Page 15 of Beautiful Small Things
“We will come to the hospital with you,” Colby offers. I don’t know if she means “we” as in her and Callan or “we” as in the entire college crew. It doesn’t matter. I don’t want anyone else there.
“No,” I say with a whimper. “I just want Dad to take me.”
“Kim, I’ll call you when we hear something,” he says to my mom as we walk out the door. It’s completely silent as we leave, except for Perry Como singing about having yourself a merry little Christmas.
I know I have to tell Marcus about that memory when I wake up.
James: I had a dream about you last night. It was more of a memory.
Marcus: Of course you did. (Winking emoji)
James: Shut up! It was about that Christmas when I hurt my knee when I was 14. You brought a bimbo to my house who confused MCI with MCL.
Marcus: That’s right! That shit was funny. I mean, not the part where you got hurt, but the part whenever she spoke.
James: What was her name again?
Marcus: Who the hell knows? I never saw her again after that night.
James: Typical.
Marcus: (Smiley face emoji)
This man is still completely unbelievable.
Chapter eight
The Confession
Iris
I’m reading my favorite romance author before bed when my phone rings. I glance at my clock and see it’s after one in the morning. Grabbing my phone, Orion’s name is lighting up the screen.
“Hello?”
“Purple Rain,” he slurs. “I miss you.”
“I saw you earlier this evening, Weirdo.”
“But I missssssss you,” he says.
“You sound strange. Where are you?” I ask, already getting out of bed.
“I’m at a party, but it’s stupid. You should come and get me,” he sing-songs.
I can hear voices in the background. “Who is that,” a girl asks.
“It’s Irissssss,” he laughs.
“Ewe! She’s so weird. Why are you talking to her?” the bitchy girl asks.
“Orion, who brought you there?” I ask, rapidly losing patience.
“I brought me here, Silly,” he laughs, sputtering into the phone.
“You drove?”
“Yep,” he says, emphasizing the popping sound of the ‘p’. “Why aren’t you here? I called you thirty minutes ago.”
