AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Deej rolls her eyes in a sarcasticgreat.Her honey-tinged curls swing as she turns her head.
I hold myself perfectly still when everything inside me wants to pace. “You know why I didn’t say anything?”
Deej tips her chin up in defiance. She won’t ask me why, but I’m going to tell her anyway.
“Because I knew you’d do this.”
“Do what?”
“Freak out.”
“Then stop doing things that cause me to freak out and I won’t freak out.”
“I can’t live my life for you. I can’t live for anyone but myself.” I tap my chest twice to emphasize the statement.
Dejonae closes her eyes, takes another visible breath and approaches me like I’m a glowing bomb. “Iam not the enemy here. And if Sullivan is the one who made you think you have to turn against your family to have him, then he’s a really bad guy.”
For the love of Chanel.
“Dare is not turning me against anyone,” I sign. “He’s not the reason we’re arguing right now.”
“Fine then. You tell me why we’re arguing right now.”
“Because the first thing you did when you saw my interview this morning was assume I was getting blackmailed.”
“Aren’t you?”
Yes, but that’s not the point. “Being deaf doesn’t automatically make me the victim. Assuming I’m the damsel in distress shouldn’t be your default setting. I’m an adult. I can go to jail if I commit a crime.”
“I know that.”
“Then you should trust me.”
“I do trust you.”
“If you did, you would have come talk to me instead of bringing mom and dad to ambush me.”
Dejonae glances away, her lips pursed.
I wait until she’s looking at me again. “You did the same thing when I told you I was leaving to go model.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did.” I sign. “Mom and dad were more supportive than you were.”
“Moving halfway across the country, far from family and friends was a risky move. I was looking out for you.”
“You were coddling me.”
Dejonae’s eyes glisten with angry tears. “I would die for you. It’s what family does. You think Richard Sullivan would die for you?”
A painful twinge hits my chest.
Deej insists, “This is different than when you moved away. Someone is intentionally trying to threaten my sister. I’m not going to let that happen.”
Ugh!
I turn around because she’s not listening to me.
