Checking my calendar to confirm it was a late start day for Avery’s block schedule, I fired off a quick text.
Me
Did you get off to school okay?
Her reply came almost instantly, full of teenage sass.
Avery
I’m 16, not 6. I can handle getting myself to school on time. Already inside, and class doesn’t even start for 15 mins.
Before I could reply, she sent another message.
Avery
Chill out about not being here this morning. You deserve one night without worrying about me.
I smiled, but the guilt didn’t go away. My baby sister was wiser than her sixteen years, but only because she’d been mostly left to her own devices after I left home.
I’d never forget the day I’d learned our parents had left her home alone for two weeks while they jetted off to Europe without telling anyone. She’d only been fourteen, much too young to be on her own for that long.
I’d driven down to San Diego, waiting to call CPS until I was almost there because I didn’t want anyone to arrive at my childhood home before I did. Luckily, I’d been able to talk the social worker into placing her with me temporarily because it was an emergency. Then I filed a petition for legal guardianship the following morning and hired a real estate agent to help me find the house we now lived in.
The court case had been splashed all over the media, which only made our parents fight harder. But with the child psychologist, teachers, and Avery herself testifying in my favor, there had been no denying it was in my sister’s best interests to stay with me.
Once it was all over, she had acted so brave while I quietly fell apart in the bathroom. I’d sworn then that I would never let her feel abandoned again.
I set the phone down and slipped out of bed. Hudson’s blue button-down was tossed over the couch in the sitting area. I picked it up, brought it to my nose for a second, then slid it on, buttoning just enough to be decent. A pair of my own panties from the drawer where I kept a few things at his place completed the outfit. The shirt swallowed me, the hem hitting mid-thigh, covering me enough to wander through his house.
Barefoot, I padded downstairs in search of Hudson, a small smile playing on my lips. Coffee sounded good. And waffles. Maybe I’d whip up a batch with strawberries and whipped cream.
While I was mentally going through the ingredients I’d need, voices drifted from Hudson’s home office. The door was slightly ajar, and I slowed when I heard his low rumble followed by Maddie’s brighter tone.
“…already told me last night to stay away. Now this morning too?” Her tone was the deceptively sweet one I’d only ever heard her use with him. “Hudson, this is getting ridiculous. I’m starting to worry Serena is just like that old high school girlfriend of yours who couldn’t handle our friendship. It’s been months, and she’s still not very welcoming.”
I froze just outside the door, my good morning quickly disappearing under her intrusion.
Hudson’s reply came after a short pause. “Serena isn’t jealous, Maddie. She’s just got a lot on her plate right now. Thered-carpet thing hit her hard, and she’s protective of Avery. Give her some time. She’ll come around.”
I jerked back, pressing trembling fingers to my mouth as hurt sliced through me. He hadn’t told her to stop. Or even to just respect my boundaries. Instead, he framed my feelings as the problem that needed time and patience. Like I was the one being unreasonable.
He’d defended me less than he had with her all of the times she’d messed up, and I hadn’t even done anything to her.
Maddie’s voice softened even more. “I hope so. I miss the way things used to be with you. Easy, you know? Before everything got so complicated.”
I couldn’t listen to another word. My eyes burned, but I refused to cry. Not where he might hear me.
Exhaustion crashed over me as I turned quietly and went back upstairs. The thought of the breakfast I’d been so excited about now made me feel like puking. And I couldn’t bear the thought of facing Hudson right now, not while I was still shaking from what I’d just heard. I needed time to figure out what I wanted to do, and I wasn’t going to let him smooth this over with a kiss and a promise.
I was done letting Maddie’s “mistakes” chip away at my life while I smiled and pretended it was fine.
Walking away from our relationship had seemed impossible only a few months ago, but I wasn’t so sure any longer. Maddie had done so much damage in such a short amount of time. I didn’t want to imagine how much worse things could get if he didn’t put a stop to her crap.
As soon as I got back to the bedroom, I stripped off his blue shirt and put it back where I’d found it. Then I dressed in stuff I kept in my drawer, shoving my outfit from the day before into my bag. When I was ready, I slipped out the front door without a sound.
Once I was in my car and the gate closed behind me, I pulled out my phone and sent a short text to Hudson.
Me
