Page 153 of For I Have Sinned

“What? No, I–”

“Are you saying that you haven’t checked to see if your daughter was one of the victims who were brutally murdered by the priest earlier today?”

My mother shakes her head rapidly and waves her hand in the air, sighing and rolling her eyes. “Honestly, all you news people are full of lies, and you spread rumors. Just like what you are doing, talking about Father Keaton, who was a man of Go–”

Teresa walks away from my mother, but you can still hear her in the background, yelling and defending Father Keaton’s honor.

“This is a reminder to any family member who has a daughter, cousin, or niece who is attending Grace Community to please check that your loved one is safe.” She smiles empathetically, holding eye contact with the camera. “We will keep you updated with any new information regarding the events that took place today.”

I gently place the phone back on the table and relax back into my seat.

“Jesus,” Vince announces with disgust. “Are you okay?”

Keeping my eyes focused on the phone, I calmly explain. “I have no tears left for them. No more energy or time to waste worrying about them when they clearly don’t care about me. I mean, she immediately was more concerned about Father Keaton and defending him before she even thought about whether I was safe.”

“I don’t know how to explain this feeling. But I feel… free of them. I don’t need their acceptance anymore. I don’t even want it. They’re the only ones who said I wasn’t ever good enough; the only ones who refused to love me for who I am. And that’s their loss.” I smile softly yet confidently. “So, yeah, I’m okay.”

“I’m so proud of you,” Amelia leans her head on my shoulder.

“Me too,” Vince rests his head on my other shoulder.

“I’m proud of me, too,” I say and then add, “Isn’t there a saying that goes ‘Blood Sucks, Friends Rule’?”

Vince’s head jerks up. “Girl, what?”

They both laugh loudly, and Amelia says, “I don’t think that’s right.”

“Eh.” I shrug. “I’m sticking with it.”

“If you insist on keeping… whatever quote you just made up, can you at least add in–” Vince cups his hand over my ear and whispers the last part he wants me to add, and it makes me bite the inside of my cheek to hold back the tears.

I pull back and look at my friends, thinking back to everything we’ve been through together, and for some reason, it’s only clicking now.

It never mattered what the situation or how busy our lives were; if one of us needed help, we’d be there. There hasn’t been a time when I had to question if they didn’t like me because they continuously showed me they loved me for who I was and have always been supportive and generous, and… that’s everything I’ve been begging my parents to do all my life.

I don’t know how I allowed this charade to go on with my parents for so long. They made it clear to me from a very young age that I’m not the daughter they dreamed of because I wouldn’t conform to the person they wanted me to be. They wanted to dictate how I dress, who I spent my time with, and my beliefs. That’s not how a family is supposed to treat each other.

Blood or not, they aren’t meant to be my family.

So I guess what I’ve realized is, family doesn’t have to be the one you are born into. It can be built with the people you meet throughout your lifetime.

Vince and Amelia have been there since day one. They are my family, and that is enough for me.

After sitting at the table for a few more minutes, Amelia and Vince have distracted me with stories of the things I wasn’t there for. And as much fun as it was to hear about the things I missed, it also made me sad because I missed them.

Once Vince is done telling how things escalated with Asher, I feel a pang in my chest and think about Alex. I really should be back in the waiting room in case the nurse comes out to let me know he is ready for visitors. Plus, after watching the video of my mother on Vince’s phone, I realized I had left mine charging in the lobby.

“Why don’t you guys grab some snacks and coffee? I’ll meet you in the waiting room.” I tell them.

“We don’t want to leave you alone, Celine,” Amelia states.

“I’ll be okay, I promise. I haven’t eaten in a while, and coffee sounds good right now.”

“I’ll go with you, and Vince can bring back all the goodies.” Amelia grins at Vince.

“I won’t be able to carry snacks and three coffees. We can make two trips,” Vince suggests.

“You guys, I’m only walking down the hall. I’ll be fine until you get back.” I laugh and head to the cafeteria doors, making sure to wave to them before exiting.