Page 159 of Breathe Like Hell

Micah was sitting in the leather armchair on his laptop while I sat on the ground in front of the coffee table, a plate of microwaved mini pancakes in front of me and YouTube on the TV. I dumped on more syrup while watching a video essay on some cult.

“Are you creating the final exam?” I asked, looking over at Micah.

“The final exam has been created since the beginning of the semester.”

“Do you think I’m going to fail?”

He set his laptop on a side table next to him and motioned for me to come to him. I crawled across the carpet to sit at his feet, resting my cheek on his knee.

“Now, what sort of bullshit question is that?” Micah cupped my jaw with his strong hand, arching an eyebrow.

I giggled. “You never know.”

“I do know.” He leaned forward and grabbed under my arms, hoisting me onto his lap and tucking my legs up. “You are so capable, Masters. Your final lab report was immaculate. I’m inputting the grade this weekend.”

“Really?”

“Of course. And you’re going to do well on all your finals. Not just mine.”

“Mmmmm,” I hummed. “I hope so.”

“Your birthday’s coming up,” Micah said, rubbing his palm up and down my thigh. Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I ducked my head to hide it. I didn’t really like my birthday. I never had. It was just another day that’d always made me sad, mostly because the emphasis that was supposed to exist on that day never did. It made me feel more forgotten than usual.

“I don’t want to do anything for it,” I said, my voice muffled against Micah’s shirt.

“That’s unfortunate for you.” Micah tipped my head back. “Because I have plans for us.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. And Mason’s invited.”

Tears sprung up in my eyes, and I pushed my face back against his chest. I could tell he didn’t want it this way, but he was doing it for me. To make me happy, at the expense of his own contentment. I felt as guilty as I did grateful.

“What are the plans?” I asked quietly.

“Surprise plans.”

“I don’t like surprises.”

“I know you, baby girl. I’m not going to plan something you won’t like.” He held me tighter, stroking my skin with his fingertips. “Most of the day is already planned, anyway. You’ve got your final exam that morning—my exam—and then you can come back here to rest while I finish meetings and other teacher bullshit I have to do for the end of the semester.”

“And then what?”

“And then you have a nice night.”

“At home?”

He nodded.

I wondered what he had planned. He didn’t tell me when I asked again.

━━━━━

Cold air bit at my cheeks as I walked up the front steps of the trailer I’d grown up in, a dog barking somewhere in the distance. I knocked on the door, then wrapped my arms around myself. I was extra early because I didn’t want to take any chances of Anthony arriving first. It would throw me off more than I already was.

The door opened after just a minute.

“Dakota,” my mother said as she held out her arms for a hug. She looked thinner than the last time I’d seen her, more lines creased into her pale face, exhaustion weighing on her shoulders.