When I get home, Theo and Roman are waiting like disapproving mothers at the door. Theo raises an eyebrow at me and frowns.
"You kicked a girl at school today?" he asks, thought it sounds more like an accusation than a question. "Would your parents approve?"
I feel my eyes sting with tears.
"Why does everyone have to talk about my parents?! They're gone, okay? They're gone!"
Theo's green eyes widen and I feel sorry for yelling at him, only for a moment. Then all sorts of emotions well up in my chest as I remember the night my parents died...anger, sadness, and anxiety all mash together to form one huge weight on my shoulders.
Roman looks at me, and another emotion joins the mush; I tell myself to stop it, but I feel loneliness creep in and settle. I desperately want my uncle to be here. He's family. He'll understand. Besides, maybe seeing him will help me remember mom's face. I almost choke out a sob when I realize I can barely imagine what she looked like.
Theo grabs Roman and pushes him towards me. "Hey, hug her, would you?! She's gonna cry!"
I'm thankful for Theo's quick thinking as Roman's arms embrace me. His chest is warm and I can feel his heartbeat. He rubs my back tenderly and I feel even lonelier. He doesn't like me, and that kiss was from a delusional, feverish Roman, not the real Roman.
I finally let tears fall.
"I'm sorry," I say, even though I have nothing to apologize right now.
"Hey, just go ahead," says Roman. "It's okay."
Theo appears beside me and raises his eyebrow again.
"If you're feeling a little better now, do you mind if I ask why you kicked a girl in the mouth today?"
I smile a little through the tears.
"I'll tell you when I'm done sobbing my heart out in Roman's arms."
YOU ARE READING
The Bad Boy Is My Legal Guardian?
Teen FictionBirdie Song's parents have just died, leaving her an orphan. She's sent to California to live with her uncle, but when she gets there, she discovers that her uncle is away on one of his famous "adventures", and he's left her in the hands of his "bes...
