Finding My Feet

Chapter Ten

"Well look who came to visit," my mom announces loudly from the front door, faking surprise.
I roll my eyes happily as I hear talking and then footsteps to the lounge.
"Hey."
"It took you long enough," I announce jokingly as Reegan walks to me.
"There was a line," he scoffs in the same tone.
"Well help me up and you'll see why I'm not at school," I say, holding my hands out.
Reegan looks around, setting the food packet down on the couch.
"Where's your wheelchair?" He asks, clearly confused.
I ignore him and grab onto his arms, pulling myself up.
"No, what are you doing?" He yells, grabbing onto me firmly. "You'll fall. Are you mad?"
"You're such a whiner," I scoff, pushing myself out of his arms and standing up by myself.
I grab my crutches that are laid against the couch and steady myself with them.
"You're standing," he says, amazed.
"Yes so can you stop worrying?" I laugh.
"How?" He asks.
"With the power of love," I say, sarcasm dripping from my voice and he looks at me with a dumb expression. "I went to leg therapy! For like almost two months and now I can use these bad boys to walk."
I gesture towards the metal around my body.
"That's so great," he grins. "But why are you at home?"
"To learn how to walk with them," I shrug.
"You're walking fine though," he says.
My face falls and I look towards the TV that's still on.
"Hey, what's wrong? What did I say?" He puts his fingers under my chin and lifts my face. "What happened, Bam?"
I sigh, running my hands through my long hair and falling onto the couch.
"My parents are getting a divorce," I murmur.
"What?" He sits next to me, shocked. "Why?"
"My dad cheated," I huff.
"Oh," is the only reply.
I look at him and he has a regretful look on his face.
"You're in the same situation as your mom," he says softly.
"This is entirely different," I defend. "You didn't mean to do it!"
"The first time I did," he turns his eyes to me and then looks away again. "The first time, I stared temptation right in the face and I accepted it. And I regret to say that I enjoyed it."
My eyebrows scrunch together as I stare at him, dumbfounded.
"Kelly got me alone in her bedroom," he started and I shook my head but he didn't see me as he carried on. "She said we could have some fun and I would be lying if I said I wasn't in the mood. I had a few drinks in me, I must say. But the alcohol wasn't the one talking, it was still me. And we started kissing, she started it though. And one thing led to another and we were both naked and we ended up fucking. The next few days we continued to flirt and then I found out that she's actually a freshman and I was like what. I told her we couldn't continue doing what we were doing. She seemed completely fine with it but she ended up being a mentally unstable bitch and drugged me all the time. I'm sorry."
I stayed silent, stuck on one thought.
"You would've continued cheating on me if she wasn't a freshman," I state.
He seems to realize what he said and shakes his head quickly.
"I would've stopped by myself, I swear," he tells me.
"I know you. You wouldn't of stopped by yourself," I say. "You would've continued cheating on me, even when I moved here."
He stares at me, his face setting into a slight frown.
"I love you," he murmurs.
"No, Reegan. You can't do this," I whine. "You can't be caring one second, then tell me new information on what happened then expect me to jump into your arms. After I just found out you did all of this willingly? I can't believe this. I would rather paralyze myself again than actually feel this way. You've ripped me to shreds and you expect that you can just fix it by getting back together. That's not how this works."
"Well, it sort of does," he shrugs.
"What drugs are you on?" I yell. "You can't fix this if you're the one that's broken it."
"I know that I can fix this!" He hollers back. "I know that you still love me and want to be with me!"
"Well you're wrong," I hiss. "After this, I don't even want to think of being with you again."
"There are easier ways to kill me," he says.
We glare at each other for a few moments. His phone breaks the stare and he answers it.
"What?" He snaps. "Seriously, you? No... Fuck off, no one likes you, especially not me... We can be good together? We'd be better dead... Kelly, don't try me."
I zone out as I hear her name. Why does he still bother talking to her? And why at the worst of times? I felt like I had taken one step forward and ten steps back.
"Alright," he spits, pressing the end call button and looking at me with a softer expression. "I have to go."
"To her?"
He stares at me for a while before he lets out a sigh.
"I'm not doing this," he states.
"You proclaim your love to me and your hate for her yet you go see her when you're supposed to be visiting me," I state.
"It's not like I have a choice to not see her," he shakes his head.
"Yes you do!" I say in shock. "And you're choosing to see her!"
"I'm not," he scoffs. "I wish I could choose."
"You're literally choosing to see her right now," I frown.
"It's not my choice," he states, his jaw setting.
"Don't try this bullshit with me," I say. "You could stay here."
"No, I can't," he growls. "I have to go."
"To her," I state.
"I don't have a choice, Amber," he snaps.
"Why not?" I yell.
"Because she's going to be my stepsister!" He shouts, getting up and then walking out.
I hear the front door slam and I put my head into my hands.
"Honey?" My mom calls from the kitchen. "I heard yelling."
I hear the dinner table chair screech against the wooden floor and then her footsteps stop at the lounge's entrance.
"What's going on?" She asks.
"They live together," I tell her.