“Well,” my mom says, cutting into her chicken. “Are you feeling excited, Lennon?”
I nod, spearing a cauliflower floret with my fork.
“Pretty soon you’ll be in Texas without anybody to tell you where to go and what to do.”
Is that... wistfulness I see on her face? It stuns me, causing me to pause my fork in mid-air. I watch and listen as she opens her mouth again.
“Hopefully Ted and I have done a good job instilling in you the values of our home. Just because you’re in another state doesn’t mean you no longer represent our family and our morals.” She picks up another bite of chicken. “I think you’ll do just fine.”
For some kids my age, this talk would be obnoxious. They’d roll their eyes, either outwardly or inwardly. But not me. My mother so rarely shows this level of concern or care, and instead of being annoyed, I feel like I’m being showered with praise. My belly feels warm and happy, my heart swells.
“You don’t need to worry about me,” I manage to say around the tightness in my throat.
Mom nods, reaching across the table and patting my hand. It’s all I can do not to fall from my seat.
What is going on tonight? Could it be that my graduation is making my usually stoic mother sentimental?
After dinner I head home, even though I thought I’d be doing something different tonight. I didn’t talk about it with Finn and Brady, but I assumed I’d be with them.
Going up to my room feels anticlimactic given the excitement of the evening, but that’s what I do. I change out of my pretty dress and into pajamas and flop down on my bed. The air conditioning blows directly on me, so I grab a sweatshirt and tuck my phone into the front pocket, in case I get a text. I want to call the guys and ask them what they’re up to, but that makes me feel pathetic, and that’s the last thing I want to be. Yesterday I checked a book out from the library, so I grab that from my desk and lie back down. I’m hooked within minutes of starting it, and suddenly it’s eleven o’clock and I can’t put it down.
I tell myself I’ll finish this chapter, but then I keep turning pages and now I’m starting the next chapter and I can’t close the book now. That’s sacrilege.
Another hour goes by. I’m so into the book that I barely notice my door open. It’s the faint creak of the metal hinges that catches my attention. I peer over the top of the book and watch Ted peek in. He locks eyes with me and steps around the open door, closing it behind himself.
“What’s going on?” I ask. He’s never come to my room like this. “Is there something wrong with my mom?”
Ted ignores me. Or, if he’s going to answer, he’s taking his sweet time.
He turns, and I can’t see what he’s doing, but I hear it. An ominous click. The lock on my door sliding into place. A sick feelings drops into my stomach.
“Ted? What are you doing?” My voice drips with the apprehension coursing through every cell in my body.
He shakes his head at me, lifting one finger to his lips and making a soft shushing sound, as if he’s soothing a wailing infant.
I set my book down and draw my knees into myself. Adrenaline courses through my limbs, every inch of me on high alert.
Fight?
Run?
Maybe there’s nothing happening here. I’m probably reading into it. Ted would never do anything bad to me. He’s been my stepdad for ten years. Everything is fine.
He walks closer to me, and I feel it deep down in my gut. Everything is not fine.
Quickly I stand up from the bed. Ted smiles.He smiles.I’ve never seen anything so evil.
“Don’t worry, Lennon. I’ll be gentle.”
Shock keeps me frozen in place, even though beneath the ice my pulse races.
Ted stops a few feet away from me, watching me carefully. He’s enjoying his role as powerful predator, watching his frightened prey. “Unless you don’t need me to be gentle. Maybe you like it rough.” His voice is soft, like he’s trying to soothe me. “I could ask Finn how you like it? Or Brady? Or maybe both? At the same time?” His tongue darts out to lick his lips, and I realize the sick fuck isexcitedby the idea.
Adrenaline overcomes shock, and I scream. I scream until the scream dries out my throat and fades out. Ted simply watches me, amusement turning up the corners of his lips.
“Your mom took a sleeping pill. A fire alarm couldn’t wake her up.”
I try to barrel past him, but all it does is close the distance between us. He grabs me and hauls me into his side. His breath is musty and hot, streaming against my cheek.
