Page 59 of Pretty Thing

“I knew there were red flags with this guy. Do you know that his father is in prison,” Kris asks, her voice a conspiratorial whisper.

“Yeah, he mentioned it.”

“Did he tell you for what?”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I try to ward off the headache forming.

“No, I never asked, and it didn’t come up. I’ve had more important things on my mind,” I say, irritation in every word.

I just said goodbye to my family. I had a horrible day at the lawyer’s office. The fall seems to have aggravated my ankle, and Kris is calling me about Felix’s father.

“I’m not surprised Felix wants to keep it secret,” she says, practically snarling. “His father murdered someone.”

I sit quietly waiting for the rest, because there has to be more than that.

“Did you hear me?”

“Yeah, I’m waiting to hear why you are in such a huff.”

“What do you mean? His father straight up killed a guy in cold blood. You add that to his weird behavior, and I’d say that’s pretty serious, Eden.”

What weird behavior? I shake my head and focus on being calm. Kris is still my best friend and biting her head off is only going to escalate the situation.

“Okay…let me make sure I understand this. You are saying that because Felix’s father is in prison for murder, and he has been helping me since the crash, that what…he’s planning on killing me too?”

“Well…yeah. I mean this is big and then if you add in the rats, that’s a huge red flag. Why wouldn’t he tell you? What is he trying to hide? He basically materialized out of nowhere, conveniently when you needed him and were most vulnerable, and has been with you ever since.”

I suck in a deep breath, and count to ten before I say something I can’t take back. I end up wincing and biting my lip instead.

“Are you not going to say anything,” Kris barks into the phone like an angry dog.

Tranquil thoughts…be calm.

“Kris, I get that you’re worried, but…I like Felix. He has been a real help through all of this.”

“But—”

“No, let me finish,” I bite out firmly, feeling a tiny piece of the old me coming back.

Kris sighs into the phone but doesn’t interrupt.

“You have no proof about the rats, so stop bringing it up. Also, you and Kyle can’t be here to help me all the time. You have school, work, and your own lives. I understand all of that. Felix has been a real lifeline for me, whether you like him or not. Can he be too pushy and overstepping? Yes, but he’s also here when no one else is. None of my family lives nearby, and even if my aunt offered to stay, I wouldn’t want her to. Can you honestly say that you’d rather see me struggle and have no one than let him help me because of something his father did?”

“Eden, I know you want to see the best in him, but the apple may not fall far from the tree. You need to be careful.”

I grab my cane and stand. It’s a good thing she’s not in front of me, or I’d be tempted to hit her with it. I’m fucking annoyed and done with this conversation.

“Kris, I’m sorry, but this is a ridiculous argument. That’s like saying every person out there who has a shitty parent is going to be the same way. It’s a really unfair statement to make. You may want to check your privilege considering you’ve always had a perfect home and have no idea what it’s like to live with anything but love and support.”

“Ouch, I’m just looking out for you.” The hurt in her voice is real, but I just can’t find it in me to feel bad.

“Again, I get it. And if I had plans to date or be around his father, then I’d say you have a reason to be concerned. But you’re casting assumptions on Felix, and that’s not fair. Do you know who his father killed or why?”

“Yeah, but what’s the point in telling you when you’re just going to tell me I’m being stupid? My shift is starting. I need to go.” She sighs dramatically. “Talk to you later.”

She hangs up before I can say goodbye. Great…just great. I know she means well, but Kris has always been like this. She’ll see someone with clothes she doesn’t like or with a limp and make up some wild story. When we were kids, and I didn’t know better, it was funny. It’s not funny anymore. No one knows what someone else is going through, what they’ve survived, and I can’t stand by and let her do the same thing to Felix.

I glance at the time before leaving my room. It’s eight p.m., and it’s the longest I’ve slept since before the accident.