Page 273 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B

A second phone he hides.

An assault charge.

But at this moment,

my heart doesn’t care.

It’s slowing down to a low, angry,

Thump.

Thump.

With every swipe of my thumb across his scar. ‘Cause now I’m pissed.

Andrew cut himself open for his mom.

He let a surgeon scoop out a piece of his fucking body for her to live. And she took that second chance, and fed it straight to the bottle.

And Paola still drinks in front of her.

The whole family clinks glasses with smiles. Like Andrew hasn't literally bled for them. Like he isn’t still working himself to death.

My throat tightens,

tears dripping down its walls.

Like I can’t cry out,

so my body’s crying in for him.

I want to strangle every last one of them.

Including Andrew.

Especially Andrew.

I want to grab him by the skin and scream—stop being their hero, they don’t deserve you—as this brutal, heartbreaking realization settles:

Andrew chooses everyone,

and no one chooses him.

As I let him go,

from the corner of my eye,

Ben walks by,

catches me with my arms around Andrew, lifts his hand⁠—

Then—

CRACK—the sound echoing through the penthouse, hard enough to jolt my teeth.

The sudden sting spreads hot, burns, flooding the spot where his hand met skin.

My body freezes.