Fly Away | Spruceworth 6.2

Chapter 16: The Evil Step-Mother

Chapter 16: The Evil Step-Mother

~Grant~

       Shaw sat across from me at the table in the cafe, handing me a cup of hot chocolate. "So how have you been?" he asked.

       "I got a group of people arrested," I said.

       "I meant how have you been doing with trying to withdr-- Wait, what?"

       "I wasn't the only one who got them arrested. I worked with Ollie, Noah, Julian, and Ollie's cousin Aurora. Do you know Aurora? She's on August's side of the family and your step family is Winnie's side so you probably don't know Aurora. She's cool."

       "Grant, back up a second," Shaw said. "Who did you get arrested and why?"

       "Ollie's jackass of an ex-boyfriend and also Ollie's jackass of an ex-girlfriend and their jackass friends."

       "Okay..." Shaw said slowly. "Why?"

      "Because like I said, they're jackasses," I said. "They're horrible people to Ollie and decided to start vandalizing some buildings here so we decided to get back at them and get them arrested. Of course, they won't stay in prison or anything. I already tried asking Horatio. He said they'll just have to pay a fine. You know what the word fine reminds me of? Ollie. Because Ollie is fine."

       "I'm starting to think you're trying to avoid talking to me about you trying to withdrawal," Shaw said. "I asked you here to talk about your addiction. Not to talk about you getting people arrested or how fine you think your boyfriend is."

       "Think?" I repeated. "No, I know how fine Ollie is. How dare you assume I only think he's fine."

       Shaw sighed heavily at my obvious attempts to derail the conversation. I knew it wouldn't last but I could try distracting him as long as I could, specifically by annoying him. That was one of my many specialties.

       "Grant, again, I wanted to talk to you about your addiction," Shaw said. "Not about all the feuds you're in with random people."

       "I wouldn't really call them random people," I said. "Ollie had a history with them. A bad history. Did he tell you about it? Probably not because he trusts me more than you and you're his brother. How does that feel?"

       "Grant, addiction talk, now," Shaw said.

       To be an even bigger pain, I started talking a slow sip out of my hot chocolate. Shaw crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his seat, clearly annoyed by me. 

       I finished the sip I was taking. "That's some good hot chocolate. Was there whipped cream on it."

       Shaw reached over the table and actually had the audacity to take the hot chocolate out of my hands. I scowled. I was in the middle of drinking that. Did he have to be so rude?

       "The more you avoid the conversation, the more I'm starting to think you had another relapse you haven't told anyone about," Shaw said. "I'm trying to help you, Grant. But I can't if you keep changing the subject and refuse to talk to me about it."

       "Can I have my hot chocolate back?" I asked.

       "I'll give it to you once you answer my question," Shaw said. "Did you relapse again?"

       "No, I didn't," I said. "I swear. The last time I took it was the time I told you about when I was in the hospital."

       "So why are you trying to avoid this discussion?" Shaw asked.