Page 62 of Anyone But You

“We even posted a $50,000 reward to find you,” Alyssa added.

Fifty bands? My friends love my ass!

“Y’all are real ones, but I need y’all to get on social media and clear Knox’s name.”

“We’ll clear the air, but he’s still an asshole for canceling your trip and forcing you to go with him. This wouldn’t have ever happened if he hadn’t been a creep!”

“I agree, but I’m over that. This whole experience has been… eye-opening. I’ve fallen in love, learned more about myself, and will never take life for granted. I feel like I can take anything on.”

“That’s… that’s amazing, Victoria,” Alyssa commented.

“But how do you know you’re not going through Stockholm Syndrome or something? How do you know your love for Knox isn’t out of convenience—last man on Earth kind of thing?” Brittney asked.

I sighed before answering. “Because I pictured what my life would look like without him, and I didn’t like what I saw.”

The line fell silent, and I waited for their response.

“Stockholm Syndrome,” they both chimed before breaking into a fit of giggles.

“All right. You’ve had your laugh, but I need to know how my mom is doing.”

My heart squeezed when I received the dreaded silence. I braced myself to receive the news that my mother had passed. I’d be devastated that I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye, but relieved that she was no longer suffering.

“Your mom is doing fine. We check on her a couple of times a week to make sure she has everything. But we have to tell you something.”

“Alyssa, quit being so damn dramatic and spit it out,” I sternly demanded, tired of their pussyfooting around.

“Your mother was discharged from the nursing home and sent to another one,” Alyssa answered.

“D-discharged? Why?”

“I spoke to the business manager at the facility, and she explained that the payments had stopped coming in. They discharged her to a hospital, and then from there, she was sent to a nursing home on the other side of the city.”

The payments stopped coming in? How?

“Back up, back up. How did the payments stop coming in when I had 100k deposited into my account before we crashed? Her rent was set up on autopay.”

“I don’t know, sis. All I was told was that the payments started rejecting a month after your disappearance.”

“This is some fucking bullshit! Is she at least at a decent facility?”

“Personally, I wouldn’t put my mother there. It’s a little dingy, and the staff always have funky ass attitudes,” Brittney admitted.

“What about my sisters? Have you spoken to them?”

“Those heifers haven’t answered any of our calls. We were trying to see if they would help us transfer your mother back to the facility, but they have been radio silent.”

“Which is crazy because those bitches started a GoFundMe for you and made off with some serious money,” Alyssa mentioned.

I snorted. “Of fucking course.”

There was a knock on the door jamb, and Dr. Hubbard entered.

“Hey, guys. I hate to cut this reunion short, but the doctor is back, and I’m fully prepared for him to tell me I’m 29% octopus now.”

“You’re stupid,” Alyssa said, laughing.

“I know, but thank y’all for coming through for my mother.”