Yeah, I Hate You Too, Sweetheart.

Chapter 16 - Justin

  Justin

       I slammed a fist into the wall in the living room, breathing heavily. Here I thought everything had been going relatively well for a while between Laila and me, but now this had to go and happen? What the hell was wrong with me?

  I'd made her cry, for God's sake. And then I'd left her there in the kitchen and walked off.

   Why was this suddenly happening? What had I done to deserve this?

    I really didn't need an answer to that question, I realized. Because I really already knew.

  I was doing this to myself.

    I wasn't sure if I wanted to start crying or not or just go outside and smash something. I just knew I had to do something.

   Making up my mind all of a sudden, I left the living room, putting as much space between Laila and I was possible, and sprinted up the stairs to my room. Banging the door shut behind me, I locked it with fumbling hands. I grappled around in my pocket for my cell phone and slumped against the wall, nervously punching in Avery's number. I waited with baited breath for her to just pick up on the other line, just so I could talk to somebody about everything that had been going on. 

  "Hola, cachorro. ¿Qué pasa?"  Avery greeted me cheerily in Spanish.

"She knew," was all I managed to choke out.

  "What?"

"She knew, Avery," I repeated, gulping. "Laila knew I was adopted."

 "Oh, Justin," Avery sighed. "Why do you say that? How could she know?"

 "My mom must have told her, because I sure as hell didn't!" I exclaimed heatedly.

 Oh, great. Now where was all of this anger coming from?

 "I doubt that, cachorro," Avery reassured me. "She didn't tell me or Nick. Why would she have told Laila?"

  "I don't know, Aves," I sighed, running a hand through my still damp hair. "I just don't know anymore."

  "Are you sitting?"

"No."

 "Well, go and sit."

 I pulled a face, rolling my eyes, but did as she asked anyways. I threw myself onto my bed with another disgusted sigh and waited for Avery to say something else.

  "I'm sitting," I told her. "Now what?"

"Start from the beginning. Tell me everything," she said simply.

    So I did. I told her everything that had happened, starting from right after Nick's party a week or two ago, then that little spat I'd had with Laila in the kitchen the day after, the little reconciliation that we'd had in the Costco earlier today, and then what had just happened in the kitchen.

  "You did what?" Avery demanded, sounding indignant.

I slapped a hand to my forehead, groaning. "God, I know, Avery! I'm such an ass!"

 "I can't believe you made her cry!" she exclaimed angrily. "Clearly she wasn't lying to you, but you just had to go and stomp off like a pendejo?" 

  "I don't even know what that means," I said blankly, momentarily forgetting about the intense conversation we were having.

  "It means you're stupid. A coward. Irresponsible. A mother - "