She didn’t have to finish that sentence because I already knew what she was going to say; she was paranoid about my safety now. She wouldn’t be happy until she could see for herself that I was fine. We’d had this conversation before. It always ended the same way, with me talking her off the ledge.
“I know, but you’ve honestly got nothing to worry about. The guys who beat me up are serving time for assault and battery. They can’t hurt me. And I’m on my best behavior now. No one else is going to jump me the second I’m alone.” I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively at Charlie.
He rolled his eyes, shifting as if to climb off of me. I kept a firm grip on his shirt.
“Oh, hon, this long-distance thing is killing me. I can’t wait until the end of the semester to see you.”
I jumped up so fast I almost head-butted Charlie. He scuttled back just in time, thankfully, his face white in alarm.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I’ve booked us a flight to Seattle. Hunter and I will be there the day after tomorrow.”
I felt like someone had yanked the blanket out from under me and I’d done a few flips before landing flat on my ass, kind of like they did in old cartoons. I wouldn’t have been surprised if my eyes were spinning in their sockets and there were little birds flying around my head.
“You what?”
“Can you hear me? It’s so loud in here. Let me go into another room.” I pictured her leaving the kitchen and walking down the hall to her room. The door shut behind her, muffling Law & Order. “I said we’re coming to see you. It’ll just be for three days—I can’t afford to be gone any longer than that—but we’ll make the best of it.”
I shook my head. This couldn’t be happening.
“What’s the matter?” Charlie whispered. He was kneeling between my legs now, searching my face for the answer I wasn’t giving.
“We can leave Hunter with his aunt and go shopping or something,” my mom went on, oblivious. “Hey, you can even show me where you go to school.”
Hunter was coming here.
My stomach lurched. I slapped a hand over my mouth just in case my dinner decided to come up. Charlie gently touched my shoulders. It was like he was offering me his support. Lowering my hand, I managed to give him a little smile of gratitude. God knew I needed it. I was in hell.
“Or, if you’re feeling really nice, you could introduce me to your new boyfriend.”
No, wait, now I was in hell.
“I don’t have a boyfriend. Who said—?” I groaned, falling forward until my forehead bonked against Charlie’s chest.
Aunt Dinah. Of course.
I was tempted to be pissed, but reason won out in the end. How was my great aunt supposed to know I’d been lying to my mom this whole time, being careful not to even hint that I’d made a friend here? I’d never asked her to keep quiet because it had never occurred to me that Aunt Dinah might be talking to my mom about me behind my back. But of course she would. My mom wouldn’t just take what I told her at face value anymore, not since I landed myself in the hospital and waited almost four weeks to tell her.
My mom either didn’t hear the mortification in my voice or didn’t care. “Oh, don’t bother lying. Dinah told me. She said she hadn’t told me sooner because you guys were just friends for a while and she didn’t think there was anything to worry about since he’s a good boy, but it wasn’t right to keep it from me anymore since you guys have officially started dating. Don’t be mad. She was just trying to be a good guardian.”
I snorted at that part about Charlie being a “good boy.” The way my mom said it made it sound like she was talking about a puppy. Then again, when compared to Marty, Charles Campbell might as well have been a puppy.
Charlie had stiffened the second I’d thrown out the “B” word. I looked up at him, hoping to convey just how sorry I was about this entire scenario. He eased away from me. I couldn’t read anything in his expression, which worried me, but I couldn’t address that yet. My mom was still rambling in my ear.
“I guess I can understand why you wanted to keep this from me. I wasn’t a big fan of your last boyfriend.” Her tone darkened a bit but then swung right up to its usual sunshine-bright pitch. “But now that you’ve found yourself a good boy, of course I approve! I mean, if Dinah likes him, how could I not?”
“Mom—”
“I promise I won’t embarrass you, hon. I just want to be part of your life again. It’s been hard to feel connected to you ever since you left.”
“You mean ever since Hunter sent me away?” I demanded.
“It was for your own good and you know it. I mean, look at how great you’re doing in school now! And you’ve found a good boy to date. You can’t tell me you’re not glad to be in Seattle.”
Well, she got me there. It still sucked that she chose Hunter over me though. The words were right on the tip of my tongue but I couldn’t say them. She’d only make excuses if I did.
My mom had convinced herself there was nothing wrong with her relationship with Hunter. I just held a grudge against him because he wasn’t my father. It didn’t matter what I said; that’s what she thought. Because to admit Hunter was an abusive, egotistical asshole who didn’t deserve to be loved by anyone would mean admitting she was unhappy. We all knew what happened to my mom when she was unhappy. It
