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“I hear what you are saying, Phoenix, I really do,” Max’s face tightens, and I can tell he’s about to dismiss me, yet again. “But I don’t think he needs the details. You don’t understand what losing you and his cousin at the same time did to him.”
“Max,” Kayla chided, mortification showing all over her face, “You did not just say that to her. What that boy did to her was the worst kind of evil. I don’t know why I allowed you to hide this from our son so long. I made a mistake in judgment.” Kayla slammed around the kitchen in rage, cleaning off the counters that I’d dirtied while making cookies.
“Max, how can you sit there, for even just one minute, and believe that what I went through for years at that monster’s hands means less than telling your own flesh and blood the truth?” I’m trying to keep my cool, but the words I want to scream are burning the back of my throat. “I understand trying to protect your son, but what are you trying to protect him from? The truth? Because let me tell you something, someone has told him a version of what went down, and he blames me for what Kyle did.”
A shocked gasp rings out from Logan’s mom. “What do you mean by that?”
“Just like I’ve been telling you for months since I arrived, and even before then. He doesn’t want me here, and he hates me. He blames me for everything that happened, and you have both been blind to that …”
“Phoenix, I don’t apprec—”
“Let me finish, please …” My hand flew up as if to stop the words from falling out of his mouth. “As I was saying, you have to be blind not to see the hate he’s struggling with. I mean no disrespect, but keeping the truth from him, letting someone fill his head with lies, letting him idolize someone that isn’t deserving of it, all of that is so fucked up.”
“What do you mean someone filled him with lies?” Kayla is sitting next to her husband now that the dishes were clear, looking at me with concern.
“Just what I said, someone has obviously been telling him their version of the events, and if it wasn’t you, then I’m sure you can figure out who it may have been. But the truth remains, he knows something happened, he just doesn’t know I’m not the bad guy here. This is your responsibility to tell him. He won’t listen to anything I say.”
I take in a deep breath to calm my nerves. This is the worst part of any conversation about that night, admitting it for what it is. “He needs to know it was rape, not whatever he’s been told. Don’t you think it’s time to stop hiding things?”
“I’ll think about it, Phoenix, that’s all I can promise you at the moment,” a resigned sigh leaves his mouth as he faces me. “I know you’ve been through a lot, and I didn’t mean to make it sound trivial, but I need you to understand what’s best for my son is a priority too. Kayla and I will discuss this further and let you know what we decide. In the meantime, I ask that you don’t mention anything to him. Let us break this to him when and if we decide to do it.”
Nodding as I leave the kitchen, I head up to my room. I can respect their request for now, but I wasn’t going to promise to honor it. No matter what they decide to do or say, eventually, everything is going to be blown out into the open. If they won’t do it—I will.
Either way, Logan will find out the truth; I just hope it won’t be too late by then.
