Page 118 of Miss Me Not

"Not right now. I'm going to wait a little while longer, and then give Madison's mom a call to let her know she's here."

I looked blurry eyed at the old-fashioned clock on the far wall. I was surprised to see it was almost five a.m. It had taken me almost three hours to get my story completely out. No wonder I felt like I had been dragged behind a pickup truck. It had been a long couple days with no sleep.

"Sarah, I'm so sorry to have kept you up like this. You don't have to call her. I can do it," I said, already grateful enough for their understanding and compassion.

"Honey, you don't need to apologize. I'm just happy that we are able to be here for you. And no, I think it's best if I make the call," she said in an even tone that made Dean grin.

"What?" I asked as he led me up the stairs wondering what I had missed.

"My mom obviously has an agenda I strongly agree with," he said, stopping at an open doorway right off the top of the steps.

"Donna won't care," I said flatly. I knew my mom well. She felt she was the victim here. I had ruined her life.

"You'd be surprised what my mom can accomplish," he said, leaning against the door frame as he stroked a hand up my arm.

"How are you two not running from me screaming?" I finally asked the question that was burning through me.

"The last thing I want to do at the moment is run screaming from you. Truthfully, I want to do the exact opposite. I'm seriously fighting the urge to drag you away, caveman-style, to protect you from future harm. I want to hunt that Jim guy down and do what your dad did. I want to wring Katie's scrawny neck for spreading the rumors around, but most of all, I want to throw your mom in the middle of a pack of wolves and see how she feels being all alone."

"There are two sides to every story. I'm sure hers is different than mine," I said, wondering if I had unconsciously sugarcoated my story.

"There is no excuse for anything she did. Even if I heard her version of the story, I would still see that she abandoned her hurt daughter," he said, dropping a soft kiss on my forehead. I swayed slightly as exhaustion from the endless day weighed me down. It seemed hard to believe that less than twenty four hours ago, I had said my final goodbyes to my friend. It had been a long day.

Seeing my exhaustion, Dean led me into the room and pulled back the quilt so I could climb in the bed. He tucked the blanket around me before dropping a featherlight kiss on my lips.

I closed my heavy eyelids. My last thoughts before slumber pulled me under was where I would go from here. Life was beckoning me. I could feel its insistence and enticement. At the moment, death was nowhere to be found.

Chapter twenty three

I slept until late the next afternoon. I didn't jump up immediately, but lay there, taking stock of my life. The unbearable weight I had been carrying for years was gone. The saying "the truth will set you free" took on a whole new meaning for me. James's death will forever remain in my heart. Deep down, I knew I should have been there for him, but carrying that guilt would not bring him back. Instead, I needed to live, for both of us.

The house was quiet as I slowly made my way down the steps.

"Hey," Dean said, looking up from the book he was reading. "You look better," he added.

"I feel better," I said, feeling self-conscious just standing there in my rumpled clothing and bed head. "Where is everyone?" I asked.

"My dad and the twins went to hang out with my papaw and nana. Mom and Trish went out to get some clothes for you," he said, patting the couch next to him.

"Gah, they didn't have to do that," I said, sinking down next to him.

"I think my mom needed an outlet. I'm gathering things didn't go all that well with your mom," he admitted.

"Do I need to call her?" I asked, dreading the thought.

"No, Mom said they'd worked out some kind of compromise where you get to stay with us for a few days," he said, avoiding my eyes.

"Otherwise translated, I'm not welcome at home," I said, seeing through his lie.

"Um, pretty much. Needless to say, there was a lot of swearing on Mom's end after the call ended. But trust me when I tell you my parents wanted you to stay with us for a few days anyway. Your mom just thinks it was her idea."

"That sounds like her. Hopefully, in a couple days, she'll calm down enough that I'll be able to talk to her," I stated, trying to sound confident while I ignored my panic over the idea of being homeless at seventeen, that just sounded bad.

"Don't worry, we'll work it out. My mom has a plan," Dean said, patting my leg reassuringly. "Trish laid out a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt for you if you want to take a quick shower, and then maybe we can go for a walk."

"That sounds perfect," I said, pushing my fears to the side for the moment.

"There's an extra toothbrush in the cabinet in the bathroom," Dean said as I made my way back up the stairs.

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