“Hey, you did what you thought was right. Joe gets a little crazy sometimes. I know he seems overprotective, but he has spent the past eighteen years dealing with Penelope. He has his reasons.”
I lean back and rest my throbbing head against the pillow. “It would help if he told his daughter his reasons. Then maybe I could convince her too, because right now Megan thinks Penelope is Parent of the Year.” Megan had said that Annie Pisko practically raised her. “She told me that her aunt is the only mom she’s ever had and how much she loved her. Maybe she’s missing her and thinks Penelope’s a good option.”
“Maybe. Amelia’s working through a lot right now. I know she can be stubborn. She may not listen at first, but don’t give up. As for Joe, whatever you think of him, he always has her best interests at heart.” He stands next to the bed and rests his hand on my bad shoulder. “You can trust him.”
He turns away, and I’m afraid he’s leaving. Not only do I not want to be alone, but he’s Grady Pisko. “Don’t go.”
“I thought you’d want some privacy.”
“If you have time, I don’t know, maybe we can hang out?”
He grins. “Alright. No more staring though. You’re freaking me out. I’m going to go make some calls, and then I’ll come back. I suggest you do the same. Call your parents. They are probably worried.”
“When you come back, can we talk football?” My voice quivers. I hope he doesn’t notice.
“Definitely. It’s my favorite topic.” Grady Pisko gives a quick wave and disappears.
Before he returns, I call my mother, who’s a basketcase, and tell her I’m fine. She offers to have my father drive out or to send one of my brothers, but I assure her that I’m taken care of. Home sounds tempting, but Grady Pisko and me conversing about football is a dream. She makes me promise to call her the second I’m back at the dorm.
Then I call Chase. “CC,” I say when he picks up. “Can you talk?”
“One sec.” I wait, listening to him shuffle. “Okay. I’m hiding in the bathroom. How you doing?”
“My head hurts, but other than that, I’m fine. They’re testing me for a concussion or something. Hopefully once the doctor signs off they’ll discharge me.”
“How are you getting home? Do you need a ride?”
“Wait until you hear this.” I pause for effect. “What would you say if I told you Grady Pisko is giving me a ride?”
“No shit! How did Megan have these relatives and we’re just finding out about it now?”
I ignore his question. “How is she?”
“Now that we all know you’re okay, she’s fine. She told me about finding her mom. Crazy, right?”
Crazy is an understatement. I’m glad Megan told Chase about her mother. It means she’s still opening up to people even though she thinks I’ve done her wrong. “Is she really mad at me?”
“She doesn’t seem mad.”
I sigh in relief, until he adds, “But she seems… defeated almost.”
Shit. “That’s worse. Mad I can deal with. What can I do?”
Chase lowers his voice. Maybe the girls are nearby. “Nothing now. Just rest and get your head straight, literally. I’ll see you back at the dorm tomorrow. Keep in touch, okay?”
“You got it. Thanks, man.” Chase is right. I need to rest, make sure I don’t have a concussion. And I have Grady Pisko football talk time to look forward to.
I’m about to hang up when Chase says, “Oh, hey! Can you text Juliet? She has been a lunatic worrying about you.”
“Will do. Thanks for taking care of the girls tonight.”
He laughs. “No problem. Being snowed in with two beautiful women is fine by me.”
I groan. “You already stole one girlfriend from me. Give me a chance with the other. You and your movie star looks.”
He snickers. “I’m going to need some male bonding time after this. We’ll hang?”
“Absolutely.”
I end the call and text Juliet. When Pisko comes back in, we forget about the girls for a while and talk our favorite topic—football. Hearing his stories, seeing his excitement, listening to his advice and his secrets, remembering how it feels to throw a pass, makes me forget about my headache and gets me excited to get back on the field. For the first time since November, I can feel how much I miss it.
Megan
Rob cooks an amazing breakfast for us, and then Chase drives us back to Sheridan Hall. The roads are terrible because it’s still icy and cold, but he goes slowly. Little by little, we make progress. When we drag ourselves in, I thank him and Juliet, and the three of us each go to our own rooms for a little alone time.
