Page 78 of I'm Yours

“I wondered why you weren’t in class today.”

“Oh, it’s a good one. Audrey didn’t come home last night.” Audrey is her fourteen-year-old daughter, her oldest, and usually incredibly responsible. Kandace was only seventeen when she had her and the dad’s been gone since the moment two lines showed up on the stick. The look on my face must match my shock because she points to me and says, “Yup. That’s about it.”

“What the hell?”

“Well, you see… there’s this boy…”

My eyes widen and I wince. “Oh, shit.”

“Oh shit is right. Little fucker thought he’d take her out to Lover’s Lane last night.”

I lean into the arm of the couch and pull a pillow over my lap, clutching it tightly. “Oh my.”

She pulls a vape pen out of her hoodie pocket and takes a drag, the steam billowing around her. “She snuck out.”

I gasp. That’s not like Audrey. She’s a good girl, not that that matters. Every kid is going to challenge their parents somehow but I would have never expected it from Audrey. “No.”

She nods. “Got drunk.”

I know my eyes widen. If I thought she’d shocked me with the sneaking out part, her getting drunk… “Crap.”

“Lost her virginity.”

“Oh, fuck.”

“And slept in his pickup all night.”

“Well, shit.” Sounds oddly familiar. Though, I wasn’t only fourteen at the time. And, I was in love with Reed. Maybe Audrey is, too. I don’t know.

“That’s about right.”

“No wonder you need that,” I say, pointing to the vape. She normally doesn’t smoke or drink much alcohol but every once in a while she’ll use it. I know when she does, it’s for a reason. She quit smoking cigarettes before Erica was born but still has the cravings hit her.

“Truth,” she says, taking another pull off the vape before putting it aside. Her eyes fall closed when she leans her head back.

“Were they safe?” I cringe internally at my question and worry I overstepped. It’s really none of my business, but I think Kandace needs to talk through it.

“Yeah,” she says quietly. “At least, that’s what she told me. Don’t know what to believe out of her anymore.”

“Damn. I’m sorry.”

“Me, too. I thought she’d at least come to me when she was ready for that.”

“Was she?”

“Was she what?”

“Ready? Maybe she wasn’t planning for it to happen. Maybe she got caught up in the moment.” That’s kind of what happened with Reed and me.

Kandace raises her head and looks at me with sadness in her eyes. “If that’s the case, I really hate Terrance then.”

“I’m not saying he pressured her. Maybe neither of them were planning on it.”

She blows out a breath and takes a drink of her coffee. “I know. I don’t think he did, but if he did…”

“Where is she now?”

“School. Looked like she’d been run over by a truck and I wouldn’t be surprised if she has to leave class a few times to puke. Serves her right. I can’t believe she did that.”

---