Hellion, a New Adult Romance Novel (The Rebel Series) (23 page)

“Not as much as the car ride over did.
 
I’ve got good drugs right now.”
 
His words come out sounding tired, maybe a little bit slurred.

“Sorry about that,” I say, my face flushing with the memory of our trip.
 
“I guess I wasn’t very smart about the whole thing.” More and more and more guilt.
 
Will it never end?

“What whole thing?”

It’s a loaded question and we both know it.
 
I hate how a simple stare from him can turn me upside down like this.
 
I sigh with the burden of my stupidity.
 
“With everything.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it.
 
Colin’s a dick.”
 
He looks up at the ceiling, turning his head away from me.

That hurts more than anything he could say.
 
I feel well and truly rejected with just that simple movement and those few words.
 
But I’m not ready to abandon all efforts to make this right.
 
He’ll never want to go out with me again, sure, that’s fine; but I can’t let him keep thinking his brother’s evil.
 
The least I can do is try to fix that issue.
 
The problem is, I have to attempt to explain it in a way that it might make sense, but I’m not sure I can pull it off.

“I saw his paintings the other day and they just blew me away.
 
I told him he should get them into a gallery, that he’d sell the hell out of them.”

“He never lets anyone see his stuff.
 
Just one of them, the one he gave Rebel.
 
But I guess he showed you.”

“He’s very sensitive about it, which I can understand.” I shrug. “I guess he figured I didn’t matter so much.
 
It’s different showing a stranger than it is showing a family member. He obviously puts a lot of himself into it emotionally and you guys aren’t the most open family in the world.”

Mick gives a wry smile to the ceiling.
 
“Understatement.”

“Of the year,” I say.
 
“I think he had this gallery lady harassing him for a while, and maybe with me jumping on the bandwagon he finally decided to try it.
 
I don’t know.
 
He didn’t say anything to me about it, he just showed up at my door and then took me over there.
 
The cards at the door said it was opening night.
 
I’m pretty sure he planned to bring me back to Rebel Wheels or to you when he was done showing me.”

“Why
you
, though?” Mick asks, looking at me again.
 
“Why did he take you?”

“Maybe because I’m the one who told him to do it and I’m not family?”

Mick laughs, but it’s not a pretty one.
 
“Yeah, right.
 
Or maybe it’s because he wants you.”

Anger heats my chest.
 
“If I could get up from this bed right now, I’d punch you right in the stitches.”

“Guess I’m glad you can’t get up.” His voice is flat.

“Seriously, Mick.
 
He doesn’t feel that way about me.”

“Bullshit.”
 
He glares at me.
 
“Anyone would.
 
And you’re completely naive if you don’t get that about him or yourself.”

I throw my sheets back.
 
“That’s it.
 
Float like a butterfly bitches and sting like a bee, cuz I’m coming over.”
 
I swing my legs out of the bed as Mick’s eyebrows move up.

“Should I ring for the nurse?” he asks, not even flinching at my threats.

I’m sitting up, contemplating the ringing going on in my ears when the main door to the room glides open slowly.
 
A small head appears with a tuft of messy dark brown hair on top of it in the crack.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“SISTER?
 
ARE YOU IN HERE?” the little head in the cracked-open door says.

I narrow my eyes at Mick and whisper, “You got lucky.”
 
He’s smiling when I call out to my brother.
 
“In here, Jersey.
 
Just open the door.”

The door opens a little farther and his head comes in more.
 
“Sister?”
 
His face swivels around, taking in all the details.
 
“This is a hospital room,” he says, talking to Mick.

“Yep.”

“You’re not Sister.
 
You’re Mickey Mouse.”

“Yes, I am.
 
How’ve you been, J-Man?”
 
Mick holds up a hand for a high-five.

Jersey comes the rest of the way in, completely ignoring me.
 
“I’m good.
 
I got to leave Saturday school early.
 
This place smells funny.
 
I saw a doctor and a nurse and a dead body.”
 
He stops at the side of Mick’s bed and gives him a high five that makes Mick wince with pain.

My mother comes in, her arms loaded down with flowers.
 
She peeks through the colors and greenery and smiles tremulously.
 
“Hi, baby.
 
How are you feeling?”

I don’t know what it is about seeing my mom when I’m sick, but it always makes me suddenly lose ten years off my life and maturity level.
 
Tears rush to my eyes and nothing I can do short of smothering myself with the pillow will stop them from falling.
 
“Hi, Mommy.
 
I’m fine … Bwaaah haaaa haaaa!”
 
I crumble into a mess of blubbering and attempts at explanations.

“Shhhhh, shhhhh,” she says, rushing over to put the flowers on the table and take me in her arms.
 
She sits next to me on the side of the bed and rocks me as she pats my back.
 
“You’re fine, baby, you’re fine.
 
See?
 
All fine.”

Jersey looks over, his expression suddenly frightened.
 
“Sister?
 
Why are you crying?”
 
His eyes get shiny with tears.

It snaps me out of my pity party like a switch flicks off a light.
 
I sit up straight and pull out of my mom’s embrace, wiping my face.
 
I ignore Mick completely.
 
“Nothing’s wrong.
 
I was just sad for two seconds and now I’m not.” I take a deep breath and then smile hard.
 
“See?
 
Happy face.”
 
I point to my mouth.

Jersey comes over and puts one hand on each of my cheeks.
 
He stares into my eyes and examines me closely.
 
“Your sad face makes me have a sad face.
 
Mommy says you’re a hero.”

I grab his head and pull it towards me so I can kiss him on the nose, ignoring the pain it causes my chest.
 
“Mommy is misinformed, I think, but that’s okay.”
 
