A Heavy Dose of Allison Tandy by Jeff Bishop

Author:Jeff Bishop [Bishop, Jeff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2022-07-12T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

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Chevy’s in his kitchen when I come crutching in. He’s sitting at the breakfast bar, feet up on his stool, knees pulled to his chest, his spindly arms coiled around his shins. Still wearing his Australia shit from yesterday.

“Hey, bud.”

He barely acknowledges my arrival. In front of him, his laptop hums. Overheated. Surrounded by a summoning circle of junk food—chips, cookies, a party-size bag of Skittles.

“Parents out of town?” I ask. Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt are always traveling.

“Fundraiser,” he murmurs. “One of Mom’s foundations.”

“What is it this week? Coding classes for Amish communities?”

“Bulldogs with cleft palates, I think.”

“Ah yes, our nation’s most pressing issue.”

He grunts, hits his pen. Offers it to me. “I’m good.”

Up close, he looks even worse. His eyes are bloodshot, saddled with heavy bags. He’s chewed right down to the cuticle on both hands; there’s even dried blood caked around his nail beds. A live breach—right thumb—oozes as we speak. Chevy notices me staring and licks the blood away.

Is this how I looked? No way, I tell myself. I hid the hurt well, maintained basic hygiene. But deep down, I know that’s bullshit. I have the empty Oatmeal Creme Pie wrappers to prove it.

“Wanna tell me what’s going on?” I ask.

Chevy coughs, then wipes his nose on his knee. Doesn’t respond. But he doesn’t have to. One glance at his laptop and I see it. Tab after tab after tab after tab after—they just keep going. Chevy doesn’t stop me when I reach around him and slide the laptop toward me. I click through the tabs, one by one.

Google search results for Teddy Hall, Teddy Hall Shermer, Teddy Hall Wisconsin, Gemma and Ethan Hall—is that . . . Did Chevy google Teddy’s parents?! Sure enough, I click a page listing the family’s political donations, their involvement in the local Rotary Club, even a newsletter for the Hall family reunion.

Jesus. Chevy’s in deep. The internet is a dangerous place for the heartbroken—I know firsthand. Chevy’s tumbled down the same obsessive rabbit hole every ex falls into. He just made the fatal mistake of skipping the breakup. Jealousy doesn’t play fair and square; it blindsides you when you least expect it, unleashing sucker punches even after you’ve waved the white flag.

At least I’d built up a tolerance of sorts while I was with Ally—HE was always lurking in my rearview mirror. Chevy hasn’t. Five years he’s been with Lisa. Never a jealous word. But now? Jealousy is kicking his ass. The guy is in trouble.

“Why don’t we leave this alone for a while.” I start to close the laptop.

“No!” Chevy lurches for it, yanks it back. Breathing hard. Big “my precious” vibes. “I have to show you something.”

He floats the cursor to one of the tabs I haven’t checked. Teddy’s Instagram. He opens a pic. Taken a couple months ago, judging by the snow on the ground. Teddy’s bundled in a Canada Goose parka and a patterned knit cap with a puffball on top. His flow flips out the back.

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