Finally Home by Zee Kensington

Author:Zee Kensington [Kensington, Zee]
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter 13

I DON’T need someone. I need you, Marco.

Those words had echoed in Marco’s mind for almost twenty-four hours. They had galvanized him through his harried day of cross-country traveling, and urged him on as he made his way to the hospital where Chris was at his father’s bedside.

Marco had never heard Chris sound so shaken, so desperate, as he had on the phone the night before. Even with their horrific fight still looming over them, Marco knew he had to put his feelings aside to help Chris deal with the immensity of the situation. Before he’d even gotten off the phone, he’d been at his laptop, looking for the earliest and cheapest flight to New York.

He hoped it hadn’t been Chris’s grief talking. Marco didn’t know if he’d be able to bear finding Chris as aloof as ever when he arrived, especially after what he’d had to go through to get here. He’d cleaned out his apartment savings to cover the ticket, and he knew the rest of his expenses would have to be put on his credit card, which was still reeling from his trip to Thailand.

The money hadn’t even been the worst of it.

“Do you have any idea how irresponsible you’re being?” his mother had seethed, filling the doorway of his room like a stony sentinel. “George told me you don’t have more than two days of vacation time stored up after your little summer adventure.”

“Then I’ll use my sick time,” Marco had replied. He tried to stay calm even as he furiously crammed T-shirts and jeans into his trusty A-frame backpack.

“You know your uncle won’t allow it.” His mother planted her fists firmly on her hips.

“Fine, then,” Marco said. “He can fire me if he wants.”

Her mouth opened and shut, gaping like a fish. Marco had never put his foot down like this. He ignored her until she huffed out of the room, calling for Marco’s father to come talk some sense into his son.

Marco’s dad had tried a more reasonable approach. “I understand that Chris is your friend, and that you feel badly about how you treated him, but son, he’s a grown man, and this is a family matter. He doesn’t need you there.”

Marco had swallowed hard, ignoring the sincerity in his father’s earthy eyes.

I need you, Marco.

“Yes, he does,” Marco finally said, carefully placing six pairs of white socks into his bag. “I owe him.”

His parents had finally given up when Marco showed them the itinerary printout for his nonrefundable flight. His mother had left him almost in tears, and the only words Marco could hear under her breath were “unbelievable” and “irresponsible.” In the end, he had to call up Angela and promise a skinny latte and a nonfat blueberry scone if she could drive him to LAX for his early-morning flight.

“I’m proud of you, Marco,” she said as she dropped him off. “I’ll see if I can do some damage control on the folks before you get back.”

So, for all Marco knew, he’d be returning to LA with no job, no money, and furious parents.

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