Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58397 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58397 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
“Why are you screaming?” I heard Peyton ask. “Should I start too?”
Cathryn and I came to a screeching halt before we reached the doorway, but I wasn’t quite satisfied. I had to see, if only a little. I inched closer and closer until I saw Julia standing up in the middle of my bed, screaming at the top of her lungs, while Peyton leaned casually against one of the closet doors. He couldn’t see me from his angle, meaning I wasn’t going anywhere.
I watched him approach her slowly, hands in his pockets.
“Nooo!” she shrieked.
“If you don’t tell me why you’re upset, I will get upset too,” he told her. “It’s your choice, Julia.”
He wasn’t kidding. When Julia wouldn’t stop screaming, Peyton stunned me by joining in once he was close enough to her. He yelled outright, causing Julia to scream even louder. But Peyton wouldn’t be bested, evidently. He cranked it up until Julia collapsed on the bed with tears streaming down her face.
“Go’way!” she wailed.
“No.” Peyton calmly sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked her back carefully. “That’s the thing about me. I don’t go away. It doesn’t matter how much you scream or how much you cry. I’ll be here to figure out what’s wrong.”
Julia hiccuped around a sob. “Don’t yell more.”
“It’s not fun, is it?” Peyton murmured. “It can even be scary, right?”
She sniffled and nodded, and I recognized the signs in her. She was getting tired. It was like this every time she got upset. She screamed herself exhausted.
“Okay. I won’t yell again,” he promised. “Can we be friends?”
“I dunno,” she whimpered.
“Do you have many friends at home?” he wondered.
She held up two fingers and wiped her nose on her arm.
“That’s nice.” Peyton smiled. “Do you play together?”
“Yeah. Wiv dolls and in a sambox.”
“I loved playing in the sandbox when I was little,” Peyton replied. “And do you know the best thing about being friends?” When she shook her head, he said, “When something is wrong, you can whisper it to your friend so they know. Then they can help you make things right again.”
I felt my heart rate slow down again, and I let out a breath.
“I dunno,” she sniffled, getting upset once more, though not as much.
“You don’t know why you’re sad?” Peyton asked.
“No,” she cried.
“But that’s a good answer, sweetheart.” Peyton stroked her back soothingly. And while my immediate worry had lessened, another replaced it. I’d been down this road with her before. She wasn’t completely impossible to communicate with; she even had moments where she was utterly adorable. But if she genuinely didn’t know where this rage came from, how would I be able to help? How could I make it better?
I despised feeling helpless.
“You don’t have to know why you’re upset,” Peyton went on in a comforting tone. “When it happens, you can try to tell us. Tell us that you’re starting to get sad or angry but don’t know why, and we will come up with something else to do.”
Yeah, the distractions. I’d done that too.
I wasn’t expecting any miracles with Peyton, though. He’d just arrived; he’d just met her for the first time, and he was already communicating with her. At the very least, it was a reason to make him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Because if, in ten minutes, he could calm her down from a tantrum, imagine what he could do in a few months.
“You don’t have to remember everything I said,” he assured her. “I’ll remind you, okay?”
She sniffled and shrugged, then nodded slightly.
“Did you see the amazing breakfast out there?” he asked next. “I think I’m gonna have pancakes. Do you like pancakes?”
She nodded, which wasn’t technically a lie. She only happened to like them very rarely.
“Come on, then. Let’s go eat. I’ll show you how to make animals with the pancakes.”
“What ammamal?”
I nodded to Cathryn, and we made our way back to the dining area.
I hoped this was a step in the right direction.
“I’m hiring him,” I said quietly.
Cathryn dipped her chin and sat down. “He does seem to have a way about him. He jumped right in.”
To say the least.
Knowing how sensitive Julia was right after a tantrum, both Cathryn and I pretended to be immersed in our breakfast when she returned with Peyton in tow.
“May I have pancakes, please?” Peyton asked and took his seat.
I furrowed my brow at him. “Of course.” They were right in front of him.
He quirked a grin and tilted his head at Julia. “Your turn to ask.”
She scrunched her nose and eyed me. “Pancakes, pwlease.”
“That was fucking awesome,” Peyton stated bluntly.
Julia gasped at the curse and slapped a hand over her mouth before she giggled.
The sound made my goddamn heart soar, and it caused a rush of emotions to flow within me. I also understood his approach now. He was going to lead by example, something Julia had never had.