Page 110 of Puck with Karma
“I’m not,” she yells into my ear. The sound travels right into my brain, making my eyes cross. “I’m not! My parents… Wesley was hoping for my father to invest into his business. My mother is involved as well. And they basically told him that the only way they’d do it would be if he married me. My mother sent a press release out before I even knew anything about any of it.”
I bring a hand to my head and rub over a sore spot. Since I’m medicated, it doesn’t hurt as much as it probably will later when that wears off. I huff in annoyance.
“So you’re not engaged then?” I swear I can’t keep up with this shit.
Abby lets out a soft chuckle. Fuck, I miss her so much, my heart aches.
“No. I told them it’s not happening. And I told Wesley I’d use my trust fund to help him with his business. He really is a great guy, and they were going to cause his grandmother’s house to be sold from under her. I…”
I try to listen to her, but all I can think of is that I fucked everything up for no reason. I jumped to conclusions. I didn’t stop to think or to ask questions. I was just out for revenge, bloodthirsty, ready to show her that she has no control over me.
“You’re not engaged to anyone,” I mutter, mostly to myself. I am not expecting anything more from her, and that is why I am surprised when she speaks.
“No, I promise, Xander. I…” There’s a bit of a pause, which only serves to make me nervous for reasons unknown. “I’m in love with you. Only you,” she makes sure to emphasize.
I remain frozen in the uncomfortable hospital bed. What she’s telling me is not what I thought I’d hear, but still what I had secretly hoped. I want to tell herI love youback, but the words get stuck in the back of my throat.
“Well, fuck.”
That’s all I can come up with, and, when I hear a small hiccup echoing from her end, I know it is the wrong thing to say.
“Abby…”
“It’s okay,” she assures me, but she doesn’t sound okay at all. “I always seem to rush into things, you know?” she sniffles into the phone. “I was so happy to be away from my parents. They’ve always been so overbearing, I needed space… To think… T-to… do anything I wanted without them telling me I’m doing it wrong.”
A smile forms on my lips as I listen to her voice. I’ve missed her so much in the weeks since she left Minnesota. I didn’t think I’d hear it again, not unless she had to defend herself against all my accusations, which I felt entitled to before.
“Brandon left home years ago,” she continues without waiting for any reaction from me. “He-he wanted to play hockey, and they wouldn’t let him. So he went anyway. T-hey cut him off.”
The more she talks, the more she stutters. I find it both endearing and worrisome. I don’t want her to have a panic attack when I can’t even be there for her to calm her down.
“They w-wanted nothing to do with him anymore. And he never called or came to visit.” She is now crying, and I don’t think she is aware of it. “I waited and waited, and he forgot about me.”
“How old were you when he left?”
“I was eleven the last time I saw him,” she sniffles out loud. “I grew up thinking I wanted to show him what he missed by doing that,” she explains. “I wanted to become the best sports manager there ever was, then make him beg me to represent him…”
“You can still do that, baby.”
In fact, I would take pleasure from seeing him suffer because Abby wants nothing to do with him. However, deep down, I know she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, and she wouldn’t be able to cut him off or send Brandon Karlsberg away.
“Is he there with you?” she asks from seemingly out of nowhere. “At the hospital,” she adds when I don’t say anything fast enough.
“Uh, he is here somewhere,” I mumble, shame finally starting to penetrate my brain. “I’m sorry I made such a fool of myself, Abby.”
“I didn’t know you knew Mallory,” she interrupts me. “She is with Bran, you know, they live together.” She sounds defensive, and I hate that I did that to her.
“I want nothing to do with Mallory,” I rush to explain. “She is my sister’s best friend, but we hardly ever crossed paths over the years. I just thought…” I let out a heavy sigh as I buy myself a little bit of time. “I thought he was cheating on you with her. I thought…”
My head feels fuzzier than before. Trying to make sense of the chaos I created is hurting my brain. Movement from the other side of the curtain catches my attention.
“Babe, the doctor is here,” I explain to Abby. “Let me call you back after they’re done with me, okay?”
“Okay, Xander.” Her voice sounds soft and compliant. “I love you.”
She doesn’t give me time to respond. Instead, she just hangs up, leaving me to stare at the phone.
“Okay, Mr. Hamilton,” a too loud of a voice booms from the entrance to the little area I’ve been parked in. “Time to set this nose back.”
