Pull

“Pardon?” I sputtered.

“What you said about people making choices. I think you were spot on. Not only that, but it’s a very wise thing for you to say at such a young age.”

“I’m nineteen,” I growled.

Her smile was patronizing. The type of smile you give a kid when they hold up their hand and say, “I’m five now!” I closed my eyes and rested my head against the cold leather couch.

“Yes, you are,” she agreed. “I think you’d be a good group leader too, Demetri.”

Was she high?

“Um, you know I’m kind of in a group, right? As in, my brother and I are in a group, and I’m the lead singer?” I was looking at her like she’d lost her mind.

“Got that.” She winked. “I mean a group leader in group therapy.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “I think I’m a little too messed up in the head to lead anyone right now.”

“Which is why you’re perfect.” She stood and brushed her hands on her skirt. “The rest of the group will relate to you, and I think you’re ready for the next step.” She sighed and looked straight into my eyes. “Demetri, can I be honest with you?”

“Aren’t you always?”

She gave me a hand up. I was towering over her as she slipped off her glasses and wiped them on her shirt. “I don’t think you’re going to keep making progress until you start to heal, and I don’t think you’re going to start healing unless you deal with the grief you went through. I think you need to be around people who understand that grief. Maybe together you guys can work through stuff. Besides, you’re a natural leader, which makes you either the most powerful man in the room or the most dangerous.”

“Why the most dangerous?” I drew my eyebrows together and shoved my hands in my pockets.

Mrs. Murray returned her glasses to her face. “Because, you can lead people to success, or you can bring them down with you.”

“Kind of how Alec brought me down with the whole drugs and alcohol thing?”

She nodded and grimaced. “Yes. Though when you remind me of things like that, you make the mom side of me want to check up on him and Nat.”

“Nat’s fine.” I rolled my eyes.

“Right.” She patted my arm and led me to the door. “Just think about it, okay?” She pushed a small, yellow paper into my hand. Did that mean I had to read it?

I stuffed it into my pocket. “Fine. Hey, is Nat home?”

Mrs. Murray tilted her head. “She didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“One of the shows was canceled, so Nat flew down early to be with Alec.”

“Oh.” A stab of disappointment jammed my chest, irritating the hell out of me.

“Demetri?”

“Yeah?” I turned back around.

“You need to find some friends.”

Find? She made it sound like a Where’s Waldo game. Crap. At this point I’d even settle for Waldo, but there were next to no normal people in this small town. Most of them partied anyway.

How did a person even make friends without partying? I laughed and shrugged her off. “Story of my life. I’ll let you know how the search goes next time I’m out and about, singing my taffy song.”

“Okay.” She smiled warmly, and I left the house.

The warm summer air whipped my hair against my forehead. I pulled out my cell phone and sent a group text to Nat and Alec.

BOTH OF YOU SUCK. I HATE U. O, AND I ALMST CRIED IN MY COUNSELING SESSION. YOUR FAULT. BOTH OF U. P.S.

I TRIED THREE FLAVORS OF TAFFY TODAY. SCORE!

I jumped into my car. Within seconds the phone buzzed. I looked down, and there was a picture of Alec and Nat both making sad faces, and below the picture it said, WE LUV U. STOP BEING A BABY. MAYBE IF U EAT THE ALCOHOL-FLAVORED TAFFY, YOU’LL STOP BEING SUCH A GIRL. KIDDING. STAY CLEAN !

“Right.” I rubbed my eyes and started the engine, then remembered I lived next door. What the heck? Maybe I was losing my mind. The last place I wanted to be was home by myself. Bob might get pissed, considering he’s kind of like my babysitter, but still. I wanted to go. Out.

I put the car into drive and headed toward city center.

Chapter Five

Alyssa

I closed the door to the store and leaned against it. There wasn’t much to clean up, considering we hadn’t been very busy.

After my counseling appointment, I came back to the store to work.

Dad and Mom both decided to go home and have some dinner. But I wasn’t hungry; besides, someone had to stay and lock up.

I went to the counter and put away the free samples. We had just made a new flavor. It was salted caramel popcorn. I had wanted to try it, but the smell kept me away.

Grimacing, I threw it in the trash and gathered up the tossed wrappers. Within a few minutes the back counter was cleared. The sun was beginning to set. I went to the windows to pull the blinds, when a flashy car caught my eye.

What the heck was Demetri doing back at work?

I knew his schedule. Okay, so I hated myself that I knew his schedule. But he only worked until four every day. It was already past six. I was still trying to decide how pathetic it was that, after only a few days, I knew exactly when the guy arrived and left work. Clearly, I needed to find a hobby or something.

Like a peeping tom, I drew the blinds farthest from the door then peeked between them. Demetri’s car was parked by the taffy store, but he was nowhere to be seen.