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"I’d give anything to go hoy on his face is apparent, but I wave hirab two ju rope Twenty-five push-ups Then twenty-five squats We’ll repeat the cycle five times"
"Haley," he says and I only offer hi the rope froers onto my wrist and swipes his thuht to my toes, but there’s a part of me, no matter how pathetic, that resents hi ho" I shove the rope into his hands "We need to keep this siht in less than twoa response from him, I turn up the volume on the stereo and let Eminem drown out West’s voice and my emotions
Chapter 34
West
I’ve never slapped a woman, but the pain that slashed across Haley’s face earlier this evening when I told her I was going home I felt like I had My entire body flinches I hurt Haley tonight Like I always do, I acted and didn’t think
I’ hills of our sprawling gated community Mansions dot the land every quarter to half mile Some properties, like , I spot our house and er Soe The towering white coluht sky
It’s massive and for the first time in my life a pit forms in my stomach as I ease into the driveway It’s not just e used only by my parents and whip around the back to the structure built for s to park our cars On instinct, I reach for the garage opener attached to h , there’s only one Ethan’s car looks lonely in the spot to the left I park the Escalade near the right wall and close lance at the e should be In fact, that’s where she would be if she’d never been in that accident The entire garage rings loudly with ht on a Saturday, Mom would be asleep and Rachel would have escaped out the kitchen door to slip in here to work on the cars She’d be knee-deep in grease and would have sent her than Inore what’s not therewhat I want to be there
The house is quiet Dark With the flick of a switch the lights of the kitchen spring to life The air from the heater rolls out of the overhead vent and the sound only presses against the silence
A loaf of bread sits on the counter A bowlful of apples on the island The pantry door’s cracked open and a dozen or rowls and my hand lowers to stop it I’ve eaten two meals a day for teeks Sometimes one The meal always small And herewe throw food out
"Welco to the foyer
"Miss me?" I ask casually I didn’t hear shit from him or any of my brothers
"I texted and called," he says Sometimes it’s hard to look Ethan in the eye He’s too e of Dad "You didn’t answer"
It’s a convenient excuse that’s probably true "My phone died"