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Pacing in the front area of the shop, I shove my hands into my hoodie pocket, anxiously waiting for my parents to arrive.
Chloe and Cam are sitting at a table, staring at me. I don’t think they’ve stopped staring since the accident. Like they’re afraid if they look away, I’ll vanish. But I’m not going anywhere.
I’m done running. I’m done hiding.
“Don’t panic,” Chloe says, and my eyes fly to the windows.
A white car pulls up in front of the shop, parking on the street. The front doors are thrown open from the inside, and I swear time actually slows down.
It’s a crazy phenomenon. That your brain can live so intensely in a moment, taking in every single detail, not a fleck going unnoticed. Like the look in my parents’ eyes when they see it’s really me through the glass, the relief that simultaneously passes between them. The feel of goose bumps breaking over my skin as the shop door is opened and a gust of cold air sweeps over me. The sound of their feet stomping across the tiles as they rush toward me. The way I can see the tears streaming down their already-reddened faces, the way I can feel mine mirroring theirs.
The way my mom’s voice feels like a blanket wrapping around my shoulders as she cries out, “My baby!”
They barrel into me, completely encasing me in their arms. Their scent invades my nose, and I feel my lungs expand further than they have in years.
They smell like home.
With our heads and bodies pressed into each other, we hold on for dear life. I don’t feel like a twenty-two-year-old. I feel like a child in her parents’ arms.
We stand there for minutes, holding each other and crying as one before we finally pull apart and take a step back.
“You’re alive,” my mom whispers as she holds my head, studying my face. “What happened here?”
She’s looking at the bruises and gashes on my cheeks from Trey.
“Trey happened,” I say. “Why don’t you guys have a seat?”
They sit down at the same table as Chloe and Cam. I sit between them and take Cam’s hand in mine for support.
“This is Chloe. She’s my best friend, and she’s helped me in more ways than I can explain. She gave me a place to live, a means for income. She took me in when I had nowhere to go,” I say. I turn to her watery gaze and smile.
“This is Cam. He’s my boyfriend, and he saved my life,” I tell them, nervous of the probably overwhelming information.
But we’re just getting started, so they’d better buckle in.
He stretches his hand out to my dad. “Cam Costello. Nice to meet you, sir.”
A light bulb goes off behind my dad’s eyes as he shakes his hand. “Costello? What do you do for a living, Cam?”
Cam smiles at my dad’s telling gaze. “I play hockey for the New York Nighthawks.”
My dad grins, and I can’t help but smile with him. He’s aged since I last saw him. His hair is mostly gray, and his wrinkles don’t fade after a smile quite like they used to.
“We will have to chat about that later.” My dad winks at Cam.
They are going to be the best of friends—I just know it.
Taking a deep breath, I make myself focus on telling them the truth about what happened. About my story. I keep to the details they need to know, the ones that will make them understand. But I keep the worst ones to myself. They have been through enough. I’m not letting what Trey did to me hurt them too.
I tell them about the incident with the coffee table. I would have left that one out, but they will see the scars eventually. I tell them of Nicole from the funeral home, who got me out of town and helped me fake my death. I tell them that Trey found us at the library, attacked Cam, stalked me, and tried to kill me when I wouldn’t go with him. I don’t know how Trey found me at the library. But he knew I used to like to read, so I’m guessing he took a chance. Honestly, now that it’s over, I don’t really care. That mystery can die with him.
My parents are devastated that they didn’t see it, that they didn’t help. But I assure them that no part of what happened was their fault. With each word I say, I feel the walls around myself lift away. By the time I finish, I finally feel free.
My parents console me as best as they can and offer their apologies for not seeing Trey’s true nature. I of course, assure them that none of this was their fault.
I yawn and my mom smiles at me with such love and pride.
“Can we come over in the morning?” my mom asks me.
