Page 95 of Ominous: Part 1
I don’t say it, but I want to.
I glance at the door again, waiting for Dominic’s dumb ass.
“It means Lord Henry is fucking stupid,” I say, tilting my head back on the couch and glancing up at the vaulted ceilings edged in gold. “Some things you just can’t do, or they’ll ruin you for life. You get that, right?”
Winslet is quiet a moment, and I close my eyes, annoyed.
Then she says, “Not really, no.”
“You have mail.”Dad tosses it onto the island of the kitchen, flicking on a light over the stove and loosening his tie, his back to me as he heads to the fridge.
It’s almost midnight, and my phone is face up, notifications turned on, one from Eden on my screen. Last night I may have met her mom but imagining ever introducing her to my dad makes me want to hurl this phone across the fucking room.You aren’t going to mess this up for me, Dad.
I read her message, blinking away thoughts of Winslet, of the questions the cops had yesterday.At school.
I think of Eden’s questions too. The way she looked at me. I feel sick and kind of annoyed as I try to focus on her words, but then I think about what she told me last night.
Her first kiss.
Which probably means…
I cough, adjusting myself with Dad’s back still to me as I read her text, feeling like I won the fucking lottery.
Her: What if I told you I can’t swim?
I’m sure she can, but I smile anyway at her playing coy, trying to make up bullshit excuses to not come over tomorrow.
I glance at the envelope Dad threw on the table as my screen goes dim. The letter or whatever it is is flipped over, so I can only see the seam of it. A big, white envelope. I don’t reach for it.
“Did you eat?” Dad asks absently, still staring into the fridge. He just got home.
“Are you working tomorrow? At the office?” I don’t answer his question. Of course I ate. I had another shitty day of preseason practice, and my body is fucking exhausted, shoveling macaroni and cheese with a protein shake down my throat was the first thing on my mind when I got home after hanging out with Eden at the library again.
She pried about the cops, but I had nothing to tell her she doesn’t already know.
Dominic wasn’t back today, and Luna texted me telling me he probably won’t be in the rest of the week.
“Have you reached out to Dom?” Dad counters my question with a question, since I didn’t answer his. He knows Dominic hasn’t been in class all week because I casually mentioned it.
Some days, I’m not sure which one of us is the bigger asshole.
I swipe up my phone, typing under the island.
Me: Try again, Eden.
I hear the fridge slam closed, condiments clinking against the door of it.
I look up slowly, a smile pulling on my lips as I meet Dad’s eye.
“You haven’t, have you?” He sounds disgusted with me, which is par for the course. Just wait until I tell him I’m not going to my psychiatrist appointment rescheduled for tomorrow, because I’m spending every second I can with Eden.I’m pushing it, huh, Dad?
He runs a hand through his hair, blowing out a breath as he closes his eyes a minute, and I almost feel sorry for him.
Almost.
“Dammit, Eli,” he swears, dropping his hand and leaning against the counter by the sink, palms on the marble as he stares out the glass doors leading to the pool, illuminated by tiki torches and underwater lights.
“Did you know the police came to Trafalgar?”
