ExtraNormal by Reese Suze

Author:Reese, Suze [Reese, Suze]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: science fiction, paranormal romance, young adult
ISBN: 9780985133511
Publisher: Valarian Press
Published: 2012-04-02T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Still dressed in my stupid bikini, I curled into a ball on the couch by the front window. The one where Jesse had once slept, even though his wonderful aroma had completely dissipated by now. I tried to block out the sound of my parents speaking in hushed tones in the next room. Mom tried to talk to me at one point, but I kept my face pushed into the couch cushion. Something soft fell across my back—a bathrobe.

At some point, after the house had become dark, there was a knock at the front door. Dad came in the room to answer. I froze on the couch. I could hear a man speaking from the porch. “She’s going to be fine,” the man said in a soft voice. “She woke up in the ambulance and asked for a popsicle. They just put in a few stitches and she seems as good as new.”

“Is she at your residence?” Dad asked.

“No,” he said. “She’s with her mom at the hospital. They’re keeping her for the night, just to keep an eye on her.” He sounded kind and concerned—not the neglectful father I had imagined. I wanted to get up, to apologize to him, but couldn’t force my body to move. “Tell your daughter I’m grateful to her,” the man continued. “Becca just thinks the world of her.”

A bubble burst from my mouth, releasing a sob. I stifled it, but could feel both sets of eyes move to the couch.

“Is she okay?” the man whispered.

“She’s mildly distressed,” Dad said. “But she’ll recover.”

Dad came to the couch after the man left. I didn’t even try to hide my emotions. “You should retire,” he said. “Tomorrow is a big day.”

A big day. A travel day.

I had to protest. But couldn’t speak.

I let him guide me to my room—the bathrobe draped across my shoulders. I dropped lifelessly onto the bed. I was going home. Tomorrow. Without a goodbye. What would Jesse think? Would he search for me? Would he get into trouble by asking too many questions? And what about Everett? Is this what he wanted, for me to leave? Would he leave Jesse alone? The questions circulated in my mind, giving birth to new ones, until I had an entire colony of problems with no answer.

But it turned out there was a solution. It came to me at 4:56 in the morning. My lids popped open, the digital clock the only light in the room.

My parents knew I was in love. They just had the wrong boy.

I wanted to run into their room and explain everything to them. I suspected they’d be awake, holding hands, chatting, and enjoying what would be their last few hours together. But I forced myself to move slowly and think it all through.

By six-thirty I was dressed as if I were going to school as usual. I tiptoed down the hall to my parents’ bedroom, paused in the doorway and listened. Soft whispers floated in the air, then a giggle, followed by a sniff.

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