If Not for You (Completed)

Chapter 7: Kale

7 Kale

Kazzi apologized. I'd believe it from her more than I would any of the others, but I still didn't know what to make of it. While she'd never thrown a punch harder than a slap in the face, she was still one of the gang, she still threw insults and made me feel lower than dirt on a regular basis. That, and she'd carved up my new coat.

It served to make me suspicious of her sudden change of heart. I couldn't help wondering if it was all a farce; part of some greater plan her little posse had put together to tear me down once and for all. Wasn't like I couldn't put it past them.

But it was the look in her eyes that had me uncertain. She'd seemed sincere, regretful, maybe even a little sad as she'd looked at me, and I knew for a fact that they were emotions she'd never shown me before.

I couldn't stop thinking about it as I ended my shift for the day and started walking home. My left hand carried a grocery bag of Chef Boyardee and water bottles, a box of Pop-Tarts and Cheerios, a package of toilet paper, a few bars of soap, a single Milky Way bar, carton of eggs, and half a gallon of milk.

Good thing about snow... free refrigerator.

It wasn't much, but it was all I could afford with what I had left of my last paycheck after buying groceries for everyone last week. Of course, Mo offered a few things on the house— he always did— but I declined, unable to justify relying on his generosity all the time. It was pay week, anyway, so by next weekend, I'd be ok again.

Although her eyes met mine with a look of relief when I got home, Meg was still giving me the silent treatment, courtesy of our argument the day before. At least until I slid on the ice coming through the doorway and face-planted right onto my arm. There weren't words to describe the pain as she came and sat beside me, held me against her, gently rocking as I fought to catch my breath. I wasn't sure if I wanted to cry or be sick.

Merchant came over while I was down, began picking up the scattered groceries and put them back in the bag, then set it on my pallet. Meg nodded her head in thanks.

"You alright?" Merchant asked, and I nodded as I blew out a steady breath.

"I'll live." I spat through clenched teeth and allowed him and Meg to help me to my feet, then to bed, where I sat, cradling my arm against me.

Meg came and sat beside me, her face marked with concern. "Sure you're okay?"

I nodded, then reached into the bag for the Milky Way. "I'm sorry about what I said yesterday." I held out the candy bar and she smiled. "You forgive me?"

"Always. I know you just worry." She broke the candy and gave me half.

I nodded as I took it. "I do. I worry a lot."

She looked away, her eyes on the floor as she slowly nodded. "You didn't come home last night." She said and met my gaze again. "I was worried sick."

"I'm sorry."

"If I hadn't called Mo and been told you were safely at work today, I'd have had a hunting party out looking for you right now." She pulled her pre-pay phone from her pocket and stared at it, as though to emphasize.

"I'm sorry." I said again and let out a breath as I watched her.

"Where were you?"

I sighed heavily, thinking over the entirety of the night before. I really didn't want to tell her that her 'work' had been for nothing, and I'd flushed the prescription, and I definitely didn't want to tell her that I'd stayed in the home of one of my four predators. She'd lose it. But neither did I want to keep secrets from her. Besides, if Kazzi was honest in her apology, and we became friends, Meg would want to know why.