Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95559 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95559 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“What do you mean, support us?” Ally asks.
“Child support and a place to live. I won’t stand for my grandchild and her mother living on the streets or in some shelter or some drug-infested neighborhood. You need a safe place to raise her, nurture her. You need a place to call home. I don’t care about the cost, wherever you want to live, I’ll pay for it.”
“I knew it,” I say. “You Nelsons just buy everyone off with your money.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Mrs. Nelson says.
“Right. You’re going to pretend you don’t know Adam came to me with a check to stay away from Thea?”
Mrs. Nelson’s eyes go wide. She shakes her head and looks down at the ground. Finally, she reaches for Ally’s hand. “Please think about my offer. It’s not going anywhere. Whether, today, tomorrow or a year from now, it’ll always be there.”
“I don’t want Mr. Nelson anywhere near Lacey. I don’t trust him.”
She laughs. “Oh, sweetie. Don’t you worry. He won’t be anywhere near that little girl or you.”
“I don’t understand,” Ally says. “Why?”
“It’s simple. I’m disappointed with Austin’s choice of lifestyle. He didn’t need to sell drugs to make a living, and now I’ve learned he has a child. A child I very much want to know and love. But if this isn’t something you’re comfortable with, I understand. The money is still going to come to you. My son owes you that much.”
“You’re going to pay me money even if I don’t let you see Lacey?” Ally asks.
“Of course,” she says. “I am nothing like my husband. I don’t deal in ultimatums. I do what’s right, and this is right. You are owed child support to help raise your daughter.” She reaches into her purse and hands Ally an envelope. “My number is on the front. When you find a place, call me, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Mrs. Nelson stands and slings her purse over her shoulder. “As for Adam and the check, cash it, but don’t you dare give up on Thea. She’s one of a kind and a true gem. If you’re lucky enough to be loved by her, take it and run.” She nods at both of us and then sees herself out.
After the door closes, Ally opens the envelope and gasps. “Ky, there’s so much in here.”
“Good, but it comes with a price.”
“What if the price is genuine?”
What if? Unfortunately, the only person who would know, is the one person I don’t want to speak to.
What if?
twenty-nine
Thea
Can we talk?
I stare at the three words on my phone screen for what seems like hours. They were sent in the middle of the night, three nights ago, and I still haven’t replied. I can’t find the right words to convey how I’m feeling: hurt, frustration, guilt, sadness, fury, disappointment, determination. I’m a clichéd roller coaster of emotion. If I were reading about myself as a main character in a book, I’d be yelling to pull myself together. To get a grip and take control. To manifest the ideal outcome for the situation I’m in. They’re all good pieces of advice, but I’m still trying to master the art of manifesting. Either that, or the world just doesn’t want to listen right now.
I close the messaging app and put my phone back in my bag, hoping the fact being out of sight means it’s out of mind and I can concentrate on Dr. Carmichael’s lesson. For the past few weeks, I feel like I’ve been coasting through school and not really paying attention to the plethora of knowledge being thrown at us. My notes are noticeably scarce, and my brain is clearly not retaining any information. I turn up on time and I sit through various classes but when I leave, I feel as if I’ve been through a void in the day. A place where my memory is wiped of the information I need to pass this class, and all that remains is a replay of the devastation from the last few weeks. Is this what it means to be lovesick? If the churning in my stomach and the ache in my heart, the headaches at night and the constant wondering of what ifs are anything to go by, then I want to get off the lovesick train quickly.
Dr. Carmichael signals the end of the lesson by reminding us our next assignment needs to be turned in by the weekend. I hope she loves angst, otherwise she’s in for shock when she reads my paper on the theory of food management. I’m not sure whether the woe-is-me inner monologue I currently have going through my brain twenty-four hours a day will translate well when it comes to carbs, protein, and calories.
Millie is waiting for me as I leave the classroom and instantly loops her arm through mine as we walk down the hallway. “Have you texted him back yet?” she asks. Millie’s the only one who knows about the text. I didn’t feel like sharing it with the rest of my housemates, mainly because I wasn’t sure how they’d react. Even though they’ve all been very supportive since the aftermath of Lacey’s party, I am still cautious about rocking the boat.