AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Then why pull strings to get me in if you’re so worried?”
“I’m…”
He looks around the trailer, and it all clicks into place. He was hoping I would go back home if he got me back in school with a full ride. My parents would be happy, and all would be the way things were before, as if nothing happened.
“You thought I would move back home.”
He nods slowly.
“You don’t understand, Adam. I don’t want to go back home. I’m not happy there.”
“You were happy.”
“How would you know?” I say irritably. “You were too busy at football practice and worried about getting into college. You worked at the diner to make sure you had enough money in case they didn’t give you a scholarship. You didn’t know what it was like for me to live with Mom and Dad when you left.”
“What was it like?”
“I felt like I was in jail,” I admit. ”I couldn’t do anything. They question everything I say. Everything I did.”
“They felt like they couldn’t trust you after they found you.”
“Fucking.” His eyes widen. “You can say it. I’m a big girl. I couldn’t go on a date. I couldn’t do anything.”
“They didn’t want you to grow up so fast.”
“You mean, they didn’t want me to have sex or become a woman? They gave me shit because they didn’t want me to grow up at all. I had to have straight A’s. I had to dress a certain way. I couldn’t get a piercing. I couldn’t listen to certain music.”
He smirks. “You did, though.”
“I had to sneak out and do it behind their backs.”
I got my belly button pierced and forgot to take it off when we went to a family get-together at the lake the summer before my junior year. Everything went downhill from there. They acted as though I was addicted to drugs or something.
“I admit I rebelled, but I pushed because I felt caged.”
“You were always the rebel out of the three of us.”
“Thanks.” He thinks I’m thanking him in a sarcastic way, but I’m not. “I’m thanking you for getting me back in school. For putting yourself out there for me. I know it wasn’t easy to ask a favor from your friends.”
His eyes soften. “That means a lot, Melody. Thank you.”
I look at my class schedule and smile. “The schedule is good, and I can still work at the hardware store. Mr. Colby made sure I got the best shift.”
Adam nods, but I can tell he doesn’t approve of me continuing to work there or living here. I can’t go back home. My room evokes memories of Zack, reminding me of what they did.
“Alright, call me if you need anything. Anything at all, and I’ll come.”
“Okay,” I say with a smile. Even though I’m screaming inside because I can’t tell him what they did or how sometimes I can’t sleep.
I give him a hug, knowing deep down I did the right thing. As much as he thinks he’s saving me, I’m saving him from the guilt if he finds out. He has a bright future. I would rather suffer in silence than drown him in the guilt of my mistakes because he would feel responsible. He would feel that he had failed me.
For a split second, I thought of turning down the offer to go to Kenyan, but he did this for me, so it’s the least I can do for him. The last thing I want him to feel is that he couldn’t help me when I needed him.
After he leaves, I lock the door. He tugs on the latch to make sure it’s secure, and I wait until his truck drives off to let the sob gripping my throat escape.
After I take a cold shower, I sit cross-legged on my sleeping bag and rub my eyes to soothe the sting from crying.
I grab my phone. It’s been a while since I've looked him up. I was tempted after the fork incident at the diner, but I didn’t. It was better to assume he was like those bastards from Ohio and forget about him. He’s friends with them after all. He goes to their parties, and I have to remind myself that he hooked up with girls when I was there.
