Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“What are you talking about?” Brick furrows his brow.
“Oh, I'm going to see if Mamie will let me stay with her. I know she'll say yes.”
“You're not staying with Mamie. You're going home with me.”
“What?”
“You're going home with me, no questions.” Of course, I want to ask a lot of questions. “Finish packing so we can get out of here. Your parents already hate me enough.”
I give a half-hearted chuckle before throwing a few more things into my bag. Brick carries it for me once it's all packed.
“Everything is going to be okay, I promise.” Brick gives me a quick peck on the cheek before we head downstairs. I expect to see my parents; I don't know why. Maybe to say goodbye? But they're nowhere in sight when Brick and I get back to the living room.
I look around the room, holding out for a few seconds, but neither one of them appears.
“Are you ready to go?” Brick asks, placing his hand on the small of my back.
“Yeah, it's time to go.”
I let Brick lead me out of the house and over to his car. We hop in, and he immediately starts the car and pulls out onto the road. I watch as my home and my parents who are holed up in there fade away into the distance. I want to believe this isn't how I'm going to leave things with my mom and dad, but we've never had a blowout this big before, so I don't know.
I don't know.
21
Brick
Shit really hit the fan tonight. Robert was right about being more vigilant. I can't believe I didn't see Tammy's parents before it was too late. They were RIGHT THERE!
But I don't feel guilty. There was nothing wrong with what Tammy and I were doing.
What I do feel bad about is how this has blown up in our faces. The Thompsons kicked Tammy out. I know she was surprised by that. I certainly was. George and Margie never seemed like that type of parents, but I guess I miscalculated.
I wish I knew the right words to say to her right now. The words that would make everything better. The words that would bring a beautiful smile back to Tammy's face.
We get to my apartment, and the two of us head upstairs. At this point, Tammy is just following behind me. She doesn't seem too aware of what's going on around her.
“We're here,” I announce. We're actually inside my place now. She still hasn't said anything yet, and I'm worried about her.
“Mm-hmm,” she mumbles in response before heading to the bathroom. I hear the door lock behind her and then the sink running. I stand by the front door for a few moments before realizing that Tammy might be in the bathroom for a little while.
I put her bag down in my room before changing out of the clothes I have on. I decide to go wait for Tammy in the living room. Hopefully, we can talk about what’s going on in her head. There are actually a few things I’d like to get off my chest.
I knew what I was saying when I admitted I loved her. I wasn’t just saying it for her parents’ sake; it was something I had only realized recently. Not when I was saying it, but outside when Tammy walked away with her parents. For a second, I’d thought that she was walking away from me, but then I realized that she had her parents to worry about. Both of them were freaking out. A lot more than I had expected them to.
I didn’t think the reveal of our relationship was going to be so dramatic. I almost didn’t go back to the Thompsons’ house tonight, but then my feelings for Tammy hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn’t leave her there to deal with her parents all on her own, and there was no way I was going to let her feel abandoned by me.
I hear the bathroom door open and turn to see Tammy exiting. I expect her to come over to the couch, but instead, she walks right past me into my bedroom. I hear some moving around, and then it goes quiet.
When I walk into the bedroom, I find Tammy lying in the bed. She has the covers pulled all the way up to her neck.
“Tammy?”
She mumbles a reply, but I can’t quite catch what she’s saying. She probably wants to sleep, so I’ll let her do just that. We can talk tomorrow.
I’ll just get myself ready for bed.
I wake up the next morning at my usual time, which is rather early. Tammy is still asleep, so I quietly go about my morning routine, trying not to wake her up.
I check on her once again right before I leave for work. She still hasn’t moved from her spot on the bed. I leave a note on the nightstand letting her know I’ve gone to work and to call me when she wakes up.