The pounding in my head would say otherwise.
Dr. Hill stood up, and so did I. “Take care of yourself, Zaira,” she told me. “You’re doing wonderful, and I’m very proud of you.” She smiled openly. “I’ll see you next week.”
I returned her smile. “Thank you, Dr. Hill. I look forward to seeing you next Thursday.” With another smile, I stepped back and walked out of her office.
I’d only just gotten in my car and put the key in when my phonepingedwith a new message. I sighed and pulled it out of my hoodie pocket before looking at the screen.
Shane:Hey, kid. I hope you’re doing good. I know it’s probably not the best time for this, but I wanted to confirm something with you. Should I, or should I not, make an official announcement about yours and Gallan’s breakup? I’m in no rush to get your answer, of course, but please do get back to me about it when you can. It’s getting harder for him to dodge press and tabloid questions about the two of you during the tour. They wanna know your plans for Christmas, and how your relationship is going in general, etc. Kenneth and Dylan can only jump in on limited basis, you know? Anyways. I’m sorry if I bothered you, and I really do hope you’re doing well.
Breakup…
The term scraped against my mind like nails on a chalkboard. It made me nauseous, so I opened the driver-side window in order to get some air into my lungs.
I wanted to ask Shane why he wantedmypermission to do anything in the matter, but instead, I closed his chat page and opened another one.
Me:Are you home?
She responded a minute later.
Amara:It’s 10:30 in the morning. Where else would I be?
Me:I don’t know?
Amara:Lol. You okay?
I had to laugh at that question. Humorlessly, of course.
Me:You really wanna know the answer to that?
Amara:Oh dear:/That bad?
I ran my fingers through my hair as I sighed.
Me:Yup.
Me:Can I come over?
Amara:You don’t even have to ask:–*
I smiled.
Me:Thanks, Ams.
Amara:Don’t mention it! I’ll put the leftover pizza from last night in the microwave. Come quick.
Me:On my way:–)
