Page 134 of Unexpected Prejudice

“For about an hour? Maybe a bit longer.” He took the glass back from me and put it on the table. “Your mom went home to grab a quick shower. She said she’d be here soon.”

He and my mom had gotten to know each other during my stay at the hospital. When the whole story blew up, including the part where I was outed with a photo, she found out I was gay. She said she’d already suspected I wasn’t into girls. It was funny, considering how hard I’d tried to keep it a secret from her. She also assumed Shay-Lee and I were a couple, with him not leaving my side, and I didn’t bother to correct her.

With my head resting on my pillow, I watched him repeat what the doctor had said earlier. Honestly, I was more focused on his appearance than on the crucial details of my recovery. He’d lost weight—too much weight, considering it had only been three weeks since I got here. He also looked sad. Shay-Lee always looked sad, even when he wasn’t, his eyes were always haunted with unspoken sorrow, but today, it was more visible than usual.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, ignoring everything he’d just said.

“Were you even listening to me?”

“No.”

He rolled his eyes. “I said that I spoke with a plastic surgeon about the scarring on your face. Thankfully, she’s positive the right team can make your face as beautiful as it was before. It will take some time, but still.”

“I don’t care about that crap. What’s wrong?”

“Jesus, Jordy.” He took a deep sigh and rubbed his face with his palms.

“What? My face is starting to get back to the way it looked. And besides, a scar or two will make me sexy, don’t you think?” I tried to joke, but he looked even more upset than before. “Hey.” I nudged his arm, “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Looking at me, his brows creased in anger. “You didn’t listen to me. That’s what’s wrong.”

We already went over it several times, but here we go again.

“I told you I’d take care of it, but you didn’t trust me. I told you to stay away from the twins and that I’d make sure they paid for what they did to that girl. And now look at what they did to you.”

“Shay-Lee.” I tried to pull him closer, but he stood up and turned his back to me.

“What was my one rule?”

“That you’d keep me safe.” I completely broke his rule.

“That I’d keep you safe,” he repeated, his voice low and filled with anger. Turning to look at me again, he snapped. “And look at you now. If you had just listened!”

“They’re in jail. We got what we wanted, right?”

“They’re in jail because I put them there.” He pointed at himself. “I had a plan, a fucking good plan that would have worked if it weren’t for you coming to that party, Jordan, and now we’re talking with doctors about getting rid of scars. About fixing your fucking bones.”

Every time he brought this up the past two weeks, it always ended in the same way, with him crying because he felt responsible. And each time, I did the same.

“Hey.” I waved to him with my hand to come and sit next to me. After hesitating for a minute, he did.

“It’s not your fault I’m here.”

“But it is.”

“No.” Unable to hug him however I wanted, I held his hand. “I’m here because those monsters hit my head with a crowbar and then proceeded to break half the bones in my body before dumping me under the old pier, hoping the tide would take me.” Luckily, I didn’t remember much from that night. Mostly I only knew what I’d been told.

“If anything, it’s thanks to you they were arrested. They would’ve gotten away with it if it weren’t for you.”

The twins were all but ready to pull out the Daddy Card, the one they always used to save their ass. Not this time. Thanks to Shay-Lee breaking the law for me, and planting evidence, London and Berlin Kingston were now facing attempted murder and hate crime charges.

“It’s still not enough,” he whispered, closing his eyes and pressing his lips together as if trying to fight back his tears. “Jordan.”

“What is it?” I smiled, trying to keep positive.

His fingers traced my hand as he remained quiet for a minute before he spoke.

“There’s a rehab facility in New York. The best in the world when it comes to injuries of your kind. They’ll have you walking like new in four months.”