Page 24 of My Vows Are Sealed

“We missed you in the kids’ service last night,” she said. “What happened?”

Tears stung my eyes, and I squeezed them closed to keep myself from crying. That would just raise questions that I couldn’t answer. Literally. Not just because of the fact that I wasn’t supposed to be speaking to anyone, but because I’d specifically been told that if he found out that I’d told anyone about my punishment, I’d get however many lashes he decided to give me with his belt. My punishments were private family matters, and I had no business telling anyone else about them.

“Darla, are you okay?” Naomi asked.

“I’m fine,” I whispered.

The lie burned my throat coming out. Why was it okay for me to lie to someone and tell them nothing was wrong, but not okay to keep things like making a couple of new friends from my father becausethatwas deceptive and sinful and rebellious? If it was wrong to lie to my dad, shouldn’t it also have been wrong to lie to my friends?

Thankfully, I was the next person in line to get today’s offering of crappy pizza, corn, and milk, so I stepped up and said as little as possible as I got my food. Then I turned away, trying to find an empty table in a corner somewhere so I could keep up my forced vow of silence while I ate. Luckily, at the very far end of the cafeteria, there was a free table. I walked over to it without a word and sat down, mindlessly starting to nibble at the cardboard-flavored square they tried to pass off as pizza.

Someone hugged my shoulders, and I jumped half a foot in the air as my heart started racing at the unexpected contact.

“Oh, my God!” I shrieked.

“It’s just us, honey,” Ashton chuckled as they sat down next to me.

“Didn’t think we’d actually let you eat alone, did you?” Kate said, taking the seat on my other side.

I couldn’t help the tears that welled up in my eyes. I didn’t deserve these two. I was a terrible friend. If it hadn’t been for me running into Brendan this morning, I would have just not talked to them at all today instead of trying to explain what was going on to them.

I started to get up, but someone else gently pushed me back down.

“Nice try, Dar,” Brendan said. “You’re not getting rid of us that easily. Even if you’re not up for talking right now, we’ll just sit here with you.”

Naomi set her tray down on the table across from me, then walked over and gave me a hug. “I can tell something’s going on with you, sweetie. If you don’t want to tell me about it, that’s fine, but let me be here for you. Okay?”

“Why?” I whispered, swiping at my cheeks with the sleeve of my hoodie. “I don’t deserve it.”

“Kate, do you mind?” Brendan asked.

She chuckled. “Not a bit.”

She got up and walked to the other side of the table, and Brendan took her place. As soon as he set his tray down, he pulled me into his arms and rubbed my back, while Ashton scooted closer to me on the bench and hugged the arm that was closest to them. I couldn’t help leaning into Brendan’s hug, even though it just made me cry even more. Why did he have to give such amazing hugs?

“You know why your dad told you not to talk to us, right?” Brendan murmured.

“Because I kept something from him. That’s lying by omission, and it’s a sin,” I sniffled.

“Nope. He did it because he wanted to try to makeusstop talking to you. He thought we’d get upset with you because you blew us off and that you’d lose your friends because of it. This isn’t about you not telling him about Kate and Ash, or about me giving you a hug at church last night. It’s about him trying to control everyone you talk to and everything you do, even when he can’t see you. And it’s not okay. Human beings aren’t meant to be solitary. We need social contact. We need friendship. Don’t shut us out, Dar. Let us be here for you, even if all we do is sit here and eat this disgusting crap they’re trying to pass off as pizza and don’t say a word.”

“I vote that as soon as you’re not grounded anymore, we all go out forrealpizza,” Kate said.

“I’m down,” Brendan said. “I’ll even volunteer the wheels, since none of you youngsters can drive.”

“Your tiny car would fit like one and a half of us,” Naomi snickered. “By the way, is someone going to introduce me?”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my tears. “Sorry. Kate, Ashton, this is Naomi. Yes, she goes to church with us, and yes, she’s also accepting. Naomi, Kate’s the one sitting next to you, and this weirdo who won’t let go of my arm is Ash. Also, Ash goes by ‘they.’”

Ashton snickered as they let go of me. “Hey, you needed a hug. I was just delivering.”

“And what about the other weirdo who won’t let go of the rest of you?” Naomi giggled.

I groaned and covered my face with my hands. I wasnevergoing to hear the end of this. Why did my fair skin have to go and betray me by letting the world know I had a crush on Brendan? Now all of my friends had ammunition to use against me until the end of time, not to mention thathecould see right through me.

“Remind me why I’m breaking my dad’s rules for you guys?” I mumbled into my palms.

“Because you love us,” Ashton said.

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