Maggie is in room three waiting for me. She jumps into my arms. “I’m so happy you’re back. It was just me, Win, and Rodrigo here for the blackout. Terrible. I hid so I wouldn’t have to deal with them.”
“Oh no! Being trapped with your ex isn’t exactly the best way to spend a snow day.”
“It sucked. And tonight is Sunday dinner, if everyone makes it back, so I have to see him again.” She sighs with added Maggie dramatic flair. “I may have to move out of Sheridan.”
“It’s not getting any easier?” I can’t envision how this is going to work with Ben and me. We didn’t have the kind of relationship Maggie and Win did. Still, having to see Ben every day will be difficult.
She frowns. “It’s awkward. Sometimes I see him and I want to yell, ‘how could you break up with me?’ Other times I’m like, ‘thank God I’m free,’ but then sometimes, I get sad and think I’ll never be loved again.”
I touch her long blonde hair. “Oh, Maggie. You’ll be loved. You’re impossible not to love. Winston’s a moron. Did he ever give you a reason?”
“He had said something ‘felt off.’ I wish he had a better reason, you know?” I nod and Maggie continues. “Something like… he met someone else… he’s gay… he’s moving to Alaska. Whatever. Now he’s saying he misses me and wants to work it out. He had a momentary lapse of sanity or something. But that’s crap.”
“Total crap,” I agree. “Boys suck.”
“They do. Except Ben. When is he coming back?”
I called Maggie last night when cell service was restored and told her about my fight with Ben and his accident. “I think he’ll be back today.”
“Good. Then you two can talk.”
I plop down on my bed without taking off my coat. “I don’t think it’s going to work out with us.”
She marches next to me. “Stop. It’s Ben! You’ve wanted him since September. You can make it work.”
Maggie has a point. I’ve wanted Ben for a long time. Even when I tried to convince myself I didn’t. Now that I finally have him, I want to run again. I know Maggie won’t let a love story go easily, so I change the subject. “Who is on for dinner tonight?”
Maggie organizes the Sunday dinners on a spreadsheet. She pulls out her laptop and checks her chart. “Chase and Juliet. I vote for Chinese.”
“Good call. I’ll text them.” I tap out a text to Juliet and Chase, who are more than happy to order Chinese. Neither of them is into cooking, and they didn’t even know it was their week to prep.
Maggie chats at me while I lay down and burrow under my comforter. When I start to doze, she packs her backpack. “Want to come to the library with me?”
“Not at all. I’m going to sleep, hopefully until the spring.”
“How about you sleep, but just until dinner? I’ll wake you.”
“Do I have to go? Ben…”
“Yes, you have to go. It’s one of the consequences of dating a neighbor. It sucks, I know, but it’s Frank’s Dinner.”
I sigh. “Frank would totally understand. Maybe we can start a basement ex’s club.” I look hopefully to Maggie, who shakes her head.
“Nope. And you won’t be in it anyway. You and Ben aren’t over. I know this. I can tell. Pooja’s intuition is wearing off on me.” Maggie’s hope has nothing to do with Pooja. She’s a romantic optimist
. She wants everyone to work out. “Fix this with Ben. I’ll see you later.”
I wave, and she disappears into the hallway.
About an hour into my nap, a tap at the door wakes me. Groggy, I open it to Uncle Pisser. He grabs me into one of his signature hugs. He lifts me, then spins, then acts like he’s going to drop me, but instead spins the other way. He’s been doing it since I was born. “Oh my God, put me down!”
I’m dizzy when he stands me on the floor. “What are you doing here?”
He looks around my room. “I promised your dad I’d get Ben back in one piece. He’s in his room.”
I pick up my phone off the desk. Ben didn’t call or text me or come banging down my door. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. His head hurts, but the tests came back negative. There’s no concussion. We had a nice chat. You picked a good one there. I approve.”
I glare at him then sit at my desk. “You know, all my life you and my father have told me ‘no football players.’ You’ve never approved of anyone I dated, but now you both happen to like Ben?”
