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“I would like to have the two of you in the sa at each other’s throats”

“That’s totally up to her,” he said, taking a slug fro with the leather and rope cuff on his wrist

“You know it’s not You needle her every chance you get”

“Maybe I’d rather have that than have nothing,” he said, absently, picking at the label on his beer Whatever happened back in high school was o, but I still didn’t get it I openedwhen he followed it up with solad to see a wooing on It’s nice to see you happy,over at the approaching waitress, who set down another set of drinks

An anvil sized realization hit ht I hadn’t followed up with anything about Rhys From the moment I left the club with Rachel, I’ve been so fixated on her that I haven’t done anything I needed to do to executeher texts and our phone conversations I’d been sidetracked withI needed I needed to stay focused

Gri out in puffs as we stepped into the frigid air We said our goodbyes and Gri and I answered the unknown number

“A collect call fro I’d ignored for weeks

“I accept the call”

15

KILLIAN

The dreariness of the landscape reflected exactly what everyone felt, as the line moved forward, one equally stone faced person at a time The metal bars slid open and I stepped into the chain link fence-lined ay There was a loud buzzer and then theover

I took everything out ofit in at the desk I’d learned over the years not to bring anything in I didn’t want “lost” I droppedin it and h another set of e paint and plaster from the walls littered the floor I could taste the metal in the air I hated comin

g here I hated it , but it was my duty The visits were less frequent since I moved to the other side of the country and that was my only reprieve, but I flew over on this day every year

The visitor’s roo their loved ones at bright blue tables with the stools attached to thehtly because I didn’t have an ounce of love for the ers, and older people in their own little worlds in this roo to pretend this was all completely nor here since h school

“Thorne,” the guard called out, as the group ahead of e of the beige and concrete rooaunt Nothing like how he looked when he showed up on our doorstep when I was sixteen Had I known then what I kne, I’d have shut the door in his face and never opened it again