“And I only had Rick at the time and there were some nights where I just refused to be around him.So we’d meet up and have our own little sleepover.”
“Out in the open,” Seth said, sounding mad.
“Dude.”Toby glared at Seth.
Seth cleared his throat.“Sorry.Sorry.”He closed his eyes.“Just the idea of you guys that defenseless.I didn’t know.”
“And what would you have done?”Janice asked.“Let the past be the past.Don’t get stuck on it.”
“I’ll be back,” he mumbled and walked out of the kitchen.
“I’ll go make sure he doesn’t punch a wall,” Toby said.“Want me to help you carry anything in?”
“I didn’t say yes.”
Toby glanced at me and then back at Janice.“As far as I’m concerned, it’s a yes.Give me five and I’ll go grab your stuff.”He ran out of the room.
Janice laughed.“They’re something.”
“They really are.So you’ll say yes.”
“Yes, I’ll say yes.I’ve been getting good at doing that lately.Yes to Ezi.Now yes to you.”
“As far as I’m concerned, they’re all good yesses.”
She grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze.“That it is.I’m so happy to see you again.”
I pulled her in for a hug, still in disbelief that she was here.But she was.She was very, very real in my arms, and I was ecstatic.By the way she squeezed me back, she was feeling the same.She wasn’t wrong.She had quickly become family to me.A sister I desperately needed at the time and greatly missed when she left.
It wasn’t long after that, that Seth and Toby came back.And then the others came in.I introduced everyone while Seth set up the outdoor firepit for us.Once it was ready, Janice dragged me outside, away from everyone else as they entertained themselves with other stuff.
Seth was cooking with Justin’s help.Toby had dragged Paxon and Bryan to the living room to play games.I was grateful since it gave more time with just Janice and me.We had switched to hot tea, forced on us by Seth.It was good though, with a hint of peppermint in it.
I blew out a breath and watched as the cold air turned it into a wispy cloud that quickly dissipated.
“I forgot how cold New York can get,” Janice said.
“Where did you end up, if I’m allowed to ask.”
She sighed.“Well, since I’m back and Rick is in jail, I don’t think it really matters anymore.I made it down to Georgia.Near Atlanta.”
“Oh.That’s really cool.”I grinned.“I worried about you, but it seems I didn’t need to.You look so good.”
She smiled big.“While what happened here was tough and scary, Georgia has only ever felt like a dream to me.Meeting Ezi, having Rowan.I’m working on my degree for social services and plan to go to grad school.”
“Grad school,” I teased her.“What happened to...what was it?Game design?”
She laughed.“Yeah, well, I’m still interested in that, but only as a hobby.I don’t know, having the help I had from you and from Hope’s Embrace in getting out of that situation safely—I want to be a part of something like that.I don’t want others in situations like mine to be stuck and have to stuffer.”
“I think you’ll be perfect for it.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
She looked down at her drink and ran her finger over the rim.“Coming from you, that means a lot.You’re a senior now right?”
I nodded.
