Page 124 of Off The Ice

“You didn’t tell me you had a friend here,” she said, almost accusingly.

“This is Liam,” Cassie said, looking every bit as wary as her mother looked. “He offered to drive us.”

“No Dave?” she asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it now,” Cassie said, climbing into the front passenger seat.

“Nice to meet you.” I looked her mom in the eyes, noticing the yellow tint to her skin and the wrinkles that framed her eyes as I pulled the backdoor open.

“You, too.” She offered me an uneasy smile before getting into the back, looking around as if she were a mouse caught in a trap.

I started the car, following suit with the silence. I decided to let the two of them set the scene for how the ride would go. I was so out of my element that it wasn’t even funny.

“Are you still staying with Dave?” her mother asked after a moment, and Cassie tensed.

“No,” she said in a way that left little room for questions.

Still, Cassie’s mom persisted.

“Does that mean you’re coming home then?”

I twitched. No, the hell she wasn’t.

She was alreadyhome. With me.

She hesitated. “I don’t know yet.”

My heart sank.

Cassie’s hands moved against the radio dials, frantically switching the stations at a rapid speed.

Without thinking, I reached over, sliding my hand over hers. Gently, I guided her fingers away from the dial, back to her knee, and left my hand resting there on top of hers.

It’s okay, baby. You’re fine.

She turned her attention out the window, but her knee had stopped jittering at least.

“How are you feeling?” Cassie asked, voice thick.

She didn’t turn to look at her mother when she asked, just continued staring off at some distant point.

“Oh, I’m fine,” her mom answered back. “I’m glad to be out of there. You know hospitals, making such a fuss over nothing.”

Cassie stiffened, and I used my thumb to rub circles on top of her hand.

“I was thinking,” Cassie started, “that we could talk about some of the rehab programs. I’ve been researching and found a few good ones—”

“What?” Her mom laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous, Cassie. I was in the hospital with a stomach bug.”

I paused at that, confused by her words. I looked over to Cassie for confirmation, and she was wearing an expression of absolute outrage.

I’d seen Cassie in a lot of moods. Happy, sad, excited. But never angry. I wished I could smooth the expression off her face.

“Mom,” she said in warning. “Stop.”

“Oh, don’t start, Cassie.”

“Haven’t we gone through this enough?” Cassie asked wearily. “You need to get help.”

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