“Have you called a lawyer about it?” That might be my chance. What if an Academy divorce lawyer said it would take too long? What if he put roadblocks in the way?
“A lawyer can wait,” she said. She reached under the sink and tore at the liner until it came up, revealing the wood underneath. She crumpled the paper and tossed it. Next to her was a roll of white liner paper, and she unwrapped it to measure it. “Your father owns this house, so he can sell when he wants to. If we sell before he files, then we can get out of here before that starts. So I’ve filled out a listing for the newspaper, and I’ll start making the proper phone calls later today to get that going.”
“Oh,” I said quietly. My face became numb, my limbs weak. Every counter or idea that popped up, she was quick to dismiss it. She wasn’t even going to wait for my dad to say yes. She was going through with it like this house was hers.
She continued, “You and Jimmy need new rooms. The school system is very bad. You didn’t tell me there had been bomb threats.”
She didn’t know the half of it. I shrugged. “A lot has happened.”
“A new start, Sang,” she said. “That’s what we all need. You’ll get a better school. I’ll make sure your father doesn’t neglect your health anymore. You want that, don’t you?”
I shifted on my feet, considering what to do. I was sure some of the guys were awake and heard this. “Sounds...okay.”
I didn’t mean it. I didn’t want them to think I was giving in.
I didn’t see a way out, though. I didn’t see how I could avoid moving with her to Savannah. I didn’t see my dad saying no to this if she’d managed to bully him this far.
Fear crept inside me, especially for Marie. Once she heard this, she’d know our plan had failed and she might try to tattle on me, on all sorts of things.
If Carol found out the truth about me, what would she do to try to fix it?
There had to be something I could do. Yet my brain was foggy from lack of sleep and stress. I didn’t know how to convince her to let Marie and myself go.
The phone remained silent at my chest. No answers from them meant they were probably working on it. I just didn’t know what to do. “Maybe...maybe after we move, would you want to look at a private school?”
Carol marked where she needed to cut on the paper liner. “And honestly, Sang, I found a few notices from the school about Marie skipping school. You’ve got a detention and a suspension on your record. Your grades are okay, but the classes you were taking aren’t spectacular.”
“They were all AP classes,” I said, absently, unsure why I was pressing this. “Advanced...”
“Yes, they are advanced classes, but you’re taking your appropriate sophomore classes. It isn’t like you’re taking Advanced Calculus at your age. I don’t think it will be compelling enough for a private school. Especially given the detentions and in-school suspension on your record.”
My cheeks burned. I didn’t have a reply for her.
None of this was what I wanted.
She wasn’t even considering what I wanted. While I prodded her with questions about a private school, she was shutting the idea down.
A new state. Homeschooled. At Carol’s mercy. Out of my control. No choice. No discussion about it.
There was a sharp knock. I jumped shortly. Carol dropped the roll, leaning back on her knees to look at me.
A second knock came. The doorbell sounded.
It was short, and different from the front door’s doorbell.
The knock sounded like it was coming from the garage door.
Carol rolled her eyes and waved toward the door. “That might be those friends of Jimmy wanting to hang out. Answer the door and then wake him up, please.”
My heart soared at the thought that it might be Kota, even if only for a moment. Would she let me go outside with them?
I needed them desperately. Tell me there’s hope.
Not that he could say much, but maybe I could sign to him. Did we have a new plan? What could I do with this? I couldn’t imagine anything that would convince her to stay, or change her mind about any of it.
I padded through the quiet family room and went to the door, opening it, ready with a smile, even if it were Derrick. I could easily send Derrick to go get Kota and Nathan.
I looked up.
Her eyes were wide and blazed with anger.
I choked shortly, blinking in utter confusion.
My stepmother stood at the door.
Scorn and Fury
––––––––
She wore a loose-fitting sweater and pants, and I didn’t realize why this was odd and made me think I was just in a bad dream.
I hadn’t seen her wear anything other than pajamas or a robe in years.
Her graying strands were brushed neatly into a bun at the nape of her neck, and she held a small bag. She still carried a hospital smell of disinfectant and plastic.
The rage in her eyes, however, had not changed. Not one bit.
I shook where I stood, blood draining completely from my face. I blinked, sure I’d fainted at the door, was dreaming, and needed to wake up. The guys would have told me if she were released from the hospital. They would have come to get me.
She entered. “Why is the door locked?” she snapped at me. Her eyes were wide and she dropped the bag inside the door. “And whose car is that?”
My mouth moved without sounds coming out.
Carol.
Jimmy.
Me.
We were in danger.
I was about to reach for the phone, to hit every single red button until I reached someone. My knees shook, ready to dart out the door.
She walked past me, eyes darting all over the house. Her face contorted in disgust at the covered couch and the vacuum in the corner.
Movement in the garage broke my concentration on my stepmother.
Lily and Liam stood together on the steps. They’d been behind her and I hadn’t seen them until she had come inside.
My pulse thundered in my ears. Forget dreaming. I was becoming delusional.
Liam was dressed in dark slacks, a blue long-sleeved shirt and a badge attached to the breast pocket. He was freshly shaven and his red hair was brushed neatly. He stood beside Lily, a couple of inches shorter, but with the way he stood, he was imposing. His eyes were intense, his lips tight.
Lily wore a dress suit in a dark color, like I’d seen school administrators wear sometimes, and appeared official. She carried a badge tucked into the front pocket, with a seal I wasn’t sure I recognized, but which seemed familiar. The hospital badges?
My lips parted, and I backed up a tiny bit more, making more room for them.
My spine tingled, my whole body changing from numb to electrified.
What was this? Had she demanded to come back? How had Liam and Lily gotten involved?
My stepmother looked back to them and seemed to wait. She knew who they were?
“Hello,” Lily said quickly, and she reached for my hand. “I’m one of your mother’s visiting nurses. We tried to get ahold of someone to come pick her up, but it seems we couldn’t reach anyone with the numbers we had on file.”
I held out my hand, going through the motion of shaking hers and trying to figure out what they were up to. She wasn’t a nurse.