Page 70 of This Life and All the Rest
“I’ll clean it,” I tell her. “Sorry,” I say, gesturing to her now ruined therapy painting.
She shrugs, and I can tell she’s retreating back into her head.
“I’m going to head out,” she says, walking quickly toward the door. “I want to get to the hospital early tomorrow.”
I try like hell to ignore the feeling of being discarded, but it creeps up anyway, and my anger spikes.
I scoff just as her hand hits the knob.
“Have a great night,Astraea,” I say slowly, taunting her.
She whips around and hits me with a glare.
“You know, Macon, it was clever in high school,” she says. “Innocence and purity, ha ha, let’s all make fun of Goody Two-shoes Lennon Washington. But maybe, given recent events, it’s time to find a different way toattemptto insult me.”
She turns and walks out, and I give her three seconds before I follow. I catch her just before she leaves the hallway.
“I think you’re forgetting something,” I call out, halting her steps. She turns and looks at me expectantly. “Innocence and purity, yeah. But you know what you’re missing?”
She cocks her head to the side and raises a brow expectantly.
“Astraeais also the constellation Virgo,” I tell her. I pause, just enough for it to sink in, then I tap the constellation tattoo on my chest. “Virgo.”
I break eye contact and walk to my bedroom, opening the door and looking at Lennon one last time before I walk inside.
“Lock up on your way out,Capri.”
Then I step into my room and shut the door behind me.
I walk quietly to my bed, sit down, and pull out my phone. I scroll to Jessica’s contact and hit call.
I’m cracking. I can feel the fissures forming. My skin is starting to tighten, to itch.
Lennon Capri Washington is going to be my undoing all over again.
TWENTY
“Hey, Ma,”I say into the phone. “What’s up?”
I’m a little nervous she’s calling me this early. I’m not supposed to be at her house for another few hours. I’m still wrapped in a towel from my shower.
“Change of plans,” my mom says brightly. “We get to all go see him today. They’ve moved him out of the ICU, so I’m bringing Evie.”
“That’s great,” I say with a smile. For the first time since Lennon’s exit last night, I feel a little more relaxed. This is good news. “That means he must be one step closer to home, yeah?”
“Hopefully,” Mom says. “I’m going to head over to the hospital in an hour. Can you make it?”
“I’ll see you there,” I tell her, then pause. “Um, you’re going to have to call Lennon. She’s back at the motel.”
Saying it pisses me off. A flash of her back as she walked out last night runs through my head.Find a new way to insult me,she said.As if I’m the one doing the insulting.
“I’ll call her now,” Mom says. Her voice is tight, but neither of us acknowledge it. Instead, I tell her I love her and I’ll see her soon, then I hang up as if I’m not a total fucking mess.
I keep replaying my conversation with Trent. He says to talk to Lennon. He says the time will never be perfect. Life is too short.
And he’s right.
But it’s not the righttimeI’m waiting for. It’s the rightme.
