by Jenni James
I decided to stand there—even if it was awkwardly—until one of them said something. Storming off to my room in a huff would’ve been easier, but it wouldn’t solve anything. I really wanted to know why I was treated so differently. “What will it take for you to see me as family?”
Clarise blinked. “Well, missy. That was definitely entertaining.”
I put my hands on my hips. “It wasn’t meant to be. I’m serious, and you should be too.”
Uncle David was having none of it. “Listen here. You will be kind to my wife and respect us both while in this house, or you can find another place to live.”
My aunt gasped, but didn’t say anything.
“What is respect to you, Uncle David? What? Doing all the chores? Staying away during family activities and events? Hiding in the basement so your friends and coworkers don’t see me? Basically living in an old storage closet and getting straight A’s in school and having no friends, having no extracurricular activities, being a hermit until you ask me to come up and make dinner for you again? Is that respect? Then what part of that haven’t I been doing? What more could you want from me?”
“You sound as though we treat you like a maid or something!” Clarise fumed. “Of all the ridiculous things to say to us! After all we’ve done, and how our lives had to change because of you!”
“Do you even hear yourself?” I asked. “Do you even realize what just came out of your mouth? I swear, you don’t even know what you’re saying.”
“Says the girl who spends her free time humiliating us in front of the neighbors,” Clarise hissed. “You will never have another boyfriend again, young lady! I will not have my niece pregnant before she’s even graduated from high school!”
“How dare you say that? How dare you say something like that—it’s insulting to me and to Maxton, who has only ever treated me with respect!”
“Enough!” David shouted. “Go to your room! We will decide when or how to punish you in the morning. And I promise you, it will be severe! And if you say one more word against either of us—if you continue to be an ungrateful, selfish brat—you’ll be gone from this house tonight!” He walked up to me, his face red and his hand raised as if to hit me.
“David, no!” Clarise clung to his shirtsleeve, but my uncle was shaking now.
“Go! Leave now before you regret it!”
I ran. My feet pounded down the stairs and just managed to muffle the hammering in my ears as I bolted into my room and locked the door. As fast as I could, I began to shove whatever I could find into my bags. I had three old backpacks and a duffle. I didn’t care what happened to me—I had to get out of there. They despised me. They hated my mom—and whatever stupid junk they made up about her, they obviously believed about me. Bigoted, mean, egotistical people who didn’t know how to love anyone but themselves!
After I’d finished packing up the things in my dresser and my closet, including my few shoes and accessories, I glanced around the room. Aside from a few knickknacky things, I really didn’t have that much. I took the photobook of my mom and all my school papers and awards that were shoved in my bottom door. I grabbed the few bits of artwork that I had and Mrs. Wiggins’ toys that I’d made her and yeah—that was it.
There was nothing else to pack. So when they decided to kick me out, I could leave quietly and just go.
Reality began to sink in as I looked around my creepy room. A weird, tingly sensation began to replace whatever adrenaline I’d been using. My big mouth had ruined whatever chance I had with my family. Now they would never love me. Now they had the reasons they were looking for to think the worst of my mom. They would always blame her. I knew they would. And I could hardly breathe for being so stupid.
I set the last of my backpacks on the floor near my—no, Grandma’s—bed and climbed on top of the blanket. I curled myself into a ball and stared at the wall in front of me. I had a quick thought to ask Grandma for help and then pushed it away. She was too old to take me in permanently. She might allow me in for a few hours, but as soon as she talked to Clarise and David, she’d side with them.
What was it about my mom that threatened her sister so much? What was it about me that made sure I wasn’t treated like my cousins? Maybe they were right. Maybe I was an embarrassment and an offensive brat. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and then jumped when my phone chimed a text.
Good grief. It scared me to death. I decided I didn’t want to talk to anyone right then, but when it went off a second time, I groaned and pulled it out to turn off the volume. The texts were from Bryant.
Hey, you okay? What did Clarise want?
Indy. Are you there?
I texted back. Yeah, I’m here.
You in trouble?
I stared at the phone and realized I’d never been in this situation before. I needed to tell someone I could very well be homeless in the next few hours. I started to call Bryant before I remembered he wasn’t my boyfriend. So I did the right thing and texted Maxton. It was just after ten thirty.
Hey, are you up? I was hoping to talk. Could you call?
I waited and then got a text back.
Hi. Can’t really talk right now. What’s up?
Nothing. Well, nothing I wanted to talk about over text. I’m okay, I lied. How are you?
Haha. I was sleeping, probably dreaming about you, so you know that’s good, right?
Sorry! I didn’t realize I woke you up. So so sorry!
No worries. You sure there isn’t anything?
My heart clenched, and I was so afraid, I really didn’t know what to do. So I took a deep breath and told him. You know, family drama. It’s bad here. Probably the worst it’s ever been.
There. I pushed send and bit my lip. I wasn’t good at asking for help. I really needed someone to tell me it was going to be okay.
A few seconds later, he replied. Ugh. Sorry. Hey, well, tomorrow is a new day, right? Want to talk at lunch?
