Read Online Hollow (Perfect Little Pieces) by Ava Conway - Free Book Online Page A

others.”
    I had to agree. I thought of Kyle and Bethany, and what happened that night at the frat party. “I’ll do the best I can.”
    He nodded and looked away, but not before something flashed through his features.
    “Are the voices talking to you again?” I asked.
    He stiffened his jaw for a moment, then relaxed. “Some days they’re easier to control than others.” He looked up, his eyes widening at something behind me. “I have to go.”
    Before I could respond, he hurried down the hall in the opposite direction. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Rosalie standing in the hall, talking to one of the nurses. How interesting. Was Carter afraid of Rose? If he was, then why did he take Tai Chi?
    It was none of my business. I was done with trying to figure out everyone on the floor. Dr. Polanski was right. We each had our own issues to work through and that didn’t make us any better or worse than anyone else.
    I almost made it back to my room when Elias stopped me in the hall.
    “Lucy.”
    I turned and waited for him to catch up with me.
    “Your mom just called and asked if she and your dad could come see you. I talked with the doctors and it seems you are ready to start having visitors. Isn’t that great news? They’re coming tomorrow.”
    A huge hole formed in my stomach, making me ill. “Yeah, great.” My parents were the last people I wanted to see. They were the reason I was stuck in this awful place.
    Although, to be honest, this hospital stay wasn’t turning out to be as awful as I first feared.
    “Are you okay?” Elias asked.
    “Yeah, I’m fine.” I forced myself to smile. My parents would have to visit eventually. Perhaps it was better to just get it over with. “Thanks for letting me know.”
    He studied my face for a moment. “Okay. The other nurses will be by in a little bit to give out the evening meds.”
    “Okay.” They couldn’t come soon enough.
    “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, then?”
    I nodded, entered my room and closed the door. For once, I was glad for the white-washed floors and sterile-looking furniture. Perhaps it could soak up the dirty feeling I had inside my chest and make it go away.
    I threw myself on the bed and pulled the pillow over my head as memories flooded to the surface. This time they weren’t of the fraternity party, but of my mother’s frequent visits to college. How she would berate me if I got anything less than a perfect score, how she challenged me to do more volunteering because I wasn’t giving enough back to the community, how she’d throw a headline in my face from one of my many outings with Kyle. Sometimes late at night, when everything was quiet, I’d replay our arguments in my head.
    You should really be more respectful, Lucy, she’d say. When you do things like this, it tells us that you don’t care about everything we’ve sacrificed for you. If you don’t care about us, why should we care about you?
    Why indeed. I squeezed my eyes shut as the tears began to fall. Kyle was my rebellion against my parents. He had given me the strength I needed to break from their hold. Without him, I was right back where I started. A pawn used in their political games. Although this time, the pawn was broken. What use could they possibly have for me now?
    If my mother stayed true to character, then I’d find out the answer to that question tomorrow.
     
     

 
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
    I spent most of the day avoiding Jayden. If he saw me, then he’d know that I was upset, and would want to know why. He’d probably stop me from seeing my parents—or worse—he’d want to come with me to see them.
    I wanted to keep Jayden and my mother separate. If they were working together, then I didn’t need them ganging up on me. If they weren’t working together, he’d probably sympathize with her since she was funding his work with the dogs. Either way, I was screwed. No, it was better if Jayden and my mother stayed as far apart as possible.
    I stopped in