Page 80 of One of Them Girls

I trail my finger across the top of her dresser. “Not much to say. They aren’t the best parents.”

“Do you miss them?”

Shocked by her question, I turn to face her. “What?”

Her eyes are soft. “Do you miss them?”

I think about her question, not knowing how to respond.

“Do I miss them?” I repeat, her head nodding. I let out a heavy sigh. “I miss who they could have been. They were never really parents to me, so to say I could miss them would be a lie. I can’t miss something they aren’t.”

She pinches her lips together. “What if they changed? What if they came and visited you?”

I shrug. “I used to hope that something would bring them home. My graduation, my eighteenth birthday, but they never show. There’s always a reason. Before, I would at least talk to my dad, but now that I went against his wishes and came here, he doesn’t even talk to me. The only reason I still get my monthly stipend is because of my grandfather. I only met him twice, but he set up a trust fund for me. As long as I’m in college, I can draw from it up until I either graduate or turn twenty-five. If they showed up now, I would want to think they were here for me, but in the back of my mind, I’d be questioning their agenda. It’s too late for us, but not for your family. I can feel the love here.”

She moves toward me, pulling me into a hug. “I’m sorry, Avi. I’m sorry you went through that and you feel that way. You don’t need them though. I’ll be your family.”

Leaning down, I press a kiss to her lips. “Thanks, Adra.”

* * *

The house feelsdifferent in the morning. The heaviness from before seems to have evaporated.

I was shocked when I walked into the kitchen to find Cassi and her mother dancing around the kitchen while cooking.

They shooed me out, handing me two glasses of sweet tea for the road.

That’s how I found myself sitting on the couch in the living room, watching football with Jerry.

“Have you ever played football?” he asks.

“No, sir. Not really my thing.”

“I see. What is your thing?”

I shrug. “I’m going to school to become a teacher. I enjoy playing video games. I like to read.”

He nods, never looking my way. “That’s good. What did you do to my daughter?”

I sit shocked. “What do you mean?”

Then he turns, smiling at me. “She’s not who she was three months ago. She smiles now. She doesn’t seem so lost.”

I let out the breath I was holding. “I didn’t do that. That’s all your daughter. She’s a strong woman.”

“Agreed, but she didn’t seem to know that strength until she met you. We haven’t talked to her much, but Jared and Rebecca still talk to us.”

I attempt to hide my distaste when he says Jared’s name.

“Ah, I see you’ve met Jared.” Jerry chuckles. “He’s mostly harmless though. He was Ryan’s best friend.”

The sadness in his tone stops me from snorting at him, calling Jared harmless.

If only you knew. I think to myself.

“He hasn’t bothered us in a while.”

“That’s probably because he can see what I see.”

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