Chapter 49
FORTY-NINE
North’s face is clouded with worry. I can tell Hunter’s phone call was unsuccessful by the way he looks at me. I meet his gaze, feeling the weight of Jessica’s words bearing down on me.
“Could Hunter get through?” I ask anyway, my voice trembling slightly.
North shakes his head. “No, he’s still on hold.”
I take a deep breath, feeling a knot tighten in my stomach. “North, can I… talk to you for a minute?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
He nods, concern etched across his features. “Sure, what’s wrong? Was I too rough with you?” he asks, reaching out to grab my hand, squeezing it softly.
No, but this is going to hurt.
I glance at Jessica, who shoots me a glare, so I tell him, “Let’s go to my room. I don’t want to wake him up with too much talking.”
Quietly, we leave Lio and Jessica behind and make our way to my room. With each step, the knot in my stomach grows, and by the time we step inside my room and close the door behind us, the tension in the air is palpable. I can see the confusion in North’s eyes as he waits for me to speak.
I take a deep breath, trying to find the right words, but they escape me. My heart races, and I finally blurt out, “Jessica told me something, something about Lio’s condition.”
North raises an eyebrow. “What did you just say?”
“I know, this sounds crazy…” I cringe at the word, taking another deep breath, “… but I can see and talk to ghosts. Jessica is still here. She’s hanging on to Lio because of his condition.
She wasn’t able to speak to me before, that’s why I only can tell you this now, but you’re treating him wrong. Lio doesn’t have asthma. He has cyst—”
North’s confusion vanishes, replaced by a look of anger as he cuts me off. “My dead wife told you that my son is sick.” His tone conveys how much he does not believe a word coming from my mouth.
Fuck.
I take a step closer, my voice pleading. “North, you have to listen to me. She said it’s a hereditary disorder, and if it’s not treated properly, it could get worse. He could die. She’s worried about Lio.”
His anger flares, but he doesn’t move, only glaring at me. A few seconds pass before he suddenly reaches down and grabs my bag from the floor, out of which I’m still living, not brave enough to make myself at home in this room, all I have is in the bag.
He pushes my bag, overflowing with my stuff, into my trembling hands and forcefully turns me toward the door before he opens it. Panic surges through me like an electric shock, my heart pounding so hard I can practically hear it in my ears.
“North, listen to me,” I plead, desperation tinged with fear in my voice as he keeps shoving me forward.
“No, I’m done listening to your shit. Get out of my house, now!” he roars when we reach the entryway, where Hunter and Nash spot us from the kitchen. My chest tightens, and it’s as if the world is crumbling around me.
Saylor stands next to North out of nowhere, looking around confused before he sees my panicked expression. “What the fuck is going on, Slo? Why are you scared?”
“What are you doing?” Hunter rushes toward us, concern etched on his face, Nash following closely behind. Their presence offers a glimmer of hope, even though I should know better.
“I knew it! I knew it from the first second I saw her. She’s a damn gold digger, and all she wants is our money. She doesn’t give a fuck about us!” North shouts so loudly that the glass in the old front door vibrates with the intensity.
“That’s not true,” I whimper, my voice barely above a whisper, tears streaming down my face as I instinctively back away from him.
“Fuck, you told him?” Saylor turns to look at North’s furious face, grimacing before he turns to Hunter. “You have to make them believe you, Slo. Hunt will believe you.”
I let my bag fall to my feet with a thud as I turn to face Hunter.
“Hunter, please. You have to get Lio to the hospital and have him checked again. He doesn’t have asthma.
He has cystic fibrosis. It’s rare, and it can be treated, but if it’s not treated properly, he could die.
You’ve already noticed how much worse his condition has become. ”
“Wait, what? Fuck, what did I miss again?” Saylor mutters, but I can’t look at him right now. My eyes are fixed on Hunter while I grip his shirt on his upper arms, his fingers clasping my forearms with a frown and worry in his eyes.
“Okaaay,” he begins, sounding unsure. “I mean, we can get that checked, North. She’s right. Lio has worsened a lot lately, and maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have him thoroughly examined once more anyway. I don’t understand what the problem is here. If she’s wrong, it’s not the end of the—”
North interrupts him with a frustrated exhale, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes shooting daggers at me. “Ask her how she thinks she knows that.”
Hunter’s gaze shifts from North back to mine, and I find myself looking down at my feet, releasing my grip on him, prompting him to let go of me as well. His tone softens as he asks, “Why would you know that?”
I’m just about to open my mouth, the words catching in my throat, but North mockingly interjects with his cynical tone, “She knows it because my dead wife told her.”
“Wait, Jess is here?” Saylor asks, turning around himself to look for her.
North continues, “Jessie’s ghost came to her and told her that Lio is sick and needed treatment.
I bet she’ll tell you even more details if you give her enough cash.
Or better yet, let’s hand over our credit cards.
I’m sure Jessie has a lot to say, and we wouldn’t want to stop her just because we can’t keep the money flowing. ”
I steal a glance at Nash, who meets my gaze with a frown I’ve never seen on his face and a painful hurt shimmering in his eyes. The ache in my chest deepens.
Please, believe me.
“I never told you that I wanted money. I want you to bring Lio to a doctor. Lio needs—” I begin, but North cuts me off again.
“So, the first ghost message is for free? And every other costs extra after? You could open a hotline, then. I guess there are other ghosts just waiting to contact us,” North retorts sarcastically, his words stinging like daggers.
“I can’t deal with this,” Saylor seethes in frustration, his voice trembling with anger.
“Tell him that Say is here. Tell him that he has to stop acting like a complete thundercunt and listen to you. Tell him you know about Dad’s car.
