Page 29 of Falling Too Late

I couldn’t forget.

“I promise I will be right next to the window. I won’t let you do this alone.”

She bit the inside of her cheek, before turning back to the bedroom, grabbing the book with some papers sticking out the sides of it. She stood in front of the door, opening it.

Amanda stood a few inches taller than her. The blonde didn’t seem surprised that Wren was here, a smug smile on her face. Iknew rumors spread quickly at school but had been ignoring them.

Wren brushed past me and Amanda. Amanda moved next to me, her arms crossing over her chest before she spoke. “Bye-bye.”

“Knock it off, Amanda,” I barked out, causing the blonde to jump. I never yelled. Never raised my voice to anyone, but I could tell she got the point.

Wren paused in her stride, glancing over her shoulder at Amanda, and I swear I could see a smirk on her lips.

CHAPTER 13

WREN

“WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?!”?

I looked up from the book I had been reading out in the playground. My mom stood there. She seemed older, her hair was visibly thin and greasy looking. I could still see the gauze wrapping her probably burned arm. She was wearing some ratty clothes; all her belongings had burned in the fire.

I wished the building wasn’t standing anymore.

The only window in apartment 4A that hadn’t been broken was my room’s. Sitting out here on the playground, I had stared at it for a long while. Sometimes, I thought I could hear my own muffled screams coming from it. Staring at it made me remember the taste of them in my mouth. It’s like a gag reflex, something I just couldn’t seem to get rid of. The nightmares had gotten better. Less intense. I woke up in the morning, and I knew I’d had a dream, I just couldn’t remember exactly what it was.

Sometimes I ran to the bathroom to throw up.

Alex said I needed therapy. I couldn’t tell if he was serious or if it was a joke. I just laughed and told him I’d get some when we won the lottery. It’s going to be Alex and I until the very end. That was the one thing in this entire fucked up existence I had, that I did know.

I had been preparing myself to see her again. She had beensniffing around here a lot lately. Lloyd didn’t have any vacancies from my understanding.

I glanced back toward the apartment, waiting for Alex to show up. Amanda had really thrown a wrench in our plan this morning. I tried to stay focused on the woman in front of me and not the one at Alex’s home.

Our home.

The words rattled me for a second. Home. I had a place I considered home now. Somehow, just that thought comforted me. Added salve to the odd burn I felt about this stranger showing up. Gave me more strength to face her alone.

I turned my attention back to my mother. She didn’t look as scary as I remembered. She looked small, frail. Kevin’s money wasn’t padding her pocket anymore to help her look like upgraded trailer trash. Even from this distance, she reeked of cigarette smoke and alcohol.

Now maybe she knew what it felt like to starve.?

“What do you want?” I asked, pushing a bored tone. Trying to mask the slight tremor of fear that came from being this close to her.

“Excuse me?”Her voice was rough.

I almost laughed at her bewildered tone. I wasn’t ten years old anymore. I talked back.

I leveled her with my gaze.

“What. Do. You. Want.”??

“You little fucking bitch.” She took three steps toward me, and I stood, dropping the book to the ground. I was prepared to fight this time. I would hit back. I wouldn’t ever let her lay a hand on me again.

“HEY!”?

Alex’s voice shot out like a bullet across the yard. He was in a full sprint heading our way in jeans, barefoot and without a shirt. Once he was close enough, I shook my head, and he stopped only a few feet away from her.

Alex never left me alone for very long, but this time I askedhim to. I made sure to sit on the swing set closest to the new apartment. I wanted to lure her out. I wanted this to be over.

---