Lucy barely ate as she sat with her shouldersback and her hands in her lap. Melanie pushed her lasagna aroundher plate while searching the room for an escape from the peopleacross from her.
Much like her daughter, Delilah was petitewith deep brown hair and brown eyes. Unlike her daughter, shepossessed all the warmth of an iceberg as she gazed at Lucy withopen disdain.
“You’ve turned yourself into a circus freak,”Delilah announced halfway through the meal. Her gaze raked Lucy’stattoos before settling on her face. “When one isn’t attractive tobegin with, one’s goal should not be to make themselveslessattractive.”
Melanie’s hand clenched around her fork asshe envisioned sinking it in Delilah’s eye. She pondered howattractive Delilah would find herself afterward and smiledgrimly.
“I like the tattoos,” Melanie said when Lucydidn’t reply.
She hated that every time they were aroundthis woman, her normally vivacious, outgoing friend, who didn’ttake any shit from anyone—besides her bitch of a mother—turned intoa human punching bag. If anyone else said something like that toLucy, she’d laugh as she punched them in the face.
But when her mother said it, Lucy took it.Melanie stared at her friend as she willed her to come alive, butLucy simply stared straight ahead.
“That’s because you have the sense not to putany on your body,” Delilah said.
“Tattoos or not, Lucy’s beautiful. It sucksyou can’t see it, or maybe you’re jealous of her,” Melaniestated.
Delilah recoiled a little, and her father setdown his silverware.
“You know better than to talk to an adultlike that, Melanie,” he chided.
Melanie didn’t reply as she pushed her plateaway. “We’ve heard all your evidence, but we’re still notleaving.”
“In my opinion, it’s the only way to keep yousafe,” her father said.
“Then it’s a good thing your opinion doesn’tmatter to me,” she said.
“Melanie!” Delilah gasped.
“It’s okay,” her father said and pattedDelilah’s hand. “We were once young and rebellious too.”
If Melanie rolled her eyes any harder, theywere going to pop out of her head. How anyone fell for their sickgame was beyond her, but she wouldn’t be one of them.
“I think it’s time for us to go, Lucy,” shesaid and stood. “Thank you for dinner.”
Lucy set her napkin on her plate androse.
“I wasn’t kidding; if you choose not to comeback with us, I will cut you off,” her father said.
“Do whatever you want, but I’m not comingback.”
Lucy finally stirred as she shifted herattention away from the wall. “Neither am I.”
They were the first words she’d spoken allnight, and Melanie was grateful to hear the conviction behindthem.
“I hope you have a safe trip back,” she saidto her father and walked away.
Lucy followed her out the door, and as theystepped out of the air-conditioned restaurant, the rush of hot airand the sounds of the city flooded Melanie’s senses. Horns blared,people shouted, and tires rolled across the pavement in a cacophonyof noise that she’d learned to drown out over the years. However,it all bombarded her now.
She smiled at the familiar sounds of freedomeven as she worried about how they could afford to stay here.
“Now what do we do?” Lucy asked.
“Apply for student loans and better jobs, orat least a job with more hours,” Melanie said. “If we have to,we’ll find a cheaper place to live.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
Melanie removed her phone from her pocket anddiscovered a message from Kyle.I hope you have a good dinner.If you need me, you know where to find me.
