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I vaguely recognize her, but I can’t remember her name.
“Call the emergency line and report this. Keeping quiet means you’re complicit in what happened.”
Parker’s and other phones are out so quickly to call the police, my view of humanity is brightened. Two football players keep Kelter from leaving as well, and I hide a smile when one of them sits on him.
“You’ll pay for this, bitch,” he growls at me, and I sigh, feeling some of the stress roll off of my shoulders. I crouch down to get into his face, so he really understands my words.
“Try your worst, you rapist asshole. I am no longer under your thumb,” I growl and watch as he starts to panic. I may have been complicit in what happened to Cassie, but never again. It’s time for me to grow up. College is starting soon, and I don’t want to always be known as a mean girl.
Cassie was different. She was encroaching on my territory, but I never wanted things to turn out the way they did.
* * *
“You did it, baby!”my mom squeals as she hands me a large bouquet of flowers and hugs me tight. Mark gives my shoulder a squeeze, but I know this is hard for him. Cassie should be here too. She should have been called and accepted her diploma just like everyone else.
“Thanks, Mom, so what’s the plan?” I ask, and she looks over at Mark who shrugs, then back at me.
“Oh, well, we thought you would have had plans with your friends, but I guess we could all go out to lunch. We have something we need to discuss with you anyways,” she says then takes my hand and wipes her eye with the other. “I am so proud of you, Lyra.”
I smile and nod, trying to hide the fact that I’m dying inside. She shouldn’t be proud of me. She should hate me and want to disown me for what I did.
Trying not to drag my feet in dread, I get in the car to go to lunch.
My mom keeps sending Mark furtive glances as we walk to our table, and I get the feeling this is going to be bad. The last time they had something to tell me, we moved to the frozen tundra.
Sitting at the table, they wait until after we order to begin talking. Mark doesn’t give anything away in his expression, but then I don’t expect him to. Taking a sip of water, I wait to find out what they have to tell me.
“We’re so proud of you and all of your accomplishments, as you know. I cried in the stands when they called your name,” Mom laughs, shaking her head as if it’s silly.
I know those tears were for Cassie and not me. God, she should have been here.
They called her name even though Mark told administrators she wouldn’t be here to receive it. He went up to accept her diploma and all of her honors cords. People who have never paid attention to her cheered, and somehow it made everything even more sad.
Mark clears his throat, and I force myself to focus. “Your mother and I decided that you should take the car when you go to UT. Cassie won’t be needing it at Dartmouth, and it would be inconvenient for you not to have one in Texas, Lyra,” he says.
I want to tell him I won’t need a car, but the grocery stores aren’t within walking distance of campus. Taking a breath, I nod.
“Thanks, guys, I really appreciate that,” I murmur. I don’t want to seem ungrateful, because it’s a really nice gesture. I just wish I knew Cassie was alright.
“If you need anything while you’re at school, please let us know, though it may be a little difficult to get a hold of us in a few months,” Mark continues, and I wait for the hammer to fall.
Shit. Here it comes.
“Honey,” Mom says, reaching out and grabbing my hands. “Mark was specifically asked to head a task force in Germany. He didn’t want to uproot anyone yet again, and Cassie was having such a hard time, so Mark initially declined it.”
Wait, what?!Mark is a military man through and through, so I’m really surprised he would decline the move.
Mark sees my surprise and shrugs. “I told them my girls were in their senior year of high school, and you’ve had a lot of changes this past year since your mom got married. They asked me in March, and it didn’t seem right to uproot us all. My bosses took it alright, and they try to be sensitive to our families,” he explains.
“So if you said no, why are you still going to Germany?” I ask, still confused.
Mark sighs, looking a little embarrassed. “They refused to fill the position and didn’t tell me. They called me two days ago, asking if I’d be willing to take the position now that both of my daughters have graduated high school.”
Oh my God, he called me his daughter. I feel a lump in my throat, and I can’t even get mad that he’s moving with Mom to fucking Germany. Mark is such a good man, I can see why my mom fell in love with him after her string of loser boyfriends.
Blinking quickly, I swallow around the knot in my throat. “I’m really happy for you guys. I’ll be fine in Texas, and if I need anything, I’ll tell you. Promise.”
Mom has tears in her eyes as she nods, knowing I’m struggling to be strong. I pick at my French fries as I eat, thinking about all of the changes that have happened this year.
