She thinks about it for a moment. “Does it matter?”
“Honestly, yes.”
She sighs. “Mum always had trouble with men.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“It’s true what I said last night – no one was good enough for her. But there was something else, another problem.”
“What was it?”
“She was worried about me, about having a man in the house, and the effect it would have on me.”
I don’t know what to say, and I don’t want to bullshit her. I’ve realised lately that, sometimes, it’s better to just give in – especially when you’re talking to a fifteen-year-old.
“And I said nothing. And she was on her own.”
“She had you.”
“Yeah,” she says, sadly. “But I couldn’t help her through the last few months. She needed someone else, an adult.”
Oh, Skylar. I’m starting to think that the pain will never pass – especially not if you keep blaming yourself for everything.
“I don’t want that to happen to you, too.”
“Are you scared I’ll be on my own?”
“I don’t think anyone should be.”
A mature, insightful observation; how did no one notice that setting fire to the science lab was a desperate cry for help? Oh, wait: someonedidnotice. And it’s the very same woman who seems to keep finding ways to pop up in my mind, wherever she can.
“I don’t want it to be too late for you, too.”
Jordan
Iopen the door, purse in hand, but freeze over at the sight of his face.
“Hey.” He lifts up a paper bag. “I’ve brought dinner.”
“I’ve already ordered food.”
“I know, fish and chips. I bumped into the delivery guy downstairs. Don’t worry, I paid him for his trouble.”
“Are you kidding?”
“Yesterday you told me that you like meat; and judging by the way you watched Skylar devour her burger…” He flashes me a confident smile, before opening the bag. The smell of grilled meat wafts into my nostrils.
My stomach growls instantly, but I ignore it – just as I ignore the fact that I’m happy to see him here, at my door. And I really like the fact that he remembered how much I love meat.
“You can’t just turn up here whenever you want, trying to… Whatareyou trying to do?”
“Have dinner with you.”
I glare at him.
“I swear.”
“That’s not part of the agreement.”
