Page 231 of The Perfect Spiral
“Nothing,” I grumbled, repeating my motions. I took a sip of my coffee, wincing at the strength of it. Just what I needed.
“Alex, you can talk to me. I’m your mom, I’ll always support you.”
“Mom, seriously, it’s nothing. I found out he didn’t like me.”
“What do you mean you found out he didn’t like you? Of course, he likes you, baby!” She whispered across the table, pushing the newspaper out of her way as if it was an obstacle.
“He doesn’t, Mom. He didn’t. Let’s drop it. I don’t want to—”
“Alex! Tell me! I deserve to know....” she pleaded.
“I walked in on him with Lauren. With Sam and Tyson.... there, that’s it. Now you know. The end.” I heard a small gasp escape her lips as she looked at me, pity filling her eyes.
“Don’t be, I don’t care. It was my mistake to let him play me like the rest of those girls.”
“You’re not like those girls, Alex.”
“To him, I was,” I stated matter-of-factly. “Like I said, I don’t care.” I shrugged my shoulders. I didn’t care anymore. I’d given up on guys, I couldn’t seem to keep one interested in me. I’d given up on dating. Given up on trying. I wasn’t wasting any more time on them.
She reached across the table to take my hand. Her motherly touch had always comforted me, but today, for some reason, I felt detached.
I’d been struggling the past few days. It had been rough. Emotionally, I’d detached myself from the people around me. This year had not been my year.
Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I looked back at my mom and offered her a weak smile. That’s when Delilah entered through the back door, humming a tune before realizing we were both sitting at the table.
“I knew I smelt coffee,” she smiled at the freshly brewed pot and took a mug from the cabinet to join us. As she sat next to my mom, she noticed her hand on mine and her smile faltered.
“Am I interrupting something?” She asked, lowering herself slowly into the seat.
“We were just talking about your son, Delilah,” my mom and I said simultaneously. I’ll give you one guess as to who said what.
“Oh? Which one and what has he done?” She poured the brown liquid into her white mug.
“Mom, drop it,” I whispered to her. Delilah put down the coffee and eyed me.
“It’s Knox, isn’t it? Is it about why you two aren’t talking?” Delilah asked, but I stayed silent.
“What happened? You two were full of life when we were in the hospital. Both blushing and smiling at each other. Now you can’t even look at him?” She twirled the mug around so she could grip the handle and take a sip.
My mom knew I didn’t want to tell Delilah. I sighed and she spoke for me, “She walked in on him with Lauren when she, Sam, and Tyson came home from the hospital.”
The reaction on Delilah’s face told me that nobody had told her about it. She nearly choked on her drink, patting her chest while coughing slightly.
“He what?” She managed to get out, struggling to breathe. Her question made no sense really. Leaning back in her chair, she looked up at the ceiling. “What a stupid boy!”
She exhaled, “I thought you changed your mind and were avoiding him. That’s why he got back with... IT.” I couldn’t help but laugh at what she referred to Lauren as.
“Funny, I used to call him IT.” “Great minds think alike, sweetie,” her head dropped back down to meet my gaze. “God, I don’t like that girl one bit. She brings out the worst in him. I’ve been arguing with him the past few weeks. He’s been a pain in my ass.”
And mine, I thought to myself. That’s when Andy entered the room. She sat down next to me, screeching her chair closer. I gave her a questioning look.
Smiling sheepishly back, I watched as she reached for my fork and proceeded to eat the rest of my omelet. “You just sat here to eat my omelet, didn’t you?”
She nodded, grinning at me as she continued to eat. I slid the plate across in front of her.
“What are we talking about?” she asked innocently.
“My stupid son getting back together with IT,” Delilah huffed angrily.
