Page 13 of The Fire Between High & Lo (Elements 2)

“Fucking brilliant.”

I shrugged my shoulders with that smug look on my face. “I’m kind of amazing.” I couldn’t thank Kellan enough—that was the most fun I’d had in a long time. Maybe someday I could go to college… Maybe Alyssa was right.

“I gotta get going though. You sure you don’t want a ride anywhere?” Kellan asked.

I wanted out of the apartment, that was for sure. But I wasn’t certain if my dad would be stopping by, and I didn’t want him alone with Ma. Whenever he was alone with her, her skin was always more purple than when I left her.

It took a certain kind of demon to ever lay his hands on a woman.

“No. I’m good. I work at the gas station later today anyway.”

“Isn’t that like an hour walk away from here?”

“No. Forty-five minutes. It’s fine.”

“You want bus fare?”

“I can walk.”

He dug into his wallet and put money on the table. “Listen,” he leaned in closer to me and whispered. “If you ever want to stay at my dad’s place, it’s closer to your job…”

“Your dad hates me,” I interrupted.

“He doesn’t.”

&

nbsp; I gave him an are-you-fucking-kidding look.

“Okay. You might not be his favorite person, but to be fair, you did steal three hundred dollars from his wallet.”

“I had to make rent.”

“Yeah, but Logan, your first thought shouldn’t have been to steal it.”

“Then what should it have been?” I asked, growing upset, mostly because I knew he was right.

“I don’t know. Maybe asking for help?”

“I don’t need anyone’s help. Never have, never will.” That pride I had was always so harsh. I understood why some called it the deadliest sin.

Kellan frowned, knowing I was in need of an escape. Being in that apartment so long had a way of driving one crazy. “All right then.” He walked around to Ma and placed his lips against her forehead. “Love you, Ma.”

She kind of smiled. “Bye, Kellan.”

He moved behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders, and softly spoke. “She’s even thinner than the last time I saw her.”

“Yeah.”

“That scares me.”

“Yeah, me too.” I saw the worry weighing heavy on his mind. “Don’t worry, though. I’ll get her to eat something.”

His concern didn’t vanish. “You look kind of smaller, too.”

“That’s just because of my high metabolism,” I joked. He didn’t laugh. I patted him on the back. “Seriously, Kel. I’m okay. And I’ll try to get her to eat. I promise to try, okay?”

He released a weighted sigh. “Okay. I’ll see you later. If you’re not back from work when I stop by tonight, I’ll see you next week.” Kellan waved goodbye and before he stepped outside of the apartment, I called his name.