Sheila flips her flowing lace-front install over her shoulder and begins clearing the table.
I need to make my aunt see that I’m not the enemy.
“I know what Momma did. It was wrong on so many levels,” I state, shifting in my seat to follow her movements. “I’m so sorry—”
“I’m not,” Sheila cackles, keeping her back to me. “Loretta did me a favor. Your father turned out to be a lowlife criminal. Now leave.”
I stand. “I’m not my parents and shouldn’t be judged based on their actions.”
She stiffens but continues wiping down the counter.
I’m done.
Trying to repair the damage in this family is a lost cause.
I march into the hallway and stop dead in my tracks. What the heck? I left my backpack propped against the basement door, and now it’s gone. I’m confused for a second, then understanding dawns on me.
Deja.
She took my goddamn backpack.Ugh!I storm out of the front door, single-minded determination goading me on. I slip my cellphone out of my back pocket and search for the school’s address in Maps. Thank goodness service isn’t needed to use it.
Okay. Thirty-minute walk, but I can get there in twenty.
I tilt my face toward the cloudless sky, relishing the sun’s beautiful rays. Soon the climate will shift, bringing colorful leaves followed by freezing snow. The cold and I do not get along. I’m built for Texas heat, not Oregon winters. I’ll need a sturdy coat, warm clothes, suitable footwear, and funds to buy it all. Too bad money doesn’t grow on trees.
I raise my hand to my forehead, using the appendage as a makeshift visor to shield my eyes. The vibrant azure sky is utterly stunning. The same color ashis eyes. Sam’s eyes.
His name whispers through my mind, stirring restless emotions within me. I have so many questions.
Where is he? How is he doing? Is he happy?
Guilt has plagued me since that tragic night three years ago. That night everything changed. That night I betrayed my best friend and became the villain in my own story. I became my mother.
Selfish. Despicable. Conniving.
I will never forget the unadulterated pain reflected in his poignant gaze. It gutted me… flayed me to the marrow. I felt his hurt as if it were my own.
A solitary tear leaves a wet path on my smooth cheek.
God, I miss him so much. His lopsided smile. His corny jokes. His hugs. His… everything. But his warm, lulling voice most of all. Sam was my listening ear, my shoulder to cry on, and my loyal confidant—my savior on my lowest days.
I know we’ll always be connected on an intrinsic level. Nothing will ever change that. Not time, distance, or the scheming woman who gave birth to me.
Shame stopped me from seeking him out. What would I say to him? Does he hate me?
I’m afraid to learn the answer.
Coward.
The self-recrimination booms in my mind.
My eyelids slam shut, recalling the last time I saw him. Bleeding. Broken. Still. So still. More tears start to fall.
And then the fire. I couldn’t believe it. My Sam… responsible for burning my home to the ground. He didn’t say one word to defend himself. Everyone thought he was just some psycho stalker obsessed with me.
Why didn’t he talk? Did he keep quiet to protect me?
Another person in his predicament would’ve told it all. I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had.