Lunch? All at once, I felt like crying. So alone and lost and scared. He must be super tired. My face flushed in embarrassment for bothering him with my problems. I took a deep breath and gave a watery smile before answering. Yeah, lunch would be cool. See you tomorrow.
I sat up in my bed and brought my knees to my chest. As I wrapped my arms around my legs, I began to think and rock. Rock and think. I couldn’t see a way out. Now that Uncle David had used the threat of kicking me out of the house, it wasn’t going to go away. Even if tomorrow, everyone woke up and things were fine, they’d hold it over my head. And now that I’d had my stupid outburst and didn’t keep my mouth shut and just take it—now they knew how I felt. Which meant they’d throw that at me every chance they got too. In one brief moment, I’d literally destroyed any chance of a normal life I could’ve had with them. Any chance of them growing to love me.
I’d completely managed to alienate my source of shelter, food, clothing—all of it. Why? Because I thought I was better than them? No. I winced and rocked. That wasn’t it. I’ve never felt better than them—I only wished, or wanted, or needed to be treated fairly. That was it.
But what else did I expect? I never would’ve let them replace my mom anyway. Why did I think I deserved all these ridiculous rights, like boyfriends and movie nights and friends? I wasn’t their daughter. Their duty wasn’t to provide for me like my mom had. They took care of my needs. I shouldn’t have expected gifts and favors like Jayda and Kaitlyn got. David and Clarise were their parents. I—I was someone they were watching for a few years. That’s all.
Even though I was given new clothes at Christmas, and it was awkwardly done after they’d opened their presents and I was called up to get mine, I couldn’t imagine a Christmas with no family at all. Or birthdays when I really was completely alone. But I’d just made sure I would never have a place to go to for the holidays.
I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes.
When I glanced at the phone I’d been clutching in my hand, I noticed six text messages. I hadn’t even
heard the thing chime. They were all from Bryant.
Hey. Are you in trouble?
Indy? Where’d you go?
Okay. I’m starting to get worried now.
Call me. Let’s talk. I know we just talked, but let’s talk again.
That’s it. I won’t be able to sleep now. I’m coming over. Hopefully you text before I get there and you tell me you’re safe. That’s all I need to hear. And also that your aunt didn’t take your phone. Because if she took your phone, then all of this is really awkward. Doesn’t matter. Gonna tell my dad I’m heading over there. Text me, dang it.
I’m here. Please come outside to the trampoline before I get busted for looking like a thug in your backyard.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Holy cow. I quickly texted him back. You’re crazy. You know that? All at once, I felt better. Not perfect, by any means—just better. Then I sent another text right afterward.
You can come to the side door, I’m pretty sure everyone else is upstairs in bed.
At least, I didn’t hear anyone in the kitchen talking about how much they couldn’t stand me living there.
I walked up to the door and opened it as he headed to the side of the house. I mimed for him to be quiet and then led him downstairs into the den. Bryant glanced in my room, then walked in. “Wait a minute,” he whispered. “What’s going on here? You look like you’re packed up.” I saw a flicker of something like panic go across his features.
“I . . . Let’s sit down and talk.” I pointed toward the couch.
“Okay. Hang on.” He walked into my bedroom and then came back out. He was carrying the quilt from on top of my bed. “It’s crazy cold down here, but you’re probably used to it.”
“Not as much as you’d think I’d be.” It was cold. It was freezing in the den this late at night. “Thanks,” I said as he wrapped both of us snugly on the smaller of the two couches.
“Okay. Now that you’ve given me a huge heart attack, want to explain what’s going on?”
Words couldn’t express how grateful I was to have him next to me. I leaned against his shoulder and spoke quietly.
“I really messed up. I mean, bad-bad.”
I could feel his arm stiffen under my head. “What happened?”
“Clarise got a phone call from the neighbor down the street that implied Maxton and I parked and made out in front of her house this afternoon.”
“Uh . . . did you?”
I groaned. “No. Well, we kissed, but no, we didn’t make out. He did pull over in front of her house because I was freaking that I was going to get in trouble if we didn’t go back. That’s how that all happened.”
“I’m assuming your aunt wasn’t happy and chewed you out.”
“Yes, her and Uncle David.” I clenched my hands and tried to stop the shaking as the last hour came back to me. “And I don’t know. You know how I get sometimes . . . well, I lost it. I basically told them off. Well—wait. No, first David implied that I am the way I am because of how I was raised, and then I told them both off. Because I was sick of it. I’m tired of hearing what a bad mom I had when they didn’t even know her. They never hung around us or anything. They only assumed that because money was tight, I was raised to be rude and inappropriate or something.”
“Are you kidding me? They talk bad about your mom?”
“All the time. And tonight, I snapped. Then Clarise said something about me getting pregnant, and I lost it again. Uncle David put his foot down and said he would kick me out if this disrespect continued, and he told me to leave and they’d decide in the morning what to do with me. But whatever they decide, he said it would be severe.”
“So you came down stairs and started packing.”
