Page 3 of Lies in Promises
I don’t think about all the bad stuff that comes with it.
I just draw a picture of my parents, my brother, and me at the amusement park next week. I draw and laugh when Henry says something funny, and I don’t think about the rain.
But as soon as I’m done with my drawing, all thoughts about the rain come back.
I think about it even after the pizza comes and the three of us finish it off.
I think about it when Henry and I start watching a movie in the theater room.
I think about it when it’s pitch black outside and my parents haven’t come home yet.
The rain is everywhere, and when I ask Henry about it, he looks at me like he’s worried too.
So, he jumps on the phone. Maybe he’s calling Dad, asking if they are going to be staying in the city. Maybe he’s calling their friends and seeing if they are still at the party.
He hangs up, and my stomach starts to roll again as soon as I see his face. This time, it hurts a lot more.
“Did you find them?” I ask him when he looks down at me.
“I did not, but I’m sure they are on their way home. Why don’t we get you ready for bed, Mr. Bennett?” he says, his voice shaking a bit, but a smile still trying to peek out.
I don’t want to go to bed.
I want to wait up until Mom and Dad get back. I want to plan with Dad like he said we would.
But I know if I don’t go to bed when Henry says, I might get in trouble for not following orders.
We can plan tomorrow.
Mom and Dad will be back before breakfast, and we will plan everything for next week.
I nod, and Henry gives me a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.
He starts guiding me to the stairs, about to connect with the first step, when a buzzer sounds, telling us someone is at the front gate and needs our permission to drive up to the house.
Maybe that’s Mom and Dad.
Robert must think the same, because he finally comes out of the entertainment room.
My brother and I stand as Henry picks up the phone. From the way his head shoots up, I know it’s not my parents at the gate.
And when a police car pulls up and an officer steps out, I know my parents aren’t coming home.
Bad things happen when it rains.
CHAPTER 2
ROBERT
SIXTEEN YEARS OLD
Every part of me feels numb.
Never in my life have I felt this way. I’ve never been this pissed off, this fucking sad, this fuckingbroken. For the past week, I’ve been teetering between feeling like I’m going to shatter and not feeling anything at all.
I’ve cried more in the last week than I probably have since I was a baby, and I don’t see anything getting better.
But I guess that’s what happens when you lose both your parents.
