Page 53 of Degradation
I shake my head. ‘No, I don’t understand the reference. Sorry.’
She puts her face in her hands. ‘Never mind,’ she groans.
‘Oh!’ she perks up a second later. ‘I forgot to tell you. My cousin, Shannon, who works at Town Hall is back at work. She knows what she’s looking for, so, if there’s anything to find, she’ll dig it up. I forgot to tell you, I put in a request online for police report from your mom’s accident. It’s public record so they should release it. I’m not sure how long it’ll take, though. Maybe Shannon can speed it up. You’re welcome, by the way.’
I give her a small smile. ‘Thanks.’
Lu looks at her watch and stands up. ‘After we get the report, we should go out there and look at the site. See if there’s discrepancies.’
‘Okay,’ I say. ‘Are you leaving?’
She nods. ‘Sorry, sweetie, I lost track of time. I told my auntie that I’d go for dinner, so I gotta run. Let me know when you’re ready to go back to work and I’ll put you on the schedule. And message me later. Iknowthere’s more going on with these guys than you’re saying.’
I give her a double thumbs up even as my cheeks heat and she giggles.
‘Later!’
Like a whirlwind, she’s suddenly gone, and I get back to my research. Shade brings me some dinner but can’t stay, so I eat by myself. I don’t mind, though. My mind is working overtime trying to figure out how I’m going to fix the formula for Envy and wondering about my stepfather’s motivations when it came to me and my mom.
That night, after I go to bed, Mav comes into my room and sleeps in my bed with me. He cuddles up to me in the night, but that’s all, and he’s gone before I wake up the next morning. I’m left feeling oddly frustrated after that and a little annoyed, but I don’t know why.
The next few days follow the same pattern, although I’m glad I have the time to research Envy and how I might be able to fix it, I’m going a little stir crazy. By the fifth day, I can’t take it anymore.
‘I need to get back to class,’ I tell Shade as soon as he comes to bring me breakfast on Friday morning. ‘It’s been almost a week, and my ankle only hurts if I try to walk on it. And I have the crutches.’
He gives me a commiserating look that I hate. ‘Give it another couple?—’
‘No, and if you don’t help me, I’ll find another way.’ I say firmly. ‘I’m going to fall behind if I don’t get back to it. And if I do, I won’t get the grades I need, and John will...’
I swallow hard, trying to hide my suddenly shaking hands.
This thing is getting worse, I realize. Panic and fear are quick to rise at the moment. They make me feel jittery and sick. My head hurts with it. Maybe it’s because I’m stressed in general. My room when I’m going stir crazy doesn’t make for a very calming and recuperative environment.
‘Okay,’ he puts his hands up. ‘But one of us will make sure you get to class and the lab.’
My eyes narrow. Like in the beginning.
He points at me. ‘And you have your phone on you at all times.’
Rude.
‘Fine,’ I mutter. ‘I have class in an hour. Will you be available?’
He checks his watch and lets out a noise of dissatisfaction. ‘Nope, I’m supposed to be in class myself just before.’
He gets his own phone out and sends a message. It vibrates almost immediately with a reply, and he nods.
‘Blake’s free.’
Oh… No.
I’ve successfully avoided him since last weekend. I don’t want to be around him. It’s practically an aversion at this point.
With a sinking feeling, I hobble to the bathroom and grab a shower. I put on some clothes, successfully getting my jeans on, but only able to wear one shoe because my foot is still a bit too swollen. I go for a sneaker on the good foot because it seems the most practical, and a sock on the other. I’m ready to go just before it’s time, when there’s a knock on my door.
I open it.
Blake is standing out in the hallway, and I stare at the floor. I was going to rail and rant, make sure he knows he was an asshole to me, but I guess, when it comes down to it, I’m all bluster because I just look at the carpet like it holds the secrets of the cosmos and edge past him as well as I can with my crutches, my mood falling quickly under his gaze.