“Yeah.”
He took a deep breath and wrapped me closer. “And then you realized that you had nowhere to go, and that you blew it and probably should’ve kept your mouth shut, and then sat down here and punished yourself for being rash?”
“How did you know?”
“Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what you’re thinking.” His hand started to trail slowly up and down my quilt-covered arm. “I just want to know one thing. Did you tell them how unfair it is to be the one who does all the cleaning and gets left at home while your cousins actually get to live?”
I ruefully grinned and then winced. “Yes. It was awful. My filter was completely gone.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes, and it was perfect. I needed to feel the presence of someone without all the muck of talking. I needed to unwind and think and pretend life was normal for a bit. Then Bryant broke the calm by asking quietly, “Indy, tell me honestly. Do you need a place to stay?”
“What?”
“I bet if I talked to my dad, he’d let you come and stay in our guest bedroom. I bet he wouldn’t even hesitate.”
I shifted a little to see him. Those dark eyes tugged at me. “Are you kidding?”
“No. I’m not. I’ve been thinking about it this whole time and I . . . I don’t know what to do. Except getting you away from here.”
“I can’t believe you’d even offer something like that.”
“Why?” One side of his mouth came up in an adorable grin. “You really have no idea how I feel about you, do you?”
“I don’t know how many ‘you’s you used just then.”
He chuckled and kissed my forehead. “Man, I miss you. You’re not even gone and I can’t stop thinking about you. I worry about you more than I have ever worried about anything before. It’s kind of cool to know I can think about someone like this, someone who isn’t me. You know what I mean?”
“It’s probably learning how to adult.”
He winked. “Probably.” Suddenly he sat up and moved a few inches away. “Okay. I need to think, and that isn’t going to happen while I’m staring at your gorgeous face. That confuses things—all I can think about is kissing you. And I can’t do that because you’ve got a boyfriend.”
Sure. Now he wants to kiss me. My heart began to speed up. “A boyfriend you told me to take.”
“Don’t remind me.”
I laughed. Bryant’s candid honesty and sweetness seriously undid me. “Fine. I’ll move my tempting lips over here.” I sat as far away as I could in the little loveseat.
He grumbled. “Maybe a little bit closer.”
“Nope. Now out with it. What have you been thinking?” My heart was so much warmer than it’d been half an hour ago. It was unbelievable how sharing bad things with someone you loved changed your perspective on everything. I gasped. Loved. My eyes flew to Bryant’s.
“What?” he asked. “Did you just think of something?”
I nodded, but there was no way I was going to tell him. “Anyway. It’s no big deal. Tell me what you’ve been thinking. About staying with you.”
Thankfully, that distracted him. “Oh. Yeah. Well, as I was sitting here, it dawned on me that your outburst—and their threats—aren’t going to get any better. Since you said what we’ve all been wanting to say, that’s really going to sting, and embarrass them. The problem with narcissistic people is that they believe they’re always right. So if you start telling them they’re wrong, you’re basically throwing down the gauntlet. Then they’ll stop at nothing to prove that you’re the bad guy here and not them.”
Whoa. I hadn’t looked at it that way. “You think they’re narcissistic?”
“Oh, classic case. Their daughters are perfect, but you’re never allowed to be. Excuses to keep you in trouble. Not giving you natural freedoms. Not inviting you to stuff. Not even giving you a proper bedroom—the list goes on and on. There are some serious, actual abuse issues here. Stuff that’s been bothering me for a long time.”
“Abuse?” Suddenly, my warm heart hardened and dropped. “Are you kidding?”
“No, I’m not. It’s definitely emotional, which is the most dangerous kind.”
“How do you know all this stuff?”
He chuckled. “My da
d’s a psychiatrist. I would only have to tell him a fraction of what you’ve told me, and he’d have you removed from this house immediately.”
My whole body went cold. “I had no idea.”
Bryant nodded slowly. “It’s not right, what they do to you. It’s not healthy, either. And it’s why I was determined that you have a somewhat normal life and a boyfriend and all that. What did Maxton say about tonight? Did you call him?”
“Well, I texted, but it was pretty late. So he said he’ll see me at lunch tomorrow.”
Bryant’s eyebrows rose. “I think I need to have a talk with him.”
“No, it’s not his fault. After I realized I woke him up, I felt really bad, and I didn’t want to bother him.”
“Did he ask what you needed?”
“Yes, but I just told him it was bad here. Really bad. That’s all.”
“That should’ve been enough.” He shook his head. And then he leaned forward and held my hand. “Indy, do you want to stay here? Or would you like to come to my house?”
“I can’t imagine the trouble I’d get into if I left. They’d lose their minds.”
“The choice wouldn’t be theirs to make. My dad will vouch for you—and he’d vouch for your mom, too, if they tried to bring that up. There’s no way they could hurt you again.”
“Seriously?” I’d never imagined life outside of here. My eyes connected with his. “What if—what if things don’t work out?”
“You mean, what if my dad doesn’t want another teen girl in the house? Or are you talking about our friendship?”