Saving Scott

Epilogue: "It's going to take an army."

Lakyn's hands settled over mine and gently pried the mini bottle of Crown Royal from my fingers. "How about instead of drinking that, you talk to me."

"Because then I have to admit what hurts," I muttered. I let the bottle go. I hadn't even opened it.

"Better than being a teenage alcoholic," Lakyn said.

"Pretty sure I've already crossed that line."

Lakyn shrugged. "It's a Juvenile offense. It won't show up on your permanent record."

I smiled at that and asked, "How did you stop cutting?"

"I found things that hurt less and helped more," he answered as he sat down in front of me. We were on the floor in the bathroom. He'd come looking for me when he realized I'd been gone too long.

"I think I miss my mom," I said, hugging my knees to my chest. "But I don't think I'm ready to forgive her yet. And I'm mad that I feel like I still need her, when I have Matt's mom and your uncle."

"It's okay to need more," Lakyn said softly. "I can't tell you what to do, but if you think your relationship with your mom is fixable, I'll support you. And if it's not, I'll support you even more."

I sighed and asked, "Do you think I'm going to be okay?"

Lakyn leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead. He held it there for a long moment before saying, "Yes. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I do."

"Okay," I said.

"Okay," Lakyn said. "Let's go make an apple pie."

***

A week later as we sat outside of my childhood home in my jeep, I told Lakyn childhood stories about my two uncles and my aunt as I pointed them out and waved at them when they caught me staring. I hadn't seen a lot of my moms family since my teenage years, I wasn't entirely sure why. People got busy, I suppose.

"I didn't realize you had such a big family," Lakyn commented.

"That's why I'm an only child," I said. "Mom always hated having so many siblings."

He hummed at that. "You would have been a good brother."

"Probably," I agreed. "Should have at least gotten a dog to keep me company."

The corners of Lakyn's mouth curved up into his own brand of a smile before he said, "You're stalling."

I sighed and opened the door. Lakyn followed me out, but he stayed a step behind me as I headed for the front porch. My mom stepped outside before I actually made it, nervously wringing a dish towel in her hands.

"Scott," she said, and then stopped awkwardly, like she wasn't sure how to keep going.

"Hey mom," I said. "Where's dad?"

"At a hotel," she answered. "He gave me a few days to get my stuff out, now that I've got a place. I sent you pictures."

"Yeah," I said. "I've been busy, but it looks nice. Looks like you."

"It's bigger in person," she said. "If you ever want to stop by."

I nodded and looked around, at the boxes in the ground, and my family keeping their distance. I wondered what my mom had told them, if anything. I wondered how hard it was to completely detangle your life from someone else's. "Do you need help?"

"Oh, no, that's not ..." she was looking at my arm, the one that still had a cast on it. Juliet had drawn tribal designs on it, so it looked kind of badass, but I had a feeling that wasn't what she was seeing. "You don't have to."