Page 36 of Reverse Perspective

“I can,” Stacy says.

We fight through the crowd of people before getting to the car. “What do you want to eat?” Mason asks me.

“I want to go home,” I say simply.

“Sadie…”

“I want to go home,” I say again. I try to be more firm but it just comes out broken. They don’t say anything else. We sit in silence as we drive home. We don’t go straight home though, we take a longer route home and make a few extra turns to ensure no one is following us.

We pull into the driveway, and I get out leaving the guys behind. I’m glad they’re not forcing me to talk right now. I don’t think I could manage a conversation.

I go to unlock the door but there is no resistance when I turn the key. Someone’s inside. I throw the door open expecting to find some creep, but I am instantly brought to tears when I come face-to-face with Mason‘s Mom.

“Oh, honey,” she says softly as she hugs me tightly. Penny was a single Mom. She was more of a mom to me than my own.

“Dad,” Dean says. John is the sweetest man. He’s always picked at Dean saying he needed to marry me before someone else did. His ex-wife was a deadbeat just like Penny’s husband, so they’ve always had a lot in common.

I hear Greg and Cindy, Lance’s parents close by. “I wish you guys had called first,” Lance says as he hugs his Mom.

“You would have said no to keep us from Sadie,” Cindy says as she hugs me. “How are you, dear?”

“Mad. Embarrassed. Scared,” I say.

“Scared?” Jeff asks.

“The religious nuts have made death threats, but she hasn’t talked to her parents yet,” Mason says.

“Oh, fuck them,” Jeff says and I laugh through my tears.

“Come sit and talk to us, please,” Penny says.

“Mom,” Mason starts to say.

“Please, Mason. We love you guys. You know we support y’all unconditionally,” she says. “Even if it did take you two and a half decades to figure out what everyone else already knew.”

We go to the couch and they all smile when Dean pulls me into his lap to sit and Mason lays my legs in his lap where he starts massaging my feet.

“Are you here to be nosy or are you really wanting to talk?” Lance asks.

“Both,” Greg smiles. “How long have you all been dating?”

“I don’t know if we technically are,” I say. “It’s not been said.”

“No offense but that looked like dating to me,” Penny says with a smirk.

“God. Y’all didn’t watch it, did you?” Mason asks.

“Just a few seconds before I realized what it was. I called Jeff and he got a hold of Greg,” Penny says.

“I’m shocked how many people have seen it,” Jeff says.

“It’s a nice video,” Cindy shrugs.

“Mom. Really?” Lance groans.

“What?” she asks. “You’re young and in love, even if you don’t want to admit it. Anyone with common sense can see that the four of you obviously have a connection and no one forced anyone to do anything.”

“I don’t know what to expect from Mom and Dad,” I say.

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