Page 128 of Heartbeat

I didn’t answer her.

“Why should you take responsibility for everything?” she pressed.

“I never said I—”

“Shouldn’t your parents do the same? Or your friends, for that matter?”

“I don’t— I can’t speak for them.”

“Huh.”

“What?”

She was starting to piss me off.

“You should consider the possibility that your reluctance to acknowledge their role is damaging.”

“I’m not going to be one of those people who assign blame and never try to work their own shit, Alicia.”

“You mean, take responsibility?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed. “Since when is that bad?”

“It isn’t,” she said. “But when you incorporate everyone else’s, then it can turn into a problem.”

Before I could respond, however, she changed the subject.

“Now,” she said, shifting in her seat. “This boy.”

“What about him?”

“Was it him? The one responsible for you starting to recover?” She emphasized the word “recover” just to spite me.

“He helped,” I said, then corrected myself, “helps.”

It made her smile. “In what way?”

“That’s too broad a question,” I said, shaking my head.

“All right. Let me be more specific, then. Are you aware of your feelings toward him?”

“You know I am.”

“In terms of depth, I mean. Is he a crush? Is it…casual?”

I snorted. “I thought for a second there you were gonna say fling.”

“Well, is he?”

“No.” I furrowed my brow.

“So, it’s serious.”

“Him or us?”

“There’s a difference?”

“Oh, yes.”

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