Chapter Six #2
He looks up. “Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
A grin spreads across his face. “That’s more like it. See? You can be normal when you try—”
“Don’t start that shit again, you—”
“You’re welcome, Annie,” he cuts in, stopping my next outburst before it can really get going.
I clear my throat, exhale, and give him a small nod, so he knows I get what he’s saying, even if I hate hearing it.
The truth is, my moods are all over the place.
No one ever knows when I’m going to go off, and half the time, neither do I.
That’s the part that really sucks. Even while I’m yelling and carrying on, there’s always this little part of me watching it happen, knowing I’m overreacting, and afterward all I’m left with is guilt and embarrassment and no real idea why I’m like this.
Caleb pulls his phone from his pocket and starts scrolling, giving me space, or maybe just deciding I’m not worth engaging with right now.
Fair enough, too.
I know what I did was stupid. Trust me, I’m already paying for it with the way I feel.
If this is what a hangover is like, then I never want to drink again.
Not ever. I’m definitely not looking forward to Dad yelling or Mum giving me that disappointed look that somehow feels worse.
And with my head pounding the way it is, the last thing I want is one of Dad’s lectures at full volume.
Exhausted from arguing, I sink deeper into the bed and let my thoughts drift back to Aston.
To the way his hand felt against my cheek.
To the way I looked into his eyes and, for just a second, felt like I could see right into him.
I know he wasn’t trying to hurt me, not deliberately, but he did, and I have no idea what any of this means for us now.
Does this mean we can’t be friends anymore?
Right now, it feels like maybe we can’t.
I can’t let him think there’s something there if there isn’t.
The band has to come first. Relationships don’t matter, not now.
I’m seventeen, for crying out loud. I’m way too young to be worrying about boyfriends, and I don’t even want one.
Music is all that matters to me, and if Aston doesn’t understand that, then maybe I need to stay away from him.
That seems like the only sensible option.
It’ll make rehearsals awkward, but I can deal with that. I’ll stand on the other side of Caleb, and Ella can stand next to Aston.
Problem solved.
At least, that’s what I tell myself.
I’m still lost in those thoughts when Indi walks back into the room.
“How are you feeling, Annie?” she asks, and only then do I realize I actually do feel a little better. Still seedy, still headachy, but not quite as dead as I did before.
“A bit better, thanks, Pixie,” I say, then immediately clap a hand over my mouth.
She smiles. “Pixie?”
I shrug. “You look like one. A cute little pixie.”
Caleb laughs. “Is she still drunk?” he asks.
I scowl at him.
“No, she shouldn’t be,” Indi says, moving over to detach the drip. “Do you still feel the effects of alcohol, Annie?”
“No. I just… didn’t mean to say that out loud. It kind of slipped out. Sorry.”
She giggles softly. “No, it’s okay. I kind of like being a pixie.”
As she starts taking my blood pressure, the band around my arm tightens until I wince.
“Geez… a torture-pixie, then?”
She smiles again, and Caleb snorts under his breath.
“Sorry. I know this sucks, but you seem to be doing much better. You’ve been here for three hours, and I think you’ve sobered up enough to go home now.”
My whole body tenses, and I glance over at Caleb.
He gives me a small half smile before stepping toward Indi and taking her hand.
My eyes widen.
“Indi, we need to talk. Not now, but… will you give me a chance? Maybe lunch tomorrow?” he asks quietly, like he’s hoping I won’t hear, which is pointless because I’m right here.
She looks up at him, and there’s so much emotion in her face that it catches me off guard.
“I’m working tomorrow,” she says softly. “And anyway, it’s not a good idea. It won’t change anything, Caleb. So what’s the point?”
For a second, she looks like she might cry, then she gently pulls her hand free and turns back to me with a warm smile. “No offense, Annie, but I hope I don’t see you in here again. Take care of yourself, okay? And no more drinking.”
Something about the way she says it makes me feel all warm inside. She really does seem lovely.
“No offense taken. Thanks for looking after me. I really appreciate… whatever it is you did for me.”
She nods. “You’re welcome,” but when she looks back at Caleb, he’s practically pleading with his eyes, but she turns toward the door.
“Indi, please—”
“Take her home, Caleb. She needs to recover.”
And with that, she walks out.
Caleb rubs the back of his neck and watches her go, his shoulders tight, his expression unreadable. For the first time, he actually looks a little shaken.
I bite the inside of my cheek. “You okay, cuz?”
He turns back to me. “Yeah. I just… wasn’t expecting to see Indi today, that’s all.”
I slide off the bed and walk over to him. “Who is she?”
He exhales and looks out into the hallway. “No one. She’s no one.”
I don’t believe that for a second. Indi the pixie is definitely not no one, not with the look that just crossed his face.
“You know you can talk to me… if you want to.”
He glances at me, then shakes his head. “There’s nothing to say. C’mon, let’s get you home. It’s an hour-and-a-half drive, and it’s getting close to one in the morning.”
My stomach knots.
I exhale slowly and follow him out of the hospital room, heading straight toward the screaming match that’s probably waiting for me.
And I am really not looking forward to it.