Page 96 of Merciless

“Come on, Lucas,” she sighed. “It’s March already. It’s been more than a month. It’s a little excessive, don’t you think?”

“Excessive?” I played the word in my mind a few times. “No, I don’t think so. I was perfectly fine before you invited her here. All of this could have been avoided if you just didn’t get involved. But you can’t do that, can you? You always have to meddle in other people’s business.”

“Whose business is that? Clementine’s or yours?”

“Both.”

I tried to remain calm and not engage in the conversation, but I was on edge, and she was becoming pushy lately. At the beginning, she gave me space to deal with everything. But with every day that passed, she was forcing me talk. I left a glass on the kitchen counter with a thud. Mom immediately turned to face me. She was ready for an outburst. I planned to be totally in control.

“Okay. You want to know what I think. Here it is.Youintroduced her to that old creep who lured her in London.Youknew about it, and you didn’t tell me. And finallyyoubought her a ticket and boarded her on a fucking plane without even considering I might have a problem with that.”

“No,” mom looked at me like she had to tame me. “I knew you would have a problem with that. But it wasn’t about you. She needs this.”

“Bullshit.”

I noticed she didn’t comment on my language. She didn’t even make a face.

“You love her, right? Then you should be happy that she’s happy.”

“What if she’s not?” I asked more aggressively than I intended. When the fuck did she even get into this jewelry making shit? “Why are you so sure she’s happy?” Mom opened her mouth, then closed it with a guilty look on her face. I chuckled.

“You two are talking, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

That chicken. She talked to my mother but didn’t answer any of my calls or texts.

“Fine. Tell me where she is, I’ll go find her. If she can talk to you, she can talk to me.”

“No! Lucas, grow up,” Mom came closer to me and put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m not letting you go harass her. She’s not ready to talk to you. You can’t force her.”

Her nagging tone was getting on my nerves. This exchange could turn into a fight any minute now.

“Well, I’m not ready to talk to you and you are forcing me.” I took my car keys and went to school.

These days I was so hostile that even Chase had difficult time making me do anything. I was spending a lot of time with Hannah. At first, we talked only about Clementine, but I started to like her. She wasn’t as annoying as I thought.

“Do you think she’ll come back?” Hannah asked me while we were eating chocolate waffles the same day I told my mother I wanted to go to England and find Clementine.

The question pierced me like a knife. I wasn’t ready to think about any other possibility. I didn’t answer though.

“Tyler thinks she’ll come back, but I’m not so sure anymore,” she added while stuffing a large piece of waffle in her mouth. I looked at her and pretended to be shocked. She laughed.

“I know you know. Clem told me you figured me out on her birthday. He asked me for my number before he went back to Boston, just in case she contacts me.”

“So you’re talking?”

“Texting,” Hannah tapped her mouth with a napkin.

“Sexting?”, I raised a brow.

“No!” she roared and glanced at me. “But a girl can dream.”

“I can’t see you with him. You’re too put together. He’s all over the place.”

“People change. Clem did when you were together. If you two had more time, I think she would do everything in a different way.”

“Or you’re finding excuses for your best friend.”