“Yeah, Daisy. The curse. Being near the property line makes it difficult to stay human.”
“So why—”
“Because I can’t figure out why, of all people, Gus gets to be the one who can stay human now,” he says harshly. “What did he do that I can’t? Why is he the one that gets the curse broken?”
“It’s not broken, Wade. It’s just… a little easier for him to control it, is all.”
“Regardless,” he says with a bitter laugh. “Why him?”
“I don’t have an answer for that.”
“You don’t seem to have an answer for much of anything. You keep saying you want to help, yet… nothing is happening. I mean, yeah, there’s this thing with Gus, but you don’t even know why that happened.”
“I’m trying.”
“Not hard enough.”
“I don’t know what you want me to do, Wade. I’m doing everything I can,” I say. “At least I’m trying at all. What are you doing?”
His jaw drops. “Excuse me?”
“You’re out here feeling sorry for yourself, while Gus and Rhett are doing something to at least pass the time. You’re just wandering around all sad and helpless looking.”
“I am not sad,” he growls.
I cross my arms, wanting to lay into him. But I don’t. “It’s okay if you are.”
He scoffs.
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through… what you have gone through. I imagine it’s a lot. That’s okay.”
“I’m not sad,” he says again, this time harsher, slashing his hand through the air.
“Okay. You’re not sad. So, what then? Angry? You’re just always angry? Did you ever think that’s because of something else?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he barks.
“Sometimes when you’re angry, it’s because you’re feeling something else.”
“What do you know about it?” he growls. “You’ve got the perfect life, don’t you? All this land, the house, thehelp. And what did you do for it? You’ve been off at school, living your life, while we’ve been stuck here. So don’t act like you know how I feel.”
“I’m not,” I say firmly. “But I do know what it’s like to feel emotions that I don’t know how to handle. You’ve been around here long enough, Wade. I’m sure you know what happened to my parents.” His eyes widen. “Yeah. They died. I was little. Just a baby, so I shouldn’t know any different, right? But I always wonder, even now, why me? Why did my parents have to die? Why did I have to grow up without parents? So no, maybe I don’t know what it’s like to be inyourshoes, but I know what it’s like to be sad and want something you can’t have, Wade, and maybe we don’t have to compare traumas. Maybe you can just accept that I’m not lying and I’m not being a jerk. Maybe you can accept that I am a nice person and I am just trying to help you because I feel bad for what my Grannie did.”
Tears are in my eyes, and I don’t know how that happened. I hadn’t intended to get so upset when talking to him. I was going to do exactly what Gus said, but… talking to Wade isn’t easy. I wipe my eyes then and storm away.
Wade’s hand wraps around my arm and he pulls me to him, hugging me.
“I’m sorry,” he says, sounding like the words are hard to say. “You’re… right. About a lot of it. I’m angry because I’m sad and scared, and I don’t know how else to show it.”
Just let him talk.
I don’t say anything, just listen.
“I don’t understand why I was forced to deal with this when I didn’t do anything wrong. I had nothing to do with this, yet I’m paying for it. It’s not fair.”
“It’s not fair,” I agree.
He sighs, hugging me tighter. “I know you’re trying. I’m sorry for making you feel otherwise.”
