Eenie Meenie Minie Mo

Chapter Thirty-Eight

 “Koooooodi? Okay, this is like the fourth time I’ve tried to call you. Are you there? Pick up! Pickuppickuppickup! Well, I was gonna tell you about my fabulous date with Drew, but I guess you’re too cool to talk to me……! Kodi, seriously; you’re killing me here! Pick up already! Ugh! Okay, bye!”

   Beeeeeep.

  “Hey, Kodi! Just called Mom. Awkward conversation, actually. I think I interrupted something…..Gross. Anyway! She told me to call you and tell you Kaitlyn and I got back safe and sound. Maybe you’ll sleep tonight, huh? Although I don’t think I will now that you’re not answering your phone. Or the home phone. Call me back as soon as you get this so I won’t get worried and call the cops, okay? Love you!”

  Beeeep.

  “Hey, honey! I know it’s late, but I didn’t want you to worry. Alaric and I are going to spend the weekend up in Franklin. I would rather you have picked up the phone so we could talk. I don’t like leaving messages. It makes me nervous. I really hope you’re okay with this, honey. I was really hoping we could talk a little. I’m gonna call back in an hour. Please answer the phone this time.”

  Beeeep.

“Hey, gorgeous. Just got back from Pigeon Forge. You know, I tried being all adorable and showed up at your place last night…..but I guess you weren’t home. I didn’t see your car, so that’s what I’ll have to assume. So you’ll have to settle for a ring, I guess. Well, I could stay on here forever and wait for you to pick up, but I suppose the odds would not be in my favor…….That was a Hunger Games joke, yes. A weak one, but oh well. Ring me back later, I guess…….Bye.”

 Oh, yes; I was such an irresponsible girl for screening calls. Shame on me. The only one I actually felt guilty about was Sawyer. I’d screened his phone call and his house call. I didn’t want to deal with that right now. Even though I knew I could lie to him, I didn’t want to. The thought of knowing I could lie right to Sawyer’s face was what was keeping me away from him. I couldn’t do that to him; not that I necessarily wanted to tell him I’d made out with Leander in my front yard, either, but….

  He deserved better than me.

  So, yeah, I pretty much sat up in my room all weekend long feeling pretty poorly about my self-worth. That, and the thought of Mom spending the weekend with Alaric bothered me way more than it probably should have. She was a grown woman, and she wasn’t married anymore, and they’d been dating a while. They could do what they want.

  Accept the selfish part of me was screaming, No, they can’t!

  It was basically better for the entire world that I stayed antisocial this once. Pretending like nothing was wrong, that I wasn’t conflicted, that I didn’t hate myself eternally for what I’d let myself do just seemed wrong. I deserved to suffer. Maybe that was why I was hoping Leander would make this whole thing easy on me and brag to Sawyer about what had happened Friday. But he wouldn’t.

  Because I’d honestly hurt him.

  Maybe I should have be gloaty about that; an eye for an eye, or what have you. He’d hurt me. But I wasn’t even remotely happy. Even worse, I was feeling guilty not only about Sawyer but about telling Leander I hated him, allowing him to think there was a glimmer of hope for us when there absolutely wasn’t.