I smooch him loud and juicy and he drops his hands from my face.

“You can use my cape,” Jersey says, reaching into his pants.

“Uhhhh …” I’m too stunned to stop him, and within seconds I’m holding a very warm, blue satin cape that I’m pretty sure was stuffed in his underpants.

“Why do you have your cape in your pants?” I ask.

“Jersey …”
 
My mom is shaking her head, giving him the guilt-trip look.
 
It never works on him like it does on me, lucky bastard that he is.
 
He has some sort of parental force-field I’d kill to have in my armory.

“I put it in my pants so you could have it,” Jersey explains, leaving me to go stand by Mick again.

“I told him to leave it at home,” my mom says.
 
“I
thought
he listened.”
 
She’s glaring at the back of his head.

I can’t help but smile through the remainder of my tears.
 
“He’s very stubborn.”

She raises eyebrows at me.
 
“I wonder where he learned that.”

I nudge her with my arm.
 
“Stop.
 
Where’s dad?”

“He’s in the cafeteria.
 
They have pecan pie.”
 
She rolls her eyes.
 
She doesn’t need to say anymore.
 
My dad is a fiend for the stuff.
 
He’ll even skip football for a chance at a slice.

My mom looks over at Mick.
 
“So … sounds like you kids had an exciting first date.”

I cringe and squeeze my eyes shut.
 
“God, Mom, could you please not go there right now?”

“What?
 
What’d I say?”
 
She’s all innocence except for the shitty grin on her face.

The door opens and my dad walks in.
 
“Thank God,” I mutter, standing up at the side of the bed.
 
I have some nasty-ass hospital socks on, but nothing’s going to stop me from getting a hug from my dad.
 
He’s my rock.

“Baby girl.
 
Look at you,” he says, arms open.

I meet him halfway, again not able to keep the tears away.
 
“Hi, Daddy.”

He’s sniffling too.
 
“I thought you were really hurt, bad girl.
 
You had us very worried.”
 
He reaches down and smacks me on the butt.
 
“Don’t ever do that to us again, you hear?”

I nod, unable to respond with words.

He pushes me away and holds me out at arm’s length.
 
“You okay in there?”
 
He reaches up and taps my forehead.

I nod again.
 
“Yeah.
 
Pretty much.”
 
I sniff hard and use the back of my hand to wipe my face.
 
I can’t even imagine what Mick’s thinking, but I don’t care right now.
 
I just want to be smothered in parent-love.
 
Ain’t no medicine around quite as powerful as that, as far as I’m concerned.

“That’s a pretty dress you’re wearing,” he says, looking down to my knees. “Did you get it on sale or maybe at a vintage shop?” There’s a hint of a smile on his lips.

“Shut up.”
 
I’m suddenly hyper aware of the fact that my gown is open in the back and I’m ass-end towards Mick.
 
I reverse and re-align my rear-end to the other bed, positioning myself next to my mom again.
 
“I’m going to burn this thing as soon as I have my own clothes back.”
 
I look around.
 
“Where are they, anyway?
 
Where’s my purse?”

My mom pats me on the arm.
 
“We have all of it in a bag in the car.
 
I’ll bring you some clean things later when they discharge you.”

I scoot back up onto the bed, ignoring the twinge of pain in my chest.
 
“Good.
 
Think flannel. I’m going to spend the next week in bed.”

“Teagan said something about your school project being picked up by the law firm she’s working with?” my dad says.

“Oh, really?” I try to play dumb, but I’m pretty sure my parents aren’t falling for it.

“Yes, I think your plan of sleeping for a week isn’t going to work out so well,” my mom says. “Teagan told us you have an appointment with her lawyer and his partners Monday.
 
They want to talk to you about the work you did.”

She lifts an eyebrow at me and I feel completely and totally busted. But I’m not going to let on because I don’t have all my strength yet to deal with the ‘rents.
 
I need all my faculties to negotiate myself out of corners like that.

“Oh, really?” I say, smooth as buttah. “Huh.
 
She didn’t mention it.
 
I’ll have to call her later.”
 
I look at Mick.
 
“So, you guys probably didn’t think you’d be seeing Mick again so soon, huh?”
 
I nod my head, trying to get them to pick up the ball and run with it.

“He’s looking better already,” my mom says, getting up and walking over to his bedside.
 
“How are you feeling, Mick?”

“It’s Mickey Mouse,” Jersey says from the other side of the bed.
 
I can’t see him because he’s on the floor.

“I’m better,” Mick responds, “thanks to your daughter.”
 
He doesn’t look over at me, but my face flames red anyway.

“I hear she drove like a bat out of hell to get you here,” my dad says, pride flavoring his voice.

 
I smell smoke.
 
My face is now officially on fire.

“That’s actually a very good description of her driving,” says Mick.

More smoke.
 
I’m going to spontaneously combust.
 
I scan the room for a fire extinguisher.

“We’re just glad she got you here in time. Sounds like it was serious.
 
How did it happen?” My mom asks.

“Fire!” I yell, my voice way ahead of my brain.

“What?” my father asks, chuckling as he talks.
 
“Are you okay, sweetie?”

I inhale loudly.
 
“Either I’m about to burst into flames or there’s a fire around here.”

My mom lifts her head at the same time my dad does.
 
They look like two dogs sniffing the air.

“Jersey!
 
Where are you?!” My mom yells, running around the end of Mick’s bed.

She gasps and dives towards the floor.
 
“Put that down!”

Jersey comes flying into view as my mom yanks him off the floor.
 
A small lighter flies out of his hand and lands on Mick’s bed.

My mouth drops open as a wisp of smoke comes up from the floor where Jersey had been.