Page 23 of Wreckage of Us
“It does if you don’t let me finish speaking.”
“Well then,” I murmur and elbow Colt in the ribs, both of us struggling not to laugh.
The woman’s eyes zero in on me again.
“I need you to stay away from Oliver.”
That is the last thing I thought she’d say.
“Oliver?” I exclaim in surprise. “Dr. Nolan?” I ask for confirmation.
“No need for you to act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
I look up at Colt only to find him staring back at me. We both turn our heads in unison to stare at this crazy lady on our doorstep.
“I really don’t, actually,” I chuckle when I speak. “Oliver is my friend…”
“Do you shove your tongue down all your friends’ throats?” She lifts her hand that’s holding a cell phone and shows us the screen. Right there on the screen, there’s a collage of pictures of me and Oliver kissing. Most of them are from right in front of this door, but there are a couple from inside the living room, on the couch me and Colt just vacated.
“What in the world…” I mumble in shock.
“That’s right, you little bitch.” Her entire face changes in an instant, looking as unhinged as she sounds. “I got your number.”
7
Dylan
“Y-you know?”Ma’s face is the picture of disbelief. My brother’s is just excited. I’m pretty sure I would be too if she just told me the asshole she’d been married to was not my father.
“Ma,” he busts out laughing, “Ali figured out as soon as we met Jon,” he points at, well, his father.
“But how?”
“She said we look alike,” Wyatt shrugs like it’s no big deal. It is everything to our mother.
“I’m so sorry,” she sobs. “That’s not how I thought you’d find out…”
“Ma,” Wyatt walks to her and pulls her into his arms. “Getting confirmation that Franklin Knight is not my biological father is not the worst thing in the world, ya know?”
“I can attest to that,” I chime in from the sidelines. “I’d give my right nut to hear that Franklin Knight is not my father.”
“Oh, honey,” Ma turns her head to give me a sad smile.
I look at Devereaux. “Any chance of that?” He shakes his head. “At all?”
“Not even a little bit,” he smirks at me, but it’s sad, almost like he wishes he was wrong about it.
“I’m so sorry,” Ma sobs in her hands. “I’ve always wanted to tell you both about it. It’s just that…” She’s at a loss for words.
“You also didn’t want to die,” I shrug nonchalantly, bringing all eyes on me. “Am I wrong?” I ask her with a raised eyebrow.
“You are correct, Mr. Knight,” Devereaux chime in, taking over the conversation for her.
“How come,” I continue talking to my mother like he didn’t say anything, “I can’t call him Devereaux anymore, but he can call meMr. Knight, like we’re on a bad crime show?”
“Dylan,” she chastises me as she wipes the tears off her face. “This is not a good time for you to…”
Wyatt catches on what I’m doing here, distracting Ma so she’d stop looking so sad.
