Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
“What the hell happened to you?” she gasped, her eyes wide.
“I had a couple and tripped on our front porch,” I said with a laugh, mimicking the way I’d supposedly fallen. “I’m fine.”
“That looks really painful.” She grimaced. Her eyes moved from my face to over my shoulder and I knew without her saying a word that someone was coming up behind me.
I didn’t expect it to be Rumi, but when I saw the look on his face, I had to get the fuck out of there.
He caught me. Of course he did. He demanded answers. I wasn’t surprised by that. It was almost a relief to show him the bruises on my back and thigh. It was as if in some part of my mind, I’d felt like I was overreacting, but his reaction convinced me that I wasn’t. They were bad. The horror on his face broke my heart, but it comforted me, too. For the first time in months, it felt like he was in my corner again, that it was me and Rumi against the world with Bird hidden safely behind us.
He begged and pleaded and demanded to know who’d hurt me but I still couldn’t tell him. It was still too raw. Too inconceivable. How could I say out loud that it had been Pop? Rumi loved him almost as much as I did.
And then, because I couldn’t take it anymore, because Rumi was desperate and I was devastated and because I needed to tell someone—I told him.
He didn’t believe me.
It wasn’t as if he’d called me a liar or looked at me like I was crazy—he just hadn’t even acknowledged what I said. He just kept asking like I wasn’t giving him a straight answer.
I didn’t blame him for it. I wouldn’t have believed me either.
A few minutes later, I found Bird sitting on one of the couches in the clubhouse. If I could’ve spared him from the absolute shock and fear that I saw in his eyes, I would’ve. I’d never wanted Bird to remember the shit we’d gone through with our mother and I was pretty sure I’d succeeded at making that part of our lives seem inconsequential—but this I couldn’t hide. This was happening now, and it was something he’d remember for the rest of his life.
“Hey, Firebird,” I said, keeping my voice calm and easygoing. “I fell and hit my head on the porch last night—don’t worry.”
“That looks like it hurts,” Titus murmured from his place next to my brother.
“It doesn’t feel great,” I said with a laugh. I was really tired of laughing. Nothing was funny. “I’ve got a serious headache happening. You mind leaving early, Bird?”
“Let’s go.” They were the first words he’d uttered since he’d gotten a good look at my face.
A few of the kids muttered their goodbyes, all of them subdued. They knew something wasn’t right, and I was sure that the moment we were out of sight, they’d be running to their parents to tell them about Bird’s sister’s black eye.
“When did he do that?” Bird asked quietly as we strode toward the door.
“Not here,” I murmured, glancing at him.
Less than a minute later, we were in my car and driving sedately down the long gravel driveway. I smiled and waved at the prospect on the gate as he let us out. The minute we hit the pavement, Bird turned to me.
“What the hell, Nova?”
“He got pissed last night,” I said, checking the rearview mirror.
“What did you say? I thought we were going to be careful! Why didn’t you tell me? Was that why you went to bed so early? Does Nana know?”
“Slow down.”
“Is your cheekbone broken?”
“Nana doesn’t know yet,” I replied, glancing at him. “I don’t think anything is broken.”
“We need to tell her. We need to go to her work and show her.”
“We’re going home,” I replied, my tone the exact opposite of his.
Bird was panicking. Distraught. With each passing minute, I became more focused and determined. I had my baby brother with me now. Everything was going to be okay. “We’re going to each pack a bag and then we’re leaving.”
“Leaving? What are you talking about?”
“We can’t stay there anymore, Bird.”
“You just want to leave Nana?”
“Nana can come if she wants to,” I replied, checking the rearview mirror again. “But I don’t think she will.”
“Of course she will.”
“They’ve been together for most of their lives, Bird,” I said gently. “She doesn’t know anything else.”
“She won’t want to stay with him after he did that,” Bird argued. “She’ll want to come with us.”
I didn’t think so.
“Alright,” I said as we pulled into the trailer park. “We’ll pack our bags and as soon as we have our stuff, we’ll run by Nana’s work, okay? Give her the choice.”
“You swear?”
“Swear,” I confirmed.
As I stuffed clothes into a suitcase, I realized that I should’ve packed before I left to get Bird. I’d been so worried about getting to him and getting him out, I hadn’t anticipated how it would feel when we got back to the trailer. Every inch of my body felt like it was electrified as I listened for the telltale sound of a Harley outside. At any moment, Pop could come home and find us alone.