Page 18 of Tell Me Everything
Alex rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Let’s go.”
I didn't know where he found all his patience. Sometimes itwas crumbling. Still, Alex held out.
He headed for his car, then turned to make sure I was following him. Seeing that I hadn't moved, he sighed and ran a hand through his already tousled hair, making him look like Stiles Stilinski. “Do you know what you want?”
I frowned. “I know you don't want me to come to your home. Forget it, I won't ask again.”
Alex stopped in front of me and put his face right up to mine. He looked annoyed. Unable to hold his gaze, I lowered my eyes.
“Either you get in the car of your own free will, or I'll put you in it.”
I huffed. He wouldn't do it, would he? I was weak, and he knew it well enough. “You wouldn't dare.”
“Wanna try?”
I hurried into the Polo and avoided looking in his direction. The landscape flashed before me as he drove, but I couldn't focus on what was in front of me. Maybe my biggest talent was screwing things up. Why did I always have to ruin everything? It was at times like these that I wondered if Alex regretted coming to visit me in the hospital. If he'd known I was like this, would he have insisted we become friends?
“Stop brooding like that.”
His perceptiveness was terrifying.
“How do you know what I'm thinking?”
“You look sad. I didn't mean to make you feel unwelcome. I'm just not used to having people over.”
He parked in front of his house and got out. I followed Alex into the house like a lost puppy. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd been here. We entered the kitchen and came face to face with Lexi, his mom. Her big green eyes widened as she realized I was here, right in front of her.
“Oh Lena, it’s good to see you again!”
Lexi hugged me as she had done so many times before. Fora few seconds, I hesitated to hug her back but finally gave in and returned the embrace. There was a time when I thought of her as an aunt, back when she came to us almost weekly. Things had changed since then. Her eyes were sad when she looked at me now. Since my brother had died, my mother had drowned herself in her work, and Lexi had stopped coming over. Was it because my mother had turned her back on her, or vice versa? I could read the pity she felt for me, as if I were a broken little thing she hadn't been able to put back together. She was right. In a way, I was disappointed with her for not coming to see me these last three years. But when I look back at how badly things turned out for my mother and me, maybe it was for the best.
“How beautiful you've become! A real woman.”
She rubbed her wet eyes and smiled. I smiled back. Her presence made me strangely uncomfortable. It had been too long. I couldn't remember how I'd been with this woman before my life turned upside down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alex watching us, eyebrows furrowed. It was strange to think that once, Lexi had been so close to us while Alex and I barely spoke, and now it was the other way around.
“Mom, have you seen my dance leggings?”
A teenager with dark brown hair like Alex's entered the room but stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed me. They both had trouble getting used to me being here. I silently watched the girl. I'd seen her before, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
“I can't believe you're here!” the girl yelled, jumping towards me. “I've been dreaming of meeting you for ages.”
Wait, what?
“Do I know you?” I asked, uncomfortable.
“This is Audrey, my sister,” Alex told me, twirling his car key on his finger.
I could usually remember the faces of people I met, but I couldn't remember hers. She'd grown so much.
“I was going to join your dance class, but since you've temporarily stopped...”
Audrey didn't finish her sentence, probably not wanting to make me feel any more uncomfortable. Her words gave me a twinge of sadness. Every day, I tried to occupy my mind as much as possible so as not to have to face the truth. I took a deep breath and forced myself to grin. Audrey quickly changed the subject.
“Are you as flexible as they say?”
I couldn't help laughing and nodding. Her carefree vibe was refreshing. “Want to see?”
The girl nodded back enthusiastically. Keeping my feet on the ground, I let my upper body move backward until I could touch the floor with my hands.
