Page 12 of In the Danger Zone
I frowned. “What’s he doing there?”
Mom said nothing for a long moment. “He’s found a few odd jobs to do out there. Gardening jobs mostly. But he likes it. You know how much he enjoys being outside.”
Rubbing my fingers at my forehead, I sighed. Thanks to me my poor dad had to travel all the way to the next town over just to earn some money. “He m-must b-be so tired having to go all the way out there and b-back home.”
“He likes it, Daisy. A lot.”
“I feel b-bad for him.”
“You’re not supposed to worry about us. It’s meant to be the other way around, remember?”
“I don’t want you guys to feel like that, though,” I confessed. That was why I had to keep my lips sealed about Asher. “I don’t like how you guys are always so concerned about m-me.”
“You know we’re your parents, right?” she asked with a laugh.
“I know. B-But… I know it hasn’t b-been easy for you guys.”
“Stop saying things like that. Ihateit when you say things like that. Like looking after you is some sort of…obligation.” The tone in my mom’s voice had suddenly changed, and that made me feel even more guilt.
Letting out a shaky breath, I shrugged. “I just want things to b-be easier for everyone. Especially for you guys. You and dad have done a lot for m-me.”
“And we’ll keep doing a lot for you. We love you.”
“I love you guys too,” I sighed. My eyes widened when I saw Leena approaching, a welcoming look to her: bright eyes, a big smile, and her hand lifting up to give me a little wave. “Is it okay if I call you b-back? I gotta go now.”
“Bye, hun. You call us whenever you need us,” Mom said. “You take care, okay?”
“I will. B-Bye, M-Mom.” Stuffing my phone back into my bag, I let my eyes land on Leena.
“How do you feel about chicken wings?” was the first thing she asked me.
“Chicken wings?” I repeated.
“There’s this little shindig happening tonight,” Leena explained with a wave of her hand. “Should be a relatively small event. Gamma Theta will be hosting it. Do you wanna come along?”
“I dunno. I usually spend m-my Friday n-nights alone. And I wasn’t a b-big fan of that party the other n-night. It was so…” I didn’t finish the sentence. Leena wasn’t aware of the real reason why I ditched that party. “Plus n-not everyone is so… n-nice.”
“I get it. Is that what happened the other night? Or did you really have a headache?”
I stayed quiet. She didn’t know about Asher or how I was the loser back home. The target. That was an embarrassing part of my life that I didn’t like to share with anyone. Most people couldn’t be trusted with something so delicate.
“It’s just hard talking to n-new people,” I murmured. “Sometimes they don’t get it. They’re n-not like you.”
“Hey.” Leena placed a soft hand on my shoulder. “Don’t let people give you shit about your stutter. Don’t let people give you shit aboutanything. You don’t have to hide away. If you wanna go out, go out and have fun. College isn’t just about studying. You should make new friends, Daisy. But if you don’t wanna go to this thing, we can hang out in your room or something. We can get some pizza and watch a movie.”
I hated how much one person had changed my life. Asher was responsible for a lot of my misery and shame. He was good at that. It wasn’t fair that he got to charge into my world, make me hate myself, nearly kill me, and then walk right out like he hadn’t done a thing. And just when I thought he was long gone, he made a sudden reappearance.
I deserved better, didn’t I?
“It’ll just be a small thing?” I asked quietly.
Leena nodded. “Just me and the other Gamma Theta girls. Most of them are harmless. One is alittleobnoxious, but she’s in her own world most of the time. And there’ll be chicken wings that I made.”
“Those are hard to say n-no to,” I said with a little laugh.
“That’s my contribution to the party. You don’t have to bring anything, though. Just yourself. What do you think?”
If it was just going to be Leena’s sorority sisters, then it should have been okay. Especially if she was with me. Maybe I’d make some new friends. And I did need a distraction from Asher.
