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“Dad should save his energy. Ace will go home eventually.”
Especially since it was supposed to get cold tonight. There was no way he would be stupid enough to stay out there all night.
At least, I hoped he wouldn’t be stupid enough to stay out there all night.
“Okay. Well, let me know if you need anything, sweetheart. Your father and I are just down the hall.” She leaned down and kissed my cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” I murmured. “Goodnight.”
Giving me one final sympathetic look, my mom left the room.
I stared up at the ceiling once I was alone, trying to get my thoughts in order.
Do not go look at him again, Doe, ?I thought to myself. ~Be strong. Do ~not~ go look at him again.~
My inner monologue was useless. No matter how many times I repeated those words, the urge was too strong.
I just wanted to see if he was still there.
After slowly peeling back my blankets, I tiptoed over to my window. I grabbed the edge of my curtains and pulled it to the side so the tiniest sliver of my window was revealed.
Sure enough, Ace was standing in the same place, lit up by the streetlight above him. He was still staring up at my window too.
It felt like he was staring straight at me. But there was no way he could see me from all the way down there through the tiniest sliver of my curtains. Right?
With my curiosity momentarily satisfied, I stepped back from my window and fell back into my bed with a groan.
It was going to be a long night.
My brothers were going crazy when I walked into the kitchen the next morning. All seven of them were sitting on stools around the center island, shoveling food into their mouths.
“Dotty, Ace has been outside all morning!” Easton yelled at me, turning in his seat to look at me.
“He’s been out there all night actually,” Elliot corrected. “I saw him out there before we went to bed last night.”
“Why is he just sitting out there, Dotty?” Easton pushed. “Why doesn’t he come inside? He could eat breakfast with us.”
I didn’t need them to tell me Ace was still outside. I was well aware. I’d barely slept, too busy worrying about him standing out there in the cold all night.
I was a little ashamed to admit I’d checked on him several times overnight. Every time I looked out my window, I found him in the same spot, staring up at me like some sort of stalker.
Ignoring Elliot, I searched for my mom. My dad had left for work already, so it looked like she had made everyone breakfast: French toast and bacon; just what I’d planned to make Ace for his birthday.
I found her standing at the stove, flipping bacon with a spatula.
She smiled. “I know you wanted to make Ace breakfast for his birthday today, but since you were still in bed and it seemed like you could really use the sleep, I thought I would help you out.
“I hope you don’t mind that I got you started.”
My heart dropped.
It’s Ace’s birthday.
It wasn’t as if I had forgotten. I had his birthday planned down to a tee. Every minute was accounted for.
But after everything that happened yesterday, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do now.
My mom must have seen the sudden trepidation on my face. “Oh, honey,” she murmured, putting her spatula down. “Is this about the fight the two of you had?”
“You and Ace had a fight?” Felix exclaimed. “Why?”
I crossed my arms, feeling weird about talking to my younger sibling about it. “It’s complicated.”
“Well, I don’t care if it’s complicated. I’m on Ace’s side,” Felix said.
My jaw dropped. “What?”
“Me too!” Thomas agreed.
These little weasels. ?“You can’t be on Ace’s side!” I yelled. “I’m your sister!”
Thomas shrugged while he scooped another piece of French toast into his mouth.
“That’s how we know that whatever you’re mad at him about is stupid. That’s why I’m on Ace’s side.”
I felt like screaming. “Well, that’s too bad for you because Ace and I broke up yesterday. So Ace is the dumb one for just sitting out there…and you should be on ~my~ side.”
The chatter in the kitchen ceased. Everyone turned to look at me. And I realized exactly what I’d just said.
“What?” Thomas demanded, jumping out of his seat.
“You and Ace broke up?” Easton’s little face was crushed.
Shit. ?I didn’t know why I said that. Just trying to make a point? I was so sick of my siblings choosing Ace over me. We hadn’t actually broken up, of course. I had just asked for space from him.
“But, Mom, I thought you said that Ace and Dotty would be together forever!”
Everette said. “Because they’re ma—”
“You’re right, Everette. I did say that,” my mom interrupted. She gave him a tight smile before directing her gaze back at me. “But maybe I was wrong. Did something happen?”
I swallowed. “Well, I…I don’t…”
I didn’t know how to respond. Something had happened, but I wasn’t sure if I could get into it. Especially since thinking the words ~Ace and I broke up~ made the ground feel like it was falling out from under me.
I was much closer than I’d thought to breaking down.
“Let’s not talk about it right now,” my mom suggested. “How about you sit down and get something to eat, Doe? You didn’t even have dinner last night. You must be starving.”
I shook my head. Although I was grateful for her changing the topic, my stomach could not handle any food.
“Actually,” I said, “would you…? Would you bring Ace some breakfast?”
***
I was doing a horrible job of standing my ground. I should not be having my mother bring Ace food right now.
But it was his birthday today; his eighteenth birthday, for goodness’ sake! He didn’t deserve to starve. Even if he was an asshole.
I watched my mom walk down our driveway with a plate full of Ace’s favorite breakfast food in her hands.
Wes followed behind closely and, since Thomas was the only one of my brothers who had finished his breakfast, he marched ahead eagerly.
I watched from the smallest crack in the opening of the door, making sure that Ace couldn’t see me while I eavesdropped.
“Ace! Hi!” Thomas shouted as he ran up to him. “What are you doing out here?”
“We were just having breakfast,” my mother told him once she caught up with Thomas. “Thought you might be hungry, standing out here all night.”