AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Thesense of calm that washes through me at her voice is reason enough for me to make a trip to their house. “Hey,Ma, just wanted to see what you were up to today.”
“Nothingat all, dear, what’s going on?”
Isigh and lean my head back against the headboard. “MindifIstop over for a little while today?”
“Ofcourse!We’dlove to see you!”
“Great.I’llbe over within the next few hours.”Mygaze lands on my closet andIclear my throat. “Actually,I’llbe over in a few minutes.Loveyou.”
“Loveyou too, baby.Seeyou soon!”
IfIknow my parents as well asIthinkIdo, my father will be sitting in his favorite chair and watching a rerun of a show he’s seen a million times while my mother is sitting on the sofa next to him crocheting another blanket.Irummage around my closet, tearing through the clothes that are already a disaster untilIfind a simpler shirt, then grab a pair of leggings on a shelf.
Oncemy hair is thrown haphazardly on top of my head,Irush through the house and slip my shoes on before walking out my front door.Thething about living in small towns is that you can get away with leaving your front door unlocked without ever having to worry about a damn thing getting taken.Ican’t remember the last timeIlocked my door, which is a relief for me becauseI’malways losing something — can’t imagine how oftenI’dneed to search for my house keys.
It’sa nice day out, so instead of getting into my car that’s parked in the garage next to my house,Ihead down the driveway on foot.Birdschirp all around me, their wings flapping close by as they fly around, andIsmile to myself.Thisis exactly whatIneeded — to walk through nature, the trees surrounding the dirt road that leads to the main road, with more trees scattered along there.
There’sa lake across the street from my driveway where a bunch of families are lounging in the grass while their kids stand at the edge of the water, enjoying a nice day that’s not over one hundred degrees.Itake a left, inching further down the road, when a car stops beside me.
Myheart rate picks up, not knowing who could possibly be beside me right now, andIkeep my head down to the ground asIcontinue to walk forward.Thevehicle follows my every step slowly, not bothering to speed up even when there’s a car honking their horn behind them.
Ofcourse this is whenIget kidnapped — on my way to my mother’s house to vent to her about everything wrong in my life, and the kind of woman she raised.Itake a deep breath before looking to my left, my eyes widening whenIsee who’s in the car.
Bishop.
Herolls the window down with a grin, as if he knows exactly what he’s doing to me right now, and stops the car completely in the middle of the road. “Yougonna get in?”
I’msure this is the last thing he wants to do, but he’s either going to keep following beside me whileIwalk, orIcan get inside and let him get wherever the hell he’s going.Sothat’s whatIdo.
It’sawkward, since he’s currently not speaking to me unless it has something to do with the office, soIdart my gaze outside the window as he drives down the main road. “Whereto?”
“Myparents,”Isay, knowing he’s been to their place a few times since he came here.
Hedoesn’t say anything else as he drives, the silence causing me to fidget in my seat.Ashe pulls up the driveway for my parents’ house,Iopen my mouth to say my part of things, but he stops abruptly in front of their house and unlocks the doors without a glance in my direction.Hisfingers are tapping frantically on the steering wheel, so instead of talking likeIwant to,Isimply open the door and thank him for the ride.
Istand there and watch him pull away until his car disappears from view.
“Georgia, get in here already!” my mother says from the front door, a bright smile shining on her face thatIdidn’t knowIneeded to see right now.Ifollow her inside, taking my shoes off right by the door and leaning them against the wall. “Cometo the kitchen,I’mjust cleaning up a bit.”
It’sfunny that she thinks her place needs to be clean.Icaught the scent of bleach as soon asIwalked through the door.I'mwilling to bet she’s been through almost every room today already and will still find something to do.
Asshe leads me through the entryway,Ipass the doorway to the living room and peek my head into it and smirk.Asalways, there’s my father with a glass of tea sitting on the end table next to him and a rerun flashing on theTV. “Hey,Dad!”
Hejumps at the sound of my voice, then turns to me with a smile over his shoulder. “Pumpkin, nice of you to come by today.”
Healways had to be the odd man out, so whenWinniestarted calling mePeach, his choice of nickname wasPumpkin.Inudge my thumb toward the kitchen whereMomis. “I’llbe in the kitchen withMom, just wanted to say hi.”
Whenhe nods in response, then turns his attention back to theTV,Ihurry into the kitchen to find my mom nearly in the oven. “Mom, what on earth are you doing?”
Shebumps her head as she pushes out of the oven, rubbing the spot on her head with a curse, then smiling at me. “Justgetting all the stains wiped out.”Mymother wipes the sweat from her forehead, then walks over to the island and sits on a stool. “Whatbrings you over today, baby girl?”
“I’msort of going through something,”Isay, then take a deep breath. “Idid something bad, and nowIdon’t know how to fix it.”
Shenods, taking a sip of her own tea, before asking, “Isit as bad as you think it is?”
Iscoff. “Probablyworse thanIthink it is, ifI’mbeing honest.”
“Well, you can tell me anything.Judgment-free zone and all that.”
