Chapter Twenty-Nine
Bas had a miserable week, mostly because he didn’t realize how much he used his arm until he was banging into stuff everywhere or his shoulder was screaming at him for twisting the wrong way. Dane and Ru had put him on a very tight schedule, and Adam and Ru were staying over. It was like being on suicide watch again, only by his friends this time. And his boyfriend.
He glanced at Dane, who was in the kitchen making Rainbow Poop cookies.Boyfriend.Dane would be leaving the residential program before prom. He’d be graduating, looking healthy, smiling, happy. His days weren’t always perfect, and Bas suspected that there would always be food triggers they’d have to avoid or overcome, but Dane was doing so much better.
Dane hobbled around the kitchen, his sprain still sore but not enough to keep him from cooking. Bas was enjoying all the attention and fresh foods. Now that the weather was nice, they’d go on little walks, always the opposite direction of the path that led to where Marissa had been found. He knew even Ru and Adam avoided that stretch of trail, though the police tape had been taken down.
Bas’s phone rang. He picked it up without checking the screen, expecting it to be Paige with an update on Marissa or one of Adam’s parental units checking in.
“Sebastian?” a shaky voice said.
Bas frowned, checked the screen, surprised at what it said. “Eddy, is that you?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“You are talking to me. Are you okay? You sound funny. Are you in trouble?”
Eddy began to sob. Bas got up from the counter and headed for the door, slipping into his shoes.
“I’m coming over.”
“Don’t. Dad’s here. He’ll freak if you come here.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“No. I did it.”
“You hurt Dad?”
“No,” he said, then was silent so long Bas had to check the phone to make sure they were still connected.
“Eddy?” Bas’s heart sank with the possibilities and the realization. “Talk to me, Eddy. What did you do?”
“I was so mad. I don’t know what happened. I don’t even remember it all. Oh, Bas, what did I do?” Eddy sobbed. “I loved her so much. Oh God. I can’t take the guilt anymore. What’s wrong with me?”
“Eddy? What happened?”
“I sent her a text. Told her I would kill myself if she didn’t come to see me. I missed her so much.”
“I know you did. She’s an amazing girl.”
“I begged her to take me back. But she wouldn’t. She said I needed to get help.”
“You do need help, Eddy. What you have is a disease, and you need help.”
“She left. Said she couldn’t be with me anymore because I hit her.”
“You mean in the hallway?”
“No, before. I never meant to. It just happened sometimes.” He sighed heavily. “I followed her. I don’t even remember where I got the knife. But I screamed her name and grabbed her arm, and she fought me. The rest is just a blur.”
Bas made his way back to the counter and sat down, fighting his own tears. He struggled to find a calm voice. Dane put aside his cooking and took the seat beside Bas.
“Where’s the knife, Eddy?”
He sniffled. “In the tree fort by the park. The one we built ages ago. It’s falling down.” He took another deep breath and let out another painful sob. “And the clothes I was wearing and those thick leather gloves Grandma gave me for Christmas. I put it all in there.”
“Okay. If I come pick you up, will you go with me to the police and tell them?”
