Page 15 of Maddox
Maybe he was a heartbreaker…? Or not, I think when he belches and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Where?” I ask.
“She was around.”
Dropping the spatula to the counter I spin around and say, “Aroundwhere?”
“Just around. Partying and shit.”
Partying…that sounds less than romantic, so I’m going with the mistake theory and assuming they were stuck with each other.
“Wild one,” he says with a chuckle, and I frown.
Wild—how? Like dancing around the house at three in the morning because it was the perfect time to have a pajama party?
Or…something else?
“Did you love her?” I know they never married but did they have feelings for each other?
His eyes narrow before he turns back to the T.V. and says, “Nope.”
Okay. He’s a dick but whatever. I can’t say that I’m surprised.
With a sigh, I dish up my eggs and go back to my room.
I have one picture of my mom from back then. She was beautiful, with long red hair and piercing blue eyes.
In the picture, her head is tipped back while she laughs and waves at the camera. Who is she waving at?
Where is she in the photo? All I can make out is the blurry fender of a vehicle and what I believe to be the shadow of a man to the right of her.
Tracing her features, I try to piece together the broken woman I left behind with the younger version in this picture.
What happened that led her to who she is now?
After finishing my eggs, I drop the plate in the sink before hiding once more in my room.
Lost to my thoughts, Mom’s shrill cries dance around in my brain until I can’t stand the sound.
With a groan, I grab my ear buds and turn on my music. Unfortunately, it doesn’t drown out the screams.
My boy. I’ll never see my boy again.
Chapter 4
Delaney
On Friday, after my shift at Salty’s, I find myself back at Draven’s house. The first hour I was here she halfheartedly listened to me go through the lessons. The second hour she argued with me until a dull ache formed at the base of my neck.
Now I’m staring at her while she taps away on her phone before I finally say, “Hey, are you paying attention?”
Her head shoots up and her nose crinkles before she says, “I have a headache.”
“So…?”
If anyone has a fucking headache it’s me because she brought me all the way out here and now, she’s going to blow me off again.
I worked a four-hour shift, and my feet hurt. My back aches and I have my own damn homework to do.