“He’s a nice guy. What’s not to like?” I think about the question then shrug. There really is nothing to not like about Ben. “Go easy on him, Amelia. He has good intentions.”
I twist in the chair, crossing my arms over my chest. “I have no doubt about that, but I don’t think it’s going to work. It never seems to work out for me.”
“Won’t work unless you try.” He grabs the arms of the chair and stops me from spinning. Looking into his eyes, I make a weird harrumph-type noise.
Thankfully, he changes the subject. “Your dad told me you met your mom.”
“Penelope gave birth to me. Aunt Annie was my mom.” He grins at my correction. “I don’t get it though. She seems perfectly legit. Why is he so worried? And now he’s recruited Ben to his cause.”
Uncle Pisser shrugs. “Your dad has his reasons, and Ben, well, I think he’s just crazy about you and wants to protect you.”
“I’m tired of being protected.”
“I know, baby girl.”
I huff at the nickname. “I’m not a baby girl, anymore, Uncle.”
“I know that too. Us men have thick skulls when it comes to our girl… women though.” He kisses me on the head as he pulls out his keys. “I have to get back. Be nice to Ben, okay?”
I stand and follow him to the door without answering. I kiss him goodbye and watch him leave, peeking toward room six.
I don’t want to be nice to Ben. I want to forget Ben. I want to forget everything about this stupid floor. I want to move out of Sheridan and run somewhere, anywhere, far away from the men in my life. Being here is too hard.
I know I should go check on Ben, but instead, I hide in my room with the lights out and pretend I’m somewhere else. I am a scared little princess, just like Ben said.
A little while later, I’m jolted awake by Maggie. “Meg?” She peeks her head into the room. She’s still wearing her pink hat, and her cheeks are rosy.
“Hmm?”
“I think you should look in the hallway.”
I stand up and stretch, rubbing my eyes. When I open the door, the hallway lights temporarily blind me. I squeeze them shut then open them again, and when I focus, I see my face in front of me in the mural painted by Chase.
Something’s different. There’s a flower painted next to my cheek. A little white daisy. It’s not a professional looking daisy. The little flower looks like a kid drew it on the wall and colored it in with markers.
I tilt my head and step into the hallway, examining the mural. Maggie stands next to me, smiling. I notice another daisy, then another. I follow the trail of awkward little daisies down the hallway, Maggie in tow. There must be twenty of them, spread over the lounge and Rocco’s portrait, past the room five girls, right to the football Ben’s about to throw. There’s a note taped to the ball with my name on it.
I look to Maggie, who shrugs and giggles. “Read it!”
Gently, I pull the note off the mural and open it. It’s a print out of Ben’s Valentine’s Day ACME questionnaire. On top, he handwrote: I’m sorry. Please don’t throw this away.
Maggie reads over my shoulder and sighs. “You’re the match!” She holds my shoulders and gives me a squeeze. “It’s not over with you two. It’s just beginning.”
I ignore Maggie’s optimism as I walk down to room six and knock on the door. Ben knows I’m his ninety-five percent match.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ben
Megan reaches out to touch my head. She’s holding my note, and for a moment, I think everything is fine. “Oh God, Ben. Are you okay?”
I place my hand over hers and direct her to the bump. She grimaces as I do, as if she can feel the pain too. “I have a hard head. No concussion.”
She pulls her hand away from my hair and wraps her arms around over her chest. “I could kill my father for letting you out into the storm.”
“I didn’t give him much of a choice.” I open the door wider and Megan walks inside, her arms still crossed, shielding herself. “Will you let me talk?”
She nods. “Only if you sit down. I’m afraid you’re going to pass out or something.”
I sit in my desk chair, and Megan sits across from me on my bed. Her eyes are big pools of blue. I remember the night a few weeks ago when we signed the contract. How they darted across my face, and landed on my lips, and we started something that turned out to be so awesome.
