It's All In the Game (McKinley Family Series #1)

Chapter 11: Karma

"So your wrist and hand will look a little different for a while but you should feel much better now that the cast is gone," The nurse says to Jewel.

I'm standing to the side listening and trying to stay out of the way. It's been eight weeks since Jewel fractured her wrist. She insists that she tripped on a rug in her home. When I asked about her swollen lip she said that it happened in the fall as well.

"We will take you back for X-rays in a minute just to check your wrist."

Jewel nods. She has been quiet this morning. I borrowed Declan's car to drive her to this appointment because King won't let me drive his car. He thinks it took me too long to learn. He says that's a sign I must be a bad driver. I keep trying to tell him Declan's car takes off with just a tap to the gas and that makes me nervous. King still won't relent.

"Are you alright?" I ask once the nurse leaves. "You are really quiet."

"I'm fine. I'm just happy to get that cast off my hand."

"Is that all? It seems like something else may be bothering you."

"Well." She looks down at her nails. "I think Cliff is cheating on me."

I want to roll my eyes but I keep all ill-feelings and expressions to myself. "Why do you think that?"

She starts playing with her fingers. "He told me I act too much like a kid." She lets out a long sigh. "He said he needs a real woman, not a child."

I want to rejoice because hopefully, the pedophile takes his ass on, but I can clearly see she's hurting.

"Umm...well he is kind of old," I reply, cautiously.

"I'm seventeen so he's not too old." She looks up at me with stern eyes. "He's only twenty-five, that's just an eight-year difference. I just need to stop acting like a whiny kid."

"How are you acting like a kid?"

She rolls her eyes like my line of questions is stupid. "I'm always asking him where he's at. I'm always wanting to go with him." She huffs and folds her arms over her chest. "He's busy so I just have to learn to stop acting so needy."

"I guess." I shrug not understanding how that makes her a kid.

"You and Declan don't spend all your time together."

"Declan and I go to school together and live across the street from each other so we kind of are always together."

She rolls her eyes. "Karma it's different when you're with an older man. Older men don't want no nagging woman."

"Well, maybe you should get with someone your age so you don't have to deal with all these adult demands," I state raising my voice a little.

"You don't understand...I love him. You and Declan have a kid type relationship." She says with anger in her voice. "You're probably not even fucking the poor boy."

"Knock-knock. I'm here to take you to X-ray." A young blond male nurse steps into the room.

"I will wait here," I say as Jewel follows the guy out the room.

Sitting down in the available chair. I think over our words. I rub my hands down my legs as a dreadful feeling comes over me.

🏈

We made it back to school an hour later and Jewel has not said much to me. Even when we stopped and got breakfast at McDonald's, she didn't say much. I walk into my third-period class that I have with Declan. Sitting next to him in my normal seat I pass him his keys. "You need gas," I whisper.