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It’d been a couple of weeks since my mother had been released fros out of their house and, on the advice of her attorney, she had filed a restraining order

I couldn’t help worrying about her mental health She hadn’t been alone like that in years and in many ways, I could see the relief evident on her face But I also saw fear and sorrow I slept at the house with her the first couple of nights, even though she didn’t ask me to I just wanted her to feel safe

Luke also slept there so their relationship His sha to make amends and become the man I’d always hoped he could be The kind of brother I could finally look up to But it would take some effort and tiht kind of influence

My guilt was hardest of all to dissuade because I had been the one to shake this fa pressure on all sides fro suspected but no the truth

He lost it and took it out on ht The flip side was thaton and that she was only trying to keep the peace until we graduated She finally returned her sister’s calls, and Aunt Johanna had made the trip up to be with her this week

At the top of the hour, I packed upcenter on ca therapy session with Dr Drake the week before that basically blew my mind and my own theory about e and Jessie had become my safe haven She had shown up at my place a few ti out Unless I shared, she never askeddeep about my family or about us, as if she knew I just needed her co was, I liked having her inwe did these days was sleep wrapped tightly around each other I’d wake up with a hard-on every single tio there, not until we got so shit and I wanted to do right by her And that’s what I ht

As it turned out, sometimes life hands you a perfectly scripted nificance of it, until it clubs you repeatedly over the head

"C’ across from me now in his cushy black leather chair "We’re in private and nobody is going to hear you or judge you"

I felt a burn at the back ofto well and I did not want to lose it in front of him But why did it matter? Suddenly it beca was for sissies Was his logic so ingrained in my head that I couldn’t ever shake it?

"It’s scary," I said "Because I don’t knohat I’ll become if I let it loose"

He immediately picked up on my word choice "What you’ll beco, "Anot a hu out the word in histhe belief I’d harbored about es to do ave an imperceptible nod, now terrified what he’d think of me

His voice was soft and low, es to hurt and control people or things?"