Free Whispering Minds by A.T. O'Connor Page B

spoke, his voice was as hard and tight as his jaw. “You’re not fine.”
    Hot anger seeped through my body like it had in the kitchen with my dad, and I fought the urge to punch Travis. “I don’t think it’s any of your business.”
    He made a choking sound, as if he was trying to bite back his words. “If you want to keep shutting me out, that’s fine, but you need to get help. There are things that happened, and you can’t keep ignoring them."
    “And I suppose you know.”
    “I know about losing people you love and blocking out the memories that hurt.”
    Things clicked into place. “Did your grandfather hurt me? Is that it? And my dad can’t forgive him.”
    Trav’s face drained of all color. “My grandfather’s never laid a hand on you, Gem.”
    “Then you. You...” I choked on the words. “Oh my God. And I pushed it all aside. And your grandpa, he was my shrink. He helped me forget so you could stalk me all over again.”
    I lashed out, hitting Travis in the face. He slammed on the brake, and the truck fishtailed, the back end swinging wildly into the ditch. I gripped the door handle and braced myself for a crash. The truck ground to a halt.
    His voice was deadly quiet. “Do you believe that?”
    It made sense. Everyone hiding his abuse from me so I could just move on.
    But why let me hang out with Travis at all?
    Because he’s innocent.
    Was I part of his rehabilitation? To make amends with his victim?
    His hands gripped the steering wheel. His fingers white as ice, his voice as cold. “Do you honestly believe that?”
    It made sense. Perfect sense. I nodded.
    Travis stomped on the gas. The truck slid on the ice, seeking purchase. I’d never been afraid of him until now.
    Tell him you’re sorry, Angel pleaded.
    Brutus demanded it. Now, Gemi.
    “Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!” I screamed at the voices. Then, “Travis, stop. I’m sorry.”
    He never answered. When he pulled up to my house, he slammed the truck into park.
    “Travis, I’m sorry.”
    Ever the gentleman, he deposited me onto the step and gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek. “Goodbye, Gemini. I’m officially done babysitting you.”
    In that moment, I knew I’d made a mistake I could never repair. My words had destroyed a man incapable of hurting me.
    Trav’s truck tore off down the driveway, carrying with it a piece of my heart.

Chapter 12
     
    The remains of a half-eaten take-out pizza sat on the table next to Mom’s overnight bag. Even in my wasted state, I vaguely remembered she shouldn’t be here. An empty cola can lay in a pool of dark soda. A whiskey bottle, drained of the amber liquor, its companion. Canned laughter and my dad’s guffaws seeped into the kitchen from the back of the house. Mom’s tipsy giggles followed after a lag time. She’d had just enough alcohol to still be in a good mood, but already too much that she was slow on processing.
    Next to the table, department store bags overflowed with tennis equipment—my dad’s newest obsession even though the back pain from a long ago car accident had kept him from playing anything for years. If only I’d stayed, I might have kept Mom from getting sucked into his annual sports binge. If only I’d remembered the timing of it. A new layer of guilt added to the weight of my accusation against Travis. It propelled me upstairs to bed where tears wouldn’t come no matter how hard I tried. Not even the familiar blackness took me away from my personal hell.
    By the time my dad and Mom made their way upstairs, they had passed the feel-good stage and were bickering. He slammed the door to their room, and Mom shuffled across the hall. Through the walls, I listened as she tossed and turned, muttering to herself. Something smashed into our shared wall—probably a tennis racquet—before she finally settled down and started snoring. I waited another hour after the last noises, pulled my robe around me and made my way downstairs to the computer. Determined to straighten