63. Chapter 61
Emery
With my chest burning with anguish, I fish my phone out of the side pocket of my backpack, and through my watery vision, I find Oakley’s number and hit the call button.
It only rings twice. “Ems! I thought we were going shopping for the party after lunch?”
“Can we go now?” Every word cracks as I exit the building and stumble down the stairs, blindly turning to walk down the path.
“Oh my god, are you okay? What happened?”
“Hudson was here too.”
“Okay…”
“I didn’t know! I had no idea. It was a shock. And the apartment has another woman’s clothes and bathroom crap. And a new bear. And—” My breathing feels tight, like my chest won’t expand enough.
“Ems, breathe, babe.” Oakley cuts through the word vomit, and it takes me until I’m around the corner and walking down the main street before I can focus and take her advice.
After several deep breaths, Oakley restarts our conversation.
“Okay, so Hudson being there obviously shocked you, but did they do anything? Do I need to kick their asses? Cause I will if you need me to. Well, not me, but I’d get my sister to hook us up.
” There is a bunch of rustling coming through the phone, and partway through, the sound of her voice changes like she’s put me on speakerphone.
“No, we just posed for Darcy.” I swap her over to speaker as well and bring up my Uber app.
“Like… together or…?” Her voice is muffled for some reason.
“Yeah, but sitting on chairs and back to back. Our hands were tied together.”
“Ah, right, the rope thing. But like… did anything else happen?”
“No, that’s it.”
Silence comes through the line.
“Okay, so, tell me about the apartment. When did you even go there? When I got home last night, I figured you were locked in your room with G.I. Joe and just put my headphones on.” Keys clink together and then a door slams.
“Last night.” I stop in the middle of the sidewalk and close my eyes, trying not to let the wave of emotion flowing over me at the memory take me out again. “I went to look for my sketch pad.”
“Did you find it?”
“No.”
“But there were women’s clothes and bathroom crap? Were they yours?”
“Yes and no. I’ve never seen any of that stuff before.”
Several options appear on my screen, and I select a solo ride, not giving a fuck that it’s a twenty-four-dollar fare.
“To be fair, you haven’t seen any of the stuff they bought you before, either. Maybe it was all stuff for you?”
I’m shaking my head before she’s finished talking. “No, they’ve been sending me whatever they’re buying me. Besides, I told them it was over. Why would they buy me stuff to leave at the apartment?”
“Are you sure? Like, did you ask any of them? You had two of them in a room today, did you even try to talk to them? Get some answers?”
I freeze. Because, no, I didn’t. I never have. I’ve never asked questions. Questions, historically, have always led to answers I don’t want, usually followed by a physical reminder to not ask questions, so why would this time be any different?
But…I never really gave them a chance to show me they were different, did I? I just disappeared—well, tried to. Because that’s what always happened before. If there was an issue, adults would handle it and shuffle me onto the next foster home, without an explanation.
Except, now I’ve gotten myself stuck in a situation where I think I need more information, but they are the only ones with the answers.
There is a heavy sigh. “You totally sat there in silence, didn’t you?” I can hear her eye roll.
“I laughed at one point.” That I played off as a cough.
“That was super communicative of you.”
“Is that even a word?” A smile is creeping its way onto my face as I watch the little car icon on my screen creep closer.
“Yes, that’s a word. Jeez. What do you take me for?” A car door slams, then all background noise drops. “Okay, I’ve just gotten into my ride. I’ll see you soon, okay?”
“Hey, Oaks?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for being my bosom buddy.”
“Oh my god, you are never going to let me live that down!” She laughs.
“Nope, we are going to be old and saggy and still be bosom buddies.”
She sighs dramatically. “Fine. But I get to pick where we live.”
Grinning stupidly big, I reply as my ride pulls up. “Deal.”