going.
“Why don’t we move on to the next part?” she suggested far too cheerfully. “Things you’d like to do, that you’re interested in. They can be new hobbies, but I’d like you to consider other things too, such as volunteering with animals or tutoring kids or visiting—”
She broke off as Cai jumped up off the floor in one fast motion and stormed out of the room like he was escaping a fire. He slammed the door behind him, leaving us all dumbfounded.
“I think he’s pissed,” Nicky said helpfully.
Jarett looked at the door and back to Angie. “Shouldn’t someone go after him?” He sounded honestly worried.
Angie looked doubtful. “Let’s leave him to calm down for a little while. He’ll be okay. I’ll check on him in a bit. Haze, let’s get back to your list.”
I really didn’t feel like rehashing this shit, especially after seeing Cai’s face when he’d left. He had looked like he was in pain. I had no idea what had caused it, but damn, I felt kinda bad.
“I still don’t know,” I griped, when something suddenly came to me. “I like fashion.”
Nicky looked me critically and meaningfully up and down. “Really?”
Shit. Damn it. Finn’s clothes.
“Just ’cause I don’t have the money to buy it doesn’t mean I don’t care,” I snapped. Nicky bit his lip and looked appropriately chastised.
Jarett tapped his finger at my sheet. “You’re supposed to write down something you want to know how to do.”
“Oh. Hmm.” I squinted at the paper. “I always kinda wanted to learn pole dancing.”
Judging by Angie’s exasperated sigh, that was not the kind of answer she’d had in mind.
* * * *
I went to find Finn immediately after lunch, which turned out to be a mistake, because I ran into his fan club instead. Of course I was fair game for invasive, stupid-ass questions, and I had the patience to answer exactly one of them before I’d had enough. As I tried to lose them and make my way to therapy, I ran into Cai. He seemed to have calmed down, I realized just as he stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.
“I have a question.”
“As long as it’s not about what it’s like to be related to Joel Shepherd, go right ahead,” I said warily.
“I don’t give a flying fuck what that’s like. I want to know if you can get on the roof from your window.”
“I have no idea. I haven’t tried.”
“Well, try. ’Cause that’s where I might be talked into sharing a smoke after supper tonight.” He gave me a wry half smile as he walked off, leaving me to feel as if my birthday were coming up.
But before that could happen, I had to brave yet another round of Dr. Pierce asking me questions she thought were insightful, and today her topic of choice was Finn’s brother.
“Yeah, I hate him,” I assured her, because duh . The guy had fucked Finn over and smiled doing it.
“Last time you talked to a therapist, you said you weren’t angry with him.”
Finn had said that? What the hell had he been smoking before that conversation?
“Yeah, well, I was confused,” I informed her brusquely. “And I most certainly am angry with him, and I hope he goes to hell, and I’d like to punch his stupid face in for everything—”
“Everything he put you through?”
I was lucky she said that, because I’d gotten so wound up I had been a second from referring to Finn in the third person.
“Yeah,” I finished lamely.
“Do you think your relationship with him can ever be fixed?”
“Fuck no. He’d have to be sorry first,” I fumed. “And that’s obviously not happening. I mean, he’s still parading that skanky bitch around and really enjoying it too, which is so goddamn fucked up. I mean, are you kidding me? Does he want a dead brother? Does he want that guilt? ’Cause he’s gonna feel responsible for that shit if it happens, I guarantee it.”
Worry flashed in Dr. Pierce’s eyes.
“Have you been having thoughts in that direction again?” she asked very