“Have a good day?” she chirps, her smile fading when she sees my expression. “What—”
“What are you doing?” Anger is thickening at the back of my throat, and she flinches.
“Well, I—”
“What the fuck are you doing in here?”
My gaze drifts over to her bags, darting back and forth between the bed and the desk. I clench my jaw. You have got to be fucking kidding me. Don’t tell me she’s—
“I’m tidying my stuff away. You said—”
“Get the hell out of here!”
The words come so harsh, so loud, she takes a step back and stumbles, falling to the ground. Scrambling to her feet, she glances around her, confusion spreading over her face.
“Lane, why—”
“Get out of here!” I yell.
The pain is blinding. I lunge for the desk, raking up the coat hangers, spinning around with my arms full, desperate to make space. I always wondered how it would feel—stepping back into this room. Now I know.
“Move!”
She staggers back, clearing a path for me, and I start hanging my brother’s clothes back up. When I’m done, I slam the closet door shut, making her yelp.
I step closer to her. “I told you to get the fuck out of here!”
Finally she leaves, and I can’t breathe. My head is spinning around and around. I lean my hands against the closet for balance, pressing the door shut, keeping the memories sealed away. This is all I have left of him, and I can’t stand the thought of Lois rifling through it all.Fuck. What the hell was she doing in here?This, right here: This was my boundary, and she crossed it.
“Fuck!”
I pound the closet with both fists and leave the room to its silence, slamming the door shut behind me and stalking into the living room. Lois spins around and smacks right into the kitchen island.
I keep my distance, my fists clenched, blinded by rage. I canpractically see her heart quivering in her chest. She’s breathing hard, her eyes wild and rolling, silently pleading with me to explain. This isn’t the girl I thought I knew—when I look at her now, all I see is red.
She grips the counter with both hands. “What’s your problem?”
“Who do you think you are, Lois?” I snarl. “What the fuck were you doing in there?”
“Are you kidding me?” She laughs in disbelief. “You’re ins—”
“I fuckingtoldyou not to go in there.” My throat feels tight.
“What the hell are you talking about? You told me to put my stuff away!”
“There’s no way I ever said that. I told you to put your stuff inmycloset, I never said to make yourself at home!”
She does a double take. “?‘At home’? I never… Listen, you were the one who asked me to stay!”
“Ineversaid you could take over that room!” I roar. “You’re a fuckingguest!”
The anger is spreading through me like wildfire, and I can’t even hear myself anymore. Lois can, though—I can tell from her ragged breath that she’s upset, but all I can think is how claustrophobic I’m feeling, how badly she misjudged this. My blood is boiling.
“Wait a minute,” she says, swallowing hard. “Just to make sure I’m getting this. Are you saying the plan was for me to stay on the couch forever?”
“Yes!” I step toward her.
Truth is I thought she would stay in my room, but it feels easier to lie now.
