Page 2 of Deking
I swore off girls then, but the day I saw this girl, I knew she was something special.
“I’m Wyatt Scott, by the way.”
I hold out my hand, waiting for her to do the same. When she does, I swear I feel sparks fly between us.
“Lyla Wayne. Nice to meet you.”
I swallow hard. “You as well. Hopefully, we will see each other around.”
“Yeah, hopefully we will.” I swear her eyes are reading into my soul as she looks at me.
She drops my hand, walking past me as she heads to her next class. I turn and watch her go, loving when she looks back at me with a shy smile.
“What the fuck was that about? I don’t think I have ever heard you talk that much.” Brett is practically bouncing on his toes next to me.
I honestly forgot he was there, witnessing that whole encounter. I don’t want to tell him, but I know he will pester me about it until I do.
“That girl is going to be my girlfriend,” I grunt. “Leave it at that.”
He is beaming as he takes his place next to me as I begin to walk us to my next class.
“Oh, someone has a crush. She’s hot. Seems nice. Good choice.”
I don’t dignify him with a response.
How could I? My mind is stuck on the pretty blonde who has captured my attention like no other.
I meant it, though. Lyla Wayne will be my girlfriend even if I have to wade through hell to get there with her.
one
Three Years Later
Iswipe on the last bit of makeup before I look at myself in the mirror. The black circles never seem to disappear these days, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I will keep worrying no matter what I do. I can’t not.
Leaving my room, I hear my father talking. My heart sinks in my chest. Dementia is a scary thing. Oftentimes I find my father speaking to long-passed relatives. From today’s conversation, I think he is talking to my grandfather, who died when I was very young. I don’t even remember the man, yet my father speaks as if he is in the room with him.
It breaks my heart. Two years ago, he went in for a checkup because his brain was foggy. He was forgetting more and more things, to the point I was concerned. I begged him to go get checked out, so he did.
There was nothing they could do for him. Not for his mind, at least. They switched his medication that he took for heart disease and warned us of the side effects that could happen from the other medications they put him on, but that was it. He is only in his fifties, but his mind has already decided to betray him. He is losing memories every day. Some days, he looks at me and thinks I am my aunt. Other days, he doesn’t know me at all.
When we found out, we knew we would need to take care of him the best we could. We can’t afford round-the-clock nursing care, so I planned to leave school and take on the responsibility. My brother had other plans. He quit his job and moved out here. We rented a house together and brought Dad here. Together, we make up his care team. I take care of him throughout the night while my brother, Will, takes care of him during the day.
“Good morning, Daddy. How are you feeling?” I ask him.
“Agatha? Is that you?” Dad asks me, making tears prickle my eyes.
God, will this ever get easier?
“Yes. It’s me,” I tell him as I try to fight back any emotion.
“See, Father. I told you Agatha was a good girl. Father was worried you ran off with that Rich again,” Dad says, referring to my aunt’s teenage boyfriend.
I have heard the story many times over the last two years. How my aunt was a harlot back in the day. Nowadays she would be considered a normal woman, but when she was growing up, promiscuity was a sin.
“No. I’m a good girl. Do you need anything?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “You go to bed now.”
