Page 66 of No Way Home
I could practically hear her rubbing her temples. “Do you feel unsafe? Do I need to get you out of there immediately?”
I hesitated, thinking about everything that would mean.Ifthey managed to find me another family medicine rotation—andthat was a big if—it could be across the state, which meant paying for an apartment I couldn’t afford. If there wasn’t an open slot right now, I’d be stuck waiting until one came up, almost certainly delaying my graduation. But my biggest worry? A gap in my clerkship schedule would look terrible on my residency applications. I didn’t need my classmates or the faculty to think I couldn’t handle a standard rotation.
“No,” I said to Dr. Pennington. “I think I can make it through. I just wanted to let you know…in case.”
“If you’re sure you’re safe…”
“Yes, ma’am.” I blew out my breath. “I’ll figure something out.”
“Do you keep pepper spray in your purse?” There was a brittle edge to her voice that said she thought it was a weak solution. “I don’t know. Maybe we should pull you.”
“Let’s give it another couple of days,” I said quickly.
“Okay,” she said, not sounding convinced. “We’ll reconnect in two days. But Maggie? If he blocks your entrance again, I’m going to have to say something to Dr. Adams, which might mean moving you somewhere else.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, praying for a literal miracle. “Understood.”
“Try to get some sleep.”
“Okay,” I said with forced cheer. “Thank you.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
BOWEN
My elbows wereon my knees, eyes on the carpet of my bedroom floor.
“Bowen, look at me,” Elliott, my therapist, requested on the other side of the Zoom appointment.
I took a quick beat and did as he asked.
He smiled just barely. “You deserve to be happy just like everyone else in your family. You’re not a bad person because you’re attracted to your brother’s ex-girlfriend.”
“I cheated with her,” I reminded him.
“Yes,” he said simply, not trying to make it less than it was by saying something lame like, ‘it was only a kiss.’ He knew how strongly I felt about cheating—how my whole family felt. “But we’ve already agreed that it was complicated,andshe’s not his girlfriend now and hasn’t been for a long time.”
“That doesn’t make her fair game, even if I wish it did.”
“Do you?” He quirked a brow. “Wish it did?”
I stared at him.
“I mean, I disagree.” His shoulders lifted barely. “I think she’s more than fair game, but you already know that. So we’ll skip past what I think. Do you wish she was fair game?”
“Do I have to answer that?”
“This is your show, Bowen. I’m only here to help you heal.”
I let one exhale escape through my nose. “Yes, I do. She’s…my dream girl.” I hated myself for admitting it. “She makes me feel stuff I never feel with anyone else. She’s smart.” I pounded a fist against my thigh. “Sosmart. And kind and funny and…”
“Pretty?” he prodded.
“A lot of girls are pretty.” Pretty girls were all over my Instagram feed. Which I never got on. Because that’s all they were.
“It’s okay to admit.” He chuckled. “It doesn’t make you shallow.”
“She’s not, though. Pretty is way too basic for what Magnolia is.”
