Deviation

“Yup.” I toss the ball again, hoping she’ll leave me in peace. I wonder if Jack chose her as my roommate to punish me. I wonder a lot of things when I’m in my self-pity mode.

“You going to answer it?”

“Nope.” I’ve gotten a bit of a reputation here for being a bitch. I can’t say I’m doing a good job of dispelling that myth, either.

“Since you don’t answer your phone like the rest of us junkies would, that must be why they let you keep it.” I’m not a full-fledged addict like Kayla, and I’m not crazy…or I haven’t taken crazy to the next level at least. My counselor says I’m in denial.

“Look. Let’s not turn this into some Girl Interrupted shit, okay?”

Did I mention Kayla also stole money out of my wallet to get high here? Yeah. This place isn’t exactly roses, and I won’t be exchanging phone numbers with her when I leave. My goal is to get what I need out of this two week punishment, then get the fuck back to living.

“Oh, so you’re just a bitch with a boyfriend who cares about you. Yeah, boo-fucking-hoo. We all saw the hottie in the slamming car drop you off so you can get your shit together. Poor little rich girl. Guess what? Rich girls have problems, too.”

“I’m not a rich girl and I do have problems, but I’d like to focus on them without the sidebar.” I swear, if this girl jumps me, I’ll have to show her what I’m made of. As Aiden would joke, nobody puts karate kid in the corner.

“You’re more like us than you want to admit.”

“Well, I don’t belong here, so let me do my time in peace.”

“You don’t belong here? Too good for us crazy bitches?” This girl must be channeling Angelina Jolie’s character hard core. “You haven’t thought about or tried to kill yourself? No itch of addiction when you think nobody is looking? Well, honey, give it a try. If you don’t get your shit together, this will be all you have to look forward to.” Kayla grabs my ball out of the air. She has surprisingly good reflexes for a girl who seems more doped up than most. Taking my ball, she walks out, leaving me to think about what she said.

I don’t want to admit it, but Kayla has a point. I can say I’m nothing like them, but I am exactly like them.

Jack

I pick up Edith today. To say I’m nervous as hell would be an understatement because I’ve decided to take things extra slow with her. I moved a lot of my stuff to the apartment downtown, asking Aiden to temporarily move into the house with her. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the most painful thing I’ve ever done, but I think it’s for the best. I love our home, but she needs support and love right now, not me trying to jump her bones every chance I get because I’ve missed her so damn much.

Driving up to the center, I see her waiting out front, her suitcase on the ground next to her. She looks beautiful and strong and is, surprisingly, smiling. I pull up next to her, park, and get out of the car. I’m tentative to do anything rash, like grab her in my arms. Fleur reminded me to let her do things at her own pace, but I can’t help myself.

She looks at me. “Baby…” The words hang between us. Suddenly, she comes around the car, jumping up into my arms, ending any question I might have had about where we stand.

“Silly Jack. Like I was gonna stay mad at you for more than a week.” She scrunches her nose at me, which I find adorable, and I hold her tight, afraid this might be fleeting. Trust is a funny thing. I want to give it to her fully, but I feel uncertain.

“Baby, if I knew that, I would have picked you up a week ago.” She giggles and I lean back so I can look at her.

“Jack, I love you. I’ve always loved you. Now, take me home. I’m ready to get outta this place.” I couldn’t agree with her more. Edith’s lips meet mine in a soft pulsing of need, her tongue darting out to touch mine. Our mouths connect and meet in a duel of wet strokes.

I want this, but we need to wait. Groaning, I pull away. “Edith, sweetheart…”

“Oh, all right. Tell me the bad news in the car.” Edith pinches my chest and gets in the car, while I place her bag in the trunk.

When I get in the car, I turn to her. “It’s not exactly bad news, but I don’t want you take it the wrong way. I love you, but we’re both hurting, and trust is–”

“Jack, I blew it. You trusted me to come to you, but I tried doing it all on my own. I get that. We need to rebuild the trust.”

“Yes, which is why this is so hard for me to do.”

“Are you breaking up me?” Whispered, it sounds so ominous, but that’s not all what I’m doing.

“Shit. No. Is that what you’re thinking?” I look at her, seeing her watery eyes ready to burst.

“You said I wouldn’t like it.”

“I’m talking about me staying in the apartment, and Aiden moving in to keep you company while we work this all out. We don’t need to go back to old habits.”

“And Daniel?”

“Sam still has the No Contact order in place, and I have a list of his class schedule. He can’t come anywhere near you. You call the police and, boom, back in jail he goes.”