I’m the only one who knows about that. That has to make him listen to you. ”
While Saylor is talking, North abruptly opens the door and pushes me onto the porch, causing my heart to lurch in my chest as I stumble backward.
They all spill out of the door too, their expressions ranging from Nash’s hurt to Hunter’s confusion and North’s seething anger.
The weight of their skepticism presses down on me.
I knew it was too good to be true.
Everyone leaves when they get to know the real me.
“You get the fuck out of our house, now. And don’t think for a second that you still have a job,” North declares, chest heaving.
As if I’d care about that stupid job now.
The tears continue to flow uncontrollably. “I’ll go, but you have to promise me to get Lio checked as soon as possible,” I plead between sobs.
“North, let’s talk about this. I still don’t know what you’re even talking about. I’m sure she can explain,” Hunter argues, but I can feel that even he’s unsure about being on my side.
Nash remains silent, his watchful eyes fixed on me as the tears continue to fall. I can sense his inner turmoil, but he doesn’t make a move.
“She claims to be able to talk to ghosts just to get money out of us! Do you need it spelled out?” North now turns to Hunter, yelling in frustration, “She googled us, found out shit about our family, and now she’s using it against us!”
“Tell him! Tell them I’m here, Slo. They can ask me anything. We can set this straight right now, make them believe,” Saylor pleads.
I know I’m just getting myself into the deep end with this, but I need to try.
For Lio.
“Saylor is here,” I murmur, my voice soft but carrying enough weight to make all of them stop in their tracks and turn to look at me in disbelief.
“Go on,” Saylor says, standing resolutely beside me with his arms crossed over his chest.
“He says that you need to stop acting like a thundercunt and—” I begin, but North cuts me off once again when he turns to Hunter, pointing a finger at me.
“I told you she’s fucking lying! Can you believe that? She came here, slithered her way into our family just to come up with her gold-digging shit the minute we let her in!”
Hunter’s expression morphs from confusion to something akin to disgust, and Nash is visibly distressed, tugging at his hair in frustration.
“I trusted you with the memory of my brother, and you turn it against me?” Hunter asks, hurt in his voice.
“That’s not what this is,” I start, taking a step closer to him, my eyes locked on Hunter, who instinctively takes a step back as I reach out for him.
I’m so focused on Hunter that I don’t notice how North leans into the house to grab my bag and hurls it so forcefully in my direction that the momentum pushes me backward, causing me to tumble off the two steps leading to the porch.
I land hard on my butt in the dirt of the driveway, the pain searing through me as my eyes clench shut, and I curse under my breath.
Fuck, that hurt.
When I open my eyes again, they meet Nash’s concerned face. Relief washes over me as he takes a step to come and help me, but North’s grip on his shirt over his shoulder halts him in his tracks.
“Nash…” North warns in a stern tone, “… you’d pick her over your family?”
Nash looks at North, then back at me, torn. His hesitation is palpable before he pushes North away and steps out of his grasp, my heart skipping a beat with hope. But, instead of coming to me, he turns and walks back into the house, muttering a defiant “Fuck you, brother” over his shoulder.
I’m still sitting on the ground with my butt in the mud when Saylor steps up to Hunter, chest to chest, yelling at him, “Are you fucking kidding me? Do something! Say something!” Of course, Hunter can’t see him, and when Saylor tries to shove him, his hands pass right through Hunter’s chest.
The sound of car tires crunching on gravel and two car doors slamming shut shatters the tense silence that is only filled with my sobs.
Strong arms slide under mine, lifting me to my feet.
I clutch my bag tightly, my knuckles white with tension, as Tim positions himself in front of me, crossing his arms over his chest as he faces Hunter and North.
“What the fuck is going on? Why is she on the ground crying?” Tim’s voice cuts through, sharp and hard, betraying his usual calm demeanor.
“Are you okay?” Tally asks from beside me, her voice laced with genuine concern. I meet her gaze, but my emotions have me in a stranglehold, making it nearly impossible to speak. Instead, I simply sob and shake my head, the tears flowing unchecked.
Tally instinctively moves closer, ready to pull me in a hug, when North interjects with a mocking tone, “Tallulah, perfect timing. Blue here just told us she can talk to ghosts. I bet she’d talk to Shannon for you if you’re willing to pay her enough.
I’m pretty sure she’s expensive, though.
I don’t know if Tim’s income can cover it.
That’s why she came to the source, right? To fuck with the Jones? Literally?”
My chest feels like it’s being torn apart. It’s not surprising that North is lashing out, but seeing Hunter just standing there, looking at me with disgust, hurts even more.
“Oh, my God, are you for real right now? You fucking dick,” Saylor seethes from beside Hunter. But then he turns to me, scrunching up his face, “No, no, no!”
When he vanishes, I feel like my only ally is gone, leaving me shattered.
The next second, I glance at Tally again, expecting to see mistrust in her eyes too, prepared to lose the only living friend I’ve ever had. But her gaze isn’t on me. It’s fixed on North, glaring at him. She reaches out to grab my hand and squeezes it tightly.
A sob of relief escapes me, and my knees nearly buckle.
“What are you even—” Tim starts, but North interrupts him once more with a dismissive gesture.
“Do with her what you want. She’s not our fucking problem anymore, that’s for sure. We’re done with the crazy one.”
His words cut through me like a knife.
Crazy.
He thinks I’m crazy.
And Hunter believes him.
Just like Nash.
My breathing becomes ragged, and I start to hyperventilate.
Tim turns and places his hands firmly on my shoulders while Tally continues to squeeze my hand.
“We’ve got you, okay?” Tim reassures me, rubbing my upper arms soothingly.
He takes the bag from my grasp and puts it over his shoulder.
“Let’s go. Satan’s right. We’re done here,” he tells me loudly, making sure North has heard him.