Read Online Checked Again by Jennifer Jamelli - Free Book Online Page B

top of the words “Unknown
Number.”
    I
can feel Dr. Gabriel staring at me, waiting for me to answer my call. And the
phone—it keeps buzzing beneath my fingers.
    It’s
too much…way too much.
    {Jordin
Sparks fades in with “No
Air . ” }
    I
don’t know what to do…except to stop the staring…and the buzzing…
    So
I do that. I answer the call with a tiny hello.
    “You
haven’t taken that appointment yet, Calista.” The detached voice on the other
end of the phone replaces some of my tears with dry anger.
    I
clear my throat, trying to steady my voice. “Um, well, I can’t talk now because
I’m still at work and, well—”
    I
am cut off by Dr. Gabriel, who is now holding his watch up by my downturned
face. I mumble “excuse me” into the phone and listen to Dr. Gabriel as he
whispers entirely too close to my face.
    “It’s
seven fifteen, Calista. Your shift is over. You can go ahead and finish your
call. We’ll talk more about our arrangements later.”
    I
nod slightly without looking up at him.
    And
by some miracle, he moves his face away from mine, pushes back his chair, and
goes away.
    I
breathe in a small, relieved breath.
    The
relief lasts for about a third of a second.
    “Calista—are
you there?” His voice. On the phone. {Jordin Sparks starts crying out her
refrain.} I keep the phone on my ear, but I don’t respond. I have to get
out of here…as far away from Dr. Gabriel’s conference discussion as possible. I
gather my purse with one hand and head to the entrance, using the bottom of my
flip-flopped foot to push open the door and lead me outside.
    And
now it’s starting to rain. Of course.
    “Calista?
What’s going on?” He’s still here. Right in my ear. His voice sounds so cold,
though. So not him.
    The
rain is picking up. If I can just get to my car quickly, I should be able to
beat the downpour that is inevitably coming. I whisper to three and start to
run, breathing heavily into the phone and focusing intently on the parking lot
ahead. The rain gets heavier. I don’t have a lot of time. I pick up my pace,
pressing the phone against my head and pulling my purse closer to my side. {Jordin
gets louder and louder.}
    “Calista?”
A pause. “Calista?” His voice gets less doctory with each call of my name. My
breathing gets heavier as I run even faster. Large droplets of rain begin to
create little puddles of slop around me. I lengthen my strides and jump over
the disgusting pools of water, careful not to splash my almost naked feet.
    The
puddles are multiplying, though, and they are growing in depth and
disgustingness. I frantically try to move around them, running even faster than
before and jumping over—
    “Callie?”
He sounds like him. Like the real him.
    I
stop mid-leap, surprised by the kind tone of his voice. Before I know what is
happening, my foot rushes to the ground and my right ankle twists out in an
unnatural position. It twists further as it lands on the ground, slipping on
the wet sidewalk beneath me.
    In
full panic mode now, I yank my foot back the other way, trying to regain my
balance before I fall.
    And
it works.
    But
the little toe thong in my flip-flop snaps out of the base of the shoe.
    A
small sob breaks through my lips as I look down at the gigantic hole in the
bottom of my flip-flop. I’m not going to be able to fix it…and my car is still
pretty far away.
    I
stand there in shock, my legs parted awkwardly in my emergency balanced
position. Rain pouring over me.
    {Jordin
sings her refrain again and again and again.} He…still on the phone…calls my
name over and over and over. And he still sounds like him…the him who held my
hand and massaged my shoulders and—
    “Callie—I’m
on my way. Don’t hang up.”
    I
don’t hang up. I don’t move. I stand, my face covered with rain…and tears…and
frustration.
    “Breathe,
Callie. Just breathe.”
    I’m
trying to breathe, Dr. Blake. But there are puddles of germs surrounding my
feet.
    Okay.
I’ve