“Julian—” She winces at the full recount. “I wasn’t thinking clearly, okay? I panicked, and then panicked some more when my mom said she was in Houston with my dad and to try not to need them too much. And as I was panicking, I realized I always do this. I rely too much on my family to bail me out. I didn’t want to burden you or Bella or my parents with this.”
“God, Leticia, you’re not a burden.” It kills me all over again when her tears come harder. “But even if you were, what’s so wrong with that? What’s the point in having people around who love you if you can’t burden them every now and then? We’re all human. We can’t do this life thing alone.”
“I know, but—”
Clearly she doesn’t if she’s still fighting me on this.
“There are no ‘buts’ here,” I tell her. “I don’t need you getting worked up over this any more than you already are. We’ll talk about this once you’re feeling better.”
We don’t wait much longer before the doctor gives us the okay to leave. Andrew makes it back just in time with her insurance card, and after leaving Leti’s info at the front desk, we’re off. Leti drives back with me, but the lingering look she gave Andrew’s car in the parking lot lets me know she considered at least one escape route.The fact that it involves her brother shows the progress they’ve made toward making amends, but that she’s even considering an escape frommeis worrying.
It’s clear we still have a lot of shit to work through. I’m just not sure how willing Leti is to work through it with me.
47
Leti
Everyone is hovering.
Bella nearly had a heart attack when I came in wearing a cast and sling, Julian and Andrew close behind. Approximately two seconds after crossing into the apartment, my brother called Elena, who drove straight over with Diego and the kids in tow. I’ve never been more envious of Andrew, who got to escape the circus currently in my apartment by heading to HEB for a pharmacy and snack run.Someone has to pick up your pain meds, he’d said before making a run for it. Just when I’d announced to everyone that I wanted to take a nap and finally got a moment of peace and quiet in my bedroom, my mom called.
“Leticia.” Part of the reason I fought against Julian calling me by my full name in the beginning is because there’s no better way to give me childhood flashbacks of my mother yelling at me when I did something stupid. But he changed all that for me so quickly, and now it’s ruined all over again. “You were in the hospital when you texted me and youdidn’t tell us?”
“You said not to need you.” I shrug even though she can’t see. “What was I gonna do? Ask you and Dad to come back home?”
“Aye, Leti, you always do this.” She lets out a long, aggrievedsigh as if she is the one who broke her arm. “You take everything so seriously, or the wrong way entirely. I swear you do this on purpose to raise my blood pressure.”
“So now I broke my arm to raise your blood pressure?” As the words come out, I know I’m doing exactly what she said I always do. Twisting her words, being too much, making it all about me. Just another case of attention seeking, middle-child syndrome to the max. I take a beat to calm down, holding the phone against my stomach so I don’t have to listen to her rebuttal. Once she’s stopped talking, I place the phone back to my ear. “Mom, don’t cancel your plans on my account. The apartment is full enough as it is.”
“Don’t be ridiculous—of course we’re coming,” she says. “I’ve been meaning to call you anyway. Your brother finally told us what happened on his birthday to cause that fight.”
For a moment, everything goes blank. I’m fifteen all over again, only this time I’m coming in for the kill. Reconciliation? Nice try. Old habits? More like oldest companions. Andrew? Dead. Fucking. Meat.
Just like your relationship, if you go down this road again.
“You know, your father and I were soproudof how far you’ve come this year. And then you had to go and ruin it with that boy—”
“Mom, if you’d let me explain what happened—”
“I don’t need to hear what happened. Iknowwhat happened. I thought I was going to have a stroke when I found out how youhumiliatedyourself. You’d never evenmetthis boy before. You introduced another boy entirely to me and your father. I know my son, which is how Iknewthis talk of fighting couldn’t have possibly been his fault. He doesn’t get into fistfights on his own. It’s no surprise, really, that you had something to do with it. And Nathaniel, that poor sweet boy you had us meet, I should’ve known it was too good to be true—”
I put her on mute when I can’t stand to hear any more. She’ll yell at me some more when she gets here.
A knock sounds, and then Julian pushes the door open.Just what I need. More arguing.“Are you okay? I thought I heard yelling in here.”
“My mom.” I hold up my phone and roll my eyes. “She knows why you really punched Andrew.”
“Is she coming?” He seems disturbingly unconcerned by what I said.
“To rain hell on my ass? Oh yeah.” I sink back under the covers with a groan. “God, I’mexhausted. Forget the nap. I may go straight to sleep right now.”
“Sounds like a good idea. You need the rest,” he says. “Andrew’s back with your medicine if you need it before you go to sleep. How’s the pain?”
“I’ll manage.”
“Let me go grab them.”
“Can you go kill my brother for me while you’re at it?”
