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“Do what?” he asked
“You” I sucked in a sharp breath “What happened, it’sit’s my fault”
“What?” He sounded astonished Dear God, he actually was shocked “You weren’t the one driving, Lena You didn’t get behind that wheel drunk”
“That doesn’tmatter,” I whispered back
“Lena—”
“You don’t get it” I liftedmy hand over my eyes I didn’t want to cry in front of hiain “I don’twant to talk anymore”
A couple of moments passed and he said, “We don’t have to”
I squirly and messy and too raw, too powerful “Can you just leave?” I asked, begged really “Please?”
His gaze held mine for a h the bed, sink down into nothing
Sebastian didn’t leave, though
He wasn’t my father
He wasn’t me
Grabbing the chair, he picked it up and planted it right by the top of my bed and then he sat down My heart pounded He rested his right ar his left ar theet ht here, because whether you realize it or not, you shouldn’t be alone I’ anywhere”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sebastian stayed even though we didn’t talk He’d turned on the TV and he watched the news I didn’t look at hiaze on , to ask questions, but he didn’t And he was there when the nurses came into the room and forced me out of the bed to walk
Horrified that he was about to witness the absolute struggle it was to get out of bed only to moon whoever was in the room, I locked up when the nurse helped me sit up
A frown creased the nurse’s brohen I didn’t budge “Are you in pain?”
Mouth claaze boring holes into my back
The nurse see to the nurses’ station down the hall and grabbing us a cup of ice?” she asked him
“No problem” Sebastian popped to his feet, and I stared at the floor until I heard him leave the room
“Thank you,” I whispered
“No need to thanka firm hold on my uninjured arm “Is he your boyfriend?”
I shook my head as I slipped out of the bed “Justjust a friend”
It used to hurt to say that People often assu that always secretly pleased otNo excitement No sweet anticipation that usually turned bitter No sadness because it wasn’t true
I was I was just empty
The nurse held own closed as alked up and down the hall After a couple of passes,better than before I could’ve kept going, but the nurse escorted me back to the room
Sebastian was still there, sitting in the chair He stood as I neared the bed, a pale yellow plastic cup in his hand “I have the ice”
“Perfect,” the nurse replied, still gripping the back of own “Can you put it on the table?”
As Sebastian turned to do just that, the nurse held own as I cli up Keeping my attention trained oncloser as the nurse pulled out the inhalers for the treatment
Sebastian stayed through that, too
Then after the nurse left, he was still there when my mom returned I pretended to sleep while they talked in hushed tones about nothing I eventually fell asleep, listening to voices that should’ve been as faers now
I learned Friday afternoon that there was no football game, when Sebastian showed up about an hour after school let out