Page 3 of All In Good Time

“You don’t have any idea where he might be?”

Mal finally met Becca’s eyes, her eyebrows knit and expression desperate. “You know him better than anyone. I thought you would.”

“I—” Becca faltered. She had been avoiding questions about Derek at school, trying to not bring more attention to either of them. But this was not something she could avoid. “We had a fight. He wanted me to stay away.”

Mal’s dark eyes went wide. “Is that why he’s gone?”

Becca sighed and tried to will back the tears that were begging to come out. “It’s part, I’m sure.” She got up for a moment when neither of them seemed like they could think of anything else to say. She gave Mal a moment to herself and went to the kitchen to grab her a glass of water.

With a wall between them, she finally let the biting tears out. As water from the faucet flowed into the cup, she pressed a hand over her mouth and let the sobs free, muffling them as best she could.

This was partially her fault. Would it have been better to just keep quiet or to not tell Derek what she had done? It was hard to say, but it wasn’t hard to realize that, no matter what she chose, someone would get hurt. Now Derek was missing, and Mal was bruised, and she didn’t even know if the people she had called were going to do anything like they said they would.

It only took three seconds to fill the cup, but she cried in the kitchen for close to a minute as the water hid her gasps. Mal might be fourteen, three years younger than Becca and Derek, but she wasn’t stupid and soon would realize what was going.

Becca pulled herself together as best as she could and shut off the tap. She stared at the half-dead floral assortment her mother had bought last time she was here until her breathing slowed. Becca didn’t know why her mom always brought flowers home when she was never around long enough to take care of them, leaving the responsibility to Becca. She wiped away the tears and blinked to clear her eyes. Before she left the kitchen, she grabbed the flowers and chucked them into the trash then slapped a small, soft smile on her face and reentered the living room.

Mal watched as Becca crossed the room and set the full cup of water on the round wooden coffee table. It made a dull clunk that broke a tense silence between them. She knew Mal caught the lingering redness in her eyes when she saw the sympathetic frown on the girl’s tan face. Mal shouldn’t be concerned about Becca, she had other stuff to worry about.

“Mal.” Becca pulled herself together, sat down on the plaid-upholstered couch, and gestured for the girl to take the glass.

Mal did so out of politeness.

“Those people that came to your house, did they say who they were?”

There was a pause as Mal slowly sipped at the liquid. Then she pulled the glass away and nodded. “Child Protective Services. They pulled me aside without mom and Mark and asked if I felt safe with Mark. Then they asked if I knew where Derek was.” She stared at the water.

“What did you tell them?”

She shrugged, nonchalant, but her tense shoulders gave away her anxiety. “I told them I was fine, and that I thought Derek was just out with some friends.”

“But that’s not true, is it?”

Mal sighed and put the water back down. “I’m sure Derek is off doing something crappy, but I couldn’t tell them about Mark. What if he overheard it? It would only make things worse around that place anyway.” She reached out, and Becca jumped as small, cold fingers wrapped around her hand. “You have to help me find Derek. I’m sure things will get better if he comes home. Mark thinks that Derek is the one who told them, so if Derek just comes home and tells him he didn’t do it, he’ll calm down.”

The desperation was palpable. Her eyes begged with such intensity, Becca froze.

Mal was not stupid, no, but she also hadn’t been the main victim of Mark’s abuse until now. If Derek went home, things wouldn’t get better. They never did. If Derek went home, things would only get better for Mal, but they could become worse for Derek. If Mark thought Derek was the one who called CPS, there was no way he’d believe him, even if he claimed he wasn’t the one who did it.

Becca shuddered at the thought of what would happen then.

For the first time, Becca was glad Derek had disappeared, because it meant he was safe from his father’s wrath. But it didn’t change the fact that not everyone was—Mal was still there, and she wouldn’t be able to hold up against her stepdad the way Derek did.

“I’m sure Derek is fine, wherever he is, but I’ll try and find him. Why don’t you stay here tonight? We can ask Jane if she wants to join too.” Becca had introduced the girls to each other half a year ago, and they’d become fast friends. It might help Mal to have someone with her while she went through this.

“I’ll have to call my mom and ask.”

The same mom who stands by and lets abuse happen.Becca kept the bitter thought to herself and smiled at Mal, who smiled back. “Okay, you can use the phone. Call Jane too. I’ll make you guys some popcorn while you pick out a movie..” She gestured to the wall where she’d stored her assortment of favorite VHS tapes for the days when the house was a little too quiet without her mom around.

“Thank you, Becca.”

Becca ran a hand over Mal’s tousled black hair and nodded. “Anytime, Mallory. You know you’re always welcome here.”

* * *

Becca jumped when there was a knock at the door. It drew her attention away from her thoughts, and she realized she’d bitten her nails down to the point of almost drawing blood. It had taken her years to break that nasty habit, yet only a few days for it to come back at frightening speed.

She brushed the raw tips of her fingers against her jeans and answered the door.

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