Thunder Point Collection Volume 1The WandererThe NewcomerThe Her by Robyn Carr

Author:Robyn Carr
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mira
Published: 2020-07-24T00:00:00+00:00

Ten

Ashley ended up staying in the hospital for almost a week. Five days, which was three longer than she had planned. The extended stay was largely to regulate her very mild anti-anxiety medication as well as to give her the benefit of inpatient group therapy. The doctor decided she wasn’t suffering from clinical depression, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t all worked up about the events in her life. The kids in her group were sympathetic and an odd thing happened—she found out that lots of outcasts had been harassed in this way, through texts, social media, bullied by whatever means available. Before now, Ashley had never considered herself an outcast! The fact that she was considered this way only by Downy and his girlfriend didn’t make it any easier to bear. It was shocking and revealed an entire universe to her that she’d never thought herself vulnerable to.

Going back to school was scary, even though her mother got her a new cell phone with a secret number and promised to rescue her immediately if there was any trouble. And even though Eve had her own issues with her mother’s surprise return, she was still standing beside Ashley’s locker, ready to be an escort and loyal friend. Landon was with her, of course. They’d brave being late to their classes just to make sure Ashley didn’t have any trouble in the halls.

To her surprise, Frank Downy appeared after third period one day. “I’ll get you to class whenever I can—we have a couple together.”

“Frank, you don’t have to,” Ashley said.

“And if I want to? You shouldn’t have had to put up with any shit because of Downy. Sometimes I just can’t believe him....”

“I don’t want to say anything bad about your brother,” she said.

“You don’t have to. Just in case you wonder whose side I’m on, wonder no more. He’s a dick and everyone but Mom is real pissed off at him for what he did to you.”

At the same time he was talking to her, Ashley wondered when Frank’s complexion had cleared up. When did he start to shave? In fact, hadn’t he been shorter than her? When did all this happen? Because she had known him since they were about five, too.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing her elbow in a gentle escort. “History is next for us.”

Then she realized he wasn’t wearing his glasses. He’d always worn thick glasses, which had given him such a bookwormish look. She stopped suddenly and looked at his face. “Frank, did you have LASIK surgery?”

“Contacts,” he said. He looked down at her. “I’ve had ’em about a year.”

She was completely embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Frank. I didn’t realize...”

“You’ve had other things to think about,” he said, pulling her along to class.

Indeed. She’d thought of no one but Downy for longer than she could remember. She was confident it hadn’t kept her from being a good friend to Eve, but there was probably a lot going on in school that she had been too distracted to notice.

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