Love and Vandalism by Laurie Boyle Crompton

Author:Laurie Boyle Crompton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2017-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Anger has eclipsed whatever motivated that tearful outburst moment, and I get busy organizing my cans. It’s too bad I can’t quite picture Kat up there on top of the water tower with me because I feel certain she would never betray my trust.

Or suggest my asshole father is somehow right about keeping his girlfriend a secret from me.

Dad texted me earlier to ask if we can please talk. When I didn’t respond, he said he’s putting away the laptop with Mom’s videos. He thinks taking a break from listening to her will help my healing process.

It’s a good thing I’ve already copied them onto a jump drive that I keep in the back of my top drawer, right near all Mom’s jewelry.

I can envision the exhibit she described in her suicide note: Monitors lined up in a row with her videos playing in a loop. Photographs of the crime scene blown up and arranged on the ground for visitors to either walk over or around as they choose. It would be a powerful installation.

Mom had no way of knowing I’d wreck her suicide scene before it got captured on film.

When I open the door and step out of my cabin an hour later to head to my shift at Danny’s, I’m surprised to find Hayes still sitting there on that giant rock. His backpack rests neatly at his feet while he reads a book. The same pose I saw him in the first day we met.

“Are you kidding me?”

“I couldn’t just leave you when you were that upset, Rory.” He nods toward the cabin. “Sounds like you took out some of your anger on those cans.”

I think of how I’ve been slamming things around. I hadn’t realized he was still out here listening. Most people leave after you scream at them to go away and fling their stuff in their faces.

I push past him and head toward my car. “Well, I didn’t off myself, if that’s what you were worried about. You’re free to go now.”

“I wasn’t worried about that. I just… Come on, Ro. I want to help.”

Looking him up and down, I give a small laugh. “You found out how screwed up I am and how messy things are with my dad, and now you want to fix me. No thank you. Go worry about fixing yourself.”

“Listen, I get how life can change in an instant and it can be scary to realize that everything is already different—all you can do is accept it.”

“Yeah, well, accept this,” I say, flipping him double birdies and walking down the path to my car.

I jump in the driver’s seat, and with a crank and a shift, my tires are blowing pine needles while I pull away.

I try not to look in my rearview mirror, but I can’t resist one quick glance.

Hayes has followed me to the clearing, and now he slides his pack onto his back with his head hung low as he watches me go.

I notice his stupid bicep with the goofy coffee-cup face, still grinning at me.

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