I admit. Maybe I should have said something before now. Regardless of how things were between my parents and me, I should have told them about Bailey.
It’s quiet upstairs, but Hunter returns with a basket holding all their things. He sets it on the floor in front of Mom, and I turn away, refusing to let him see how much his words impacted me.
Dad walks in from the kitchen with Henry behind him, and I feel tears prick my eyes when both of them look at me. Dad’s mouth immediately twists into a frown, and I can’t say anything, or I’ll burst into tears. This is such a mess. I mean, what the fuck?
“Lia?” Dad asks.
Mom starts speaking in French, explaining everything to Dad. My eyes are glued to Henry as he walks toward me, but his expression turns feral as Mom repeats what Hunter said to me. My bottom lip quivers, and Henry immediately tugs me into his arms, holding me close.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Henry practically growls, clearly having hit his breaking point for the day.
“Don’t, it’s not his fault,” I say, unable to help myself from defending Hunter, even after he gutted me.
“No, I think I agree with Henry on this one. What the hell, Hunter?” Dad asks, and I twist to remain under Henry’s arm, but Dad’s face is unreadable when I look at it.
Hunter shifts his feet awkwardly, still staring at the floor.
I hold my breath, waiting to see if Hunter will look at me, but my heart drops when my phone starts ringing in my back pocket. The ringtone I programmed specifically for Stacey breaks the silence.Seriously? She had to call at this exact moment?
