Chapter 8
Marcus’s car is parked right outside the hospital.
On the day I’m supposed to leave, it’s blocking our way.
He waves at me, “Ellie, come on, let’s go home.”
Home?
I don’t move at all.
I don’t have a home.
The Kane house stopped being my home a long time ago.
Nobody there likes me, so I don’t wanna go back.
I get brave and say: “Marcus, I told you last time, we’re even now.”
“Even means you don’t have to feel guilty about me getting hurt for you anymore, and I don’t wanna stay at the Kane house.”
I wanna leave.”
Marcus’s face gets really serious, like he didn’t think I was being for real.
He demands to know: “Leave me and go where? Where can you possibly go?”
He looks at Ethan, “You’re gonna follow that guy?”
Ellie, don’t be ridiculous. You’ve only known him for like a few days.”
Don’t come crying to me when he abandons you somewhere.”
argue back, “Don’t say mean things about him. Ethan is really nice.”
Ethan?” Marcus gets so mad he starts laughing, saying the name really slowly.
hen he grabs my hand and tries to shove me in the car.
Enough talking. Come home with me.”
don’t want to.
fight back really hard, and then this hand with long fingers blocks the car door.
than stares at Marcus with really fierce eyes:
Are you blind or deaf?”
Didn’t you hear that she doesn’t wanna go with you?”
farcus’s voice sounds colder than ice in winter. He warns Ethan: “She’s my fiancée. Our business isn’t any of your concern, stranger!”
When he says fiancée, Ethan actually laughs.
Fiancée? Your fiancée was in the hospital for weeks and you didn’t give a damn?”
Besides,” Ethan looks at me, “who’s the stranger to Ellie now? That’s debatable.”
Let her choose for herself.”
ifter saying that, Ethan glares at me.
ike he’s threatening me with his eyes that I better pick him or I’m dead meat.
Of course …pick him.
quickly duck behind Ethan.
ོ་ཇོ་ཇོ་ ེ་Ë
[only stick my head out and ignore Marcus’s furious stare.
try to convince him: “Marcus, you should just go back. I’m not gonna come home to the Kane house.”
The Kane house already has Molly, so there’s no room for Ellie.”
Ellie still hasn’t forgiven you for making Ellie apologize and eat that candy, so don’t try to force Ellie anymore.”
Ellie will really start to hate you.”
at the end of that day, Marcus looks totally defeated.
le can’t stop me from walking away with someone else.
than is all grumpy the whole way.
ike he still hasn’t gotten over what just happened, and he keeps sighing and stuff.
e pokes my head, “Little dummy! Just how much crap did you put up with at the Kane house?”
id I put up with crap?
tilt my head and think about it.
that dream was real and I died in some gross old house in the middle of nowhere, then yeah, that was pretty crappy.
ut when I think about it more, before Molly showed up, Marcus was actually really good to me.
tell Ethan all about me and Marcus’s history.
ow I saved him.
nd I tell him about when there was this huge flood and the rescue people found us, but their equipment broke and they could only take one person, so Marcus Lade sure they took me instead.
e always protected me when we were growing up.
Thatever he owed me, he already paid it back a long time ago.
fter Ethan listens to everything, he’s quiet for a really long time, then he says:
Too big a favor’s just askin’ for resentment.”
e explains to me that when someone owes you something really big, after a while it starts to feel like hate instead.
totally agree with that.
[arcus in my dream was exactly like that-he felt so crushed by owing me for saving him that he couldn’t breathe.
ctually, he carried me around like a heavy backpack for more than ten years.
inally, he couldn’t carry me anymore and wanted to give up. I don’t blame him.
just think that even if we can’t be husband and wife, we used to be family.
We don’t have to end things in such an ugly way.
When Ethan sees I’m spacing out for too long, he gets annoyed and leans close to me.
Dummy, stop thinking about him.”
From now on, you only have one big brother.”
Ite sticks his chin up all proud and snooty.
I think about what he just said.
The more I think about it, the more I start to giggle.
Does he mean he’s gonna replace Marcus and become my new family?
