And when the matcha arrives, it doesn’t make me understand any better.
It is green and tea but tastes like shit and doesn’t remind me a damn bit of the regular green tea you get in those little paper bags to dip in hot water. It tastes like dirt, and I don’t know how she can enjoy drinking it.
Her taste in everything isn’t all that bad since she likes me, but I know, from this moment on, she can never pick my drinks for me for the rest of my life.
13
LULU
“Are you sure about this?”I ask Zoey as we stand on the sidewalk outside Mark’s apartment.
She peers over her shoulder at the large window in the front. “Yes, but no.”
I take her hands in mine, giving them a light squeeze. “You don’t need to do this.”
She gives me a sad smile. “I do, though.”
“No. You don’t, Zo. Grandpa and Hal will figure out a way to make the charges go away without you having to talk to Mark.”
“I can’t take that chance, Lou. And this is about me too. I need Mark to know he doesn’t hold the power here.”
I can’t even imagine what’s going on in her head. I’ve never been in her situation. If I were in her shoes,would I be doing the same thing? Maybe, but I hope I never have to find out.
“If it becomes too much, just make a move, and I’m out the door with you.”
“You don’t need to come in with me,” my sister says, always trying to be brave, even when she doesn’t need to be.
“I’m going in there with you. There’s no way I’d send you in there without having your back.”
She throws herself against me, wrapping her arms tightly around my body. “I love you,” she whispers as I hug her back, wishing I could change everything that’s happened to her.
“I love you too.” I glare at Mark’s building, wishing we could avoid this entire confrontation.
She refused to go to the cops, preferring to handle this on her own. I tried to talk her out of it, but my sister is stubborn. She doesn’t want to be dragged through the court system, having to defend herself, even though she was the victim here, not Mark. I get that. I’ve seen it way too many times in my short lifetime.
“I’m ready,” she says as she backs away from me, letting her hands drop to her sides. “It’s now or never.”
I’d prefer never, but that’s because I’d do anything to protect my little sister. I’ve spent my entire life keeping her safe, and marching into Mark’sapartment feels like the most dangerous thing I’ve ever let her do.
We told no one we were doing this. Not our father, because he’d lose his mind. When Oliver wanted to hang out tonight, I couldn’t even tell him. His response would’ve been even more dire than my dad’s. I haven’t known Oliver long, but I know him well enough to know it would be a no-go, and he’d probably tie us up to stop us from doing this.
Zoey turns around, pushing her shoulders back, walking forward with her head held high. I can feel the power radiating off her as she strides up the pathway to the building. She doesn’t look like a victim. There is no meekness or fear in her long, sure strides. But I know Zoey well enough to know that she can put on a good show and that her insides are probably a shaking mess.
I stand inches behind her as she lifts her hand and knocks on his front door. I watch in amazement as she stands stiller than I’ve ever seen her. There is an eerie calm to her as the sound of footsteps on the other side of the door grows louder with each second.
When the door opens, a man who was probably handsome before Oliver beat his face to a pulp answers. His eyes are puffy, with dark bruises around each, spreading into his cheeks. I wince slightly, the sight of him almost overwhelming.
“Mark,” Zoey says without any trace of a quaver in her voice.
He mumbles something back because his jaw is wired shut.
Damn.
Oliver really did a number on him.
But there’s not an ounce of pity or sadness in me for him. He deserves everything Oliver gave him that night because of what he did to Zoey and probably other women who didn’t have an Oli in their corner to beat his ass before.
She pushes Mark aside, stalking into his apartment like a boss. I follow her, doing everything I can not to brush against Mark since he never moved from the doorway.