I take a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I never meant to upset you. I only wanted to keep you safe. The fact that your father is who he is had nothing to do with anything. He told me that you’re in danger, and I reacted. Since Frank, I’m having a difficult time figuring out what to do. But I shouldn’t have tried to save you. I should have let you save yourself.
“I feel terrible, not only for not trusting you to make your own choices, but because we were just starting out with something great. And now we are taking two steps back. Please, don’t let this dumb, dumb mistake ruin our chances at this.” I point my finger between us. “I want to be with you, Meg. You’re it for me.”
Megan looks down at the floor, and her eyes water. I lost her. My heart jumps, and I start to sweat. “I—I’m not good at this stuff, and besides my screwed up time with Juliet, I’ve never been in a relationship. I’m trying. Really, I am. I need you to trust me enough to give me another chance.”
Without a word, she stands and walks to the door. I follow and hold my hand over hers on the doorknob. “Stop, Meg. Please don’t walk out that door.” I’m scared she’s going to leave my room and I’ll never see her again.
She turns to look at me. “Let me go, Ben.”
My heart hurts more than my head as her eyes pool with tears. I hold her hand tighter. I need to make her hear me. “Listen. You said at the penthouse that you wanted to be treated like a grown-up and not be protected. If that’s true, then you have to act like a grown up. Not run away from life, or me, or your father, or whatever.”
“Let. Go. Ben.” She tries to wiggle her hand away, but I won’t release her.
“Do you even want to hear the truth about your mom? Why your dad was keeping you away?”
She stops struggling and glares.
“Your mother didn’t want you.”
She inhales and purses her lips together. “Thanks for reminding me.”
I shake my head. “You need to hear this.”
She jerks her hand from under mine but stays put.
“Your dad’s been paying her for eighteen years to stay away. Since November, she’s been getting greedy, seeing the opportunity to exploit you and your father, and he’s been resisting. He pays her so your heart won’t be broken. But no matter how you feel about your father or your mother, that’s separate and apart from how you feel about me.”
She grabs the doorknob again and flings open the door. I follow her into the hallway.
“I’m not going to let you do it.” Yelling makes my head
pound, but I don’t know how to get through to her. “I’m not going to let you run away again.”
Down the hall, the door to room one opens. Pooja peeks out, sees us, and then retreats back into her room. Meg turns to me. “You want to know how I feel?”
I don’t care if the whole goddamn dorm hears as I continue to yell. “That would be fan-fucking-tastic.”
Her eyes fill with tears, but I don’t care—I’m not letting her off the hook. “I shouldn’t have trusted you with my secrets.”
She starts down the hallway. “Why not? Because I talked to your dad? Because I tried to help? Why don’t you want anyone to help you?”
When she spins around to face me, the tears have fallen. Still, I stay strong. She can cry all she wants, but I’m getting through to her. Now.
She pushes on my chest, putting space between us. “I don’t know!” she screams. “Are you happy now? I’m fucked up, Ben. I don’t know how to act. I don’t know what to say.” Her chest heaves as she takes a breath. “I don’t know who I am or what I want to be, and all that makes me…” She drops her face to the floor and a tear falls.
When Pooja peeks out of room one again, I hold up a hand and wave her away. She could probably fix this whole thing with one conversation, but this is for Meg and me to do. If we have a chance, this is our moment.
I lower my voice and take a step closer. “Vulnerable. It makes you vulnerable. So who gives a fuck? When people love you, it doesn’t matter.”
When she looks up at me, the sight of her tear-stained face makes me want to crumble into pieces, but I refrain from reaching out to her.
“That’s easy to say when you have a million people in your corner. When you have brothers and friends and a house with a garden.”
I shake my head. “Meg. All that stuff is great. But that’s not what it’s about. You grew up with love and a home and parents who love you. You have a support system—it’s not the traditional kind, but you’re so lucky. Why can’t you see it?” I reach out to touch her face and run my thumb under her eye.
She sniffs and looks around frantically. When her eyes land on mine, they’re wide and puffy. “Everyone disappears. I can only depend on myself.”
She Runs Away (The Sheridan Hall Series Book 2) Page 24