Collin didn’t say anything about us going out. Zevon was in the kitchen making what looked like a cake and didn’t lift his eyes from the messy counter.
I didn’t want to be grumpy, but I couldn’t help it. I was bored, antsy, and emotional.
Once outside, the warmth beat down on the front porch. I paused, letting it soak into me. It had been way too long since I was outside to do anything.
During the summer, Alan would have me mow and tend to his yard, and that was one of the few things I didn’t mind doing. It was one of the times he couldn’t hit me, fearing someone may see him if they happened to drive by.
“Come on, let’s walk down the driveway,” Dominic said, leading the way.
I followed quietly, lost in thought. My eyes were on my feet as I took one step at a time.
“Zevon plans to order pizza later,” he said, breaking the silence. “Unless you want something else.”
“Pizza’s fine,” I said, my voice small.
“Hey,” he said, stopping. He placed a hand on my arm, causing me to stop and look at him. Dominic was a good six inches taller than me, if not more. I had to lift my head to meet his eyes.
“I want to ask you if you’re OK, but I know you aren’t,” he said. “Instead, tell me what I can do to make you feel better.”
“Nothing,” I said, turning away. I didn’t like the look in his eyes. He really hated it when I hated the world.
“Scarlett,” he said, placing a finger on my chin. He didn’t make me look at him—he really was a gentleman in that department—but I still lifted my eyes back to his. “Tell me what to do to make you happy. That’s all I want.”
“I don’t know,” I said, my voice cracking. “I just want to stop feeling everything.”
“Feeling things is what makes us human,” he said, voice soft. “It’s normal to feel things. You are normal, Scarlett. Normal, yet so different. You have somehow gotten under my skin, and no one has been able to do that. Not all that long ago, I was a lot like you. I didn’t like feeling things I couldn’t control. I know what you’re going through. All I can say is that you can handle things. You’re the strongest, bravest girl I’ve ever met. And it’s okay to question what you feel.”
Tears once again clouded my vision. Shit. Stupid fucking things just wouldn’t stop. I closed my eyes, willing them to go away. Dominic’s touch didn’t drop. If anything, I felt it further in my body.
“It’s okay to want things. It’s perfectly okay to have hope and desire a better outcome than you’ve been handed. It’s part of life. Sure, everyone gets knocked down, but everyone can pull themselves up to stand strong again and again. You can do that too, if you have a reason to.”
“You know I don’t,” I whispered, my words just a breath on my lips.
“Well then, we’ll just have to show you how amazing you are and be the reason you fight,” Dominic said, dropping his hand from my chin. “Us and everyone in that car.”
“What car?” I asked, following his line of sight. Sure enough, coming up the driveway, a cloud of dust following it, was a black car.
“Your birthday guests,” he said, bumping his shoulder into mine.
“What?” What did he mean by that? There was no possible way. They didn’t need to go out of their way for me.
Dominic stood next to me, shooting me an encouraging smile as the car slowed to a stop feet in front of us. Hannah opened the door and stepped out.
“Happy birthday, Scarlett.”
I don’t think I’d ever been speechless. Even my thoughts were quiet. I was frozen in place as she came up to me and gave me a gentle hug before stepping back.
“Uh…. Thank you?”
“I can’t miss another birthday of yours. I’ve missed too many as it is. Peyton and Ace are in the car, too.”
“Let’s head back to the house, shall we?” Dominic asked, leading the way. The car passed us.
“How are you doing?” Hannah asked, folding her hands in front of her as she walked beside me.
“Okay,” I answered, my mind still trying to process what was going on.
“Forgive her,” Dominic said lightly. “She hasn’t had the best day today.”
