Dare You To (Pushing the Limits, #2)(47)

Mom stiffens. “Was that your father’s decision or yours?”

“Mine.” The word comes out fast. The last thing I want is for      them to get into another twelve-round fight, especially over me.

“I’m sure it was.” Mom gives a dismissive wave.

Something inside me snaps. “Logan saw Mark in Lexington a few      weeks ago. He asked about us.”

Mom becomes uncharacteristically still.

“Logan knows, Mom. So does Chris.”

Fury flashes over her face. “If your father finds out you told      anyone... If anyone in town finds out...”

“They won’t tell.”

She closes her eyes for a second as she releases air. “Please      remember what happens in this house stays in this house. Chris and Logan are      your friends. They are not family.”

A simmering anger settles at the bottom of my stomach. How can      she shut out her emotions for her oldest son? “Don’t you miss him?”

“Yes.” Her immediate answer catches me off guard. “But there’s      too much at stake.”

“What does that mean?” I ask.

Mom scans my room. Her eyes linger on my posters. “I think I’m      going to redo your room. Blue isn’t your color.”





Chapter 26

Beth

THUMP, THUMP,       THUMP. My eyes flash open and my heart pumps in my ears. The cops.      No, the boyfriend. Sometimes he knocks in the morning to confuse me into opening      the door. I blink when I see the shadow of curtains against a window. Curtains.      I’m not home. I inhale and the fresh oxygen mixes with the adrenaline in my      bloodstream. Old habits die hard.

“Elisabeth,” Scott says from behind the door. “Wake up.”

Shit. Six in the morning. Why can’t he leave me alone? The      bus doesn’t arrive until seven-thirty. A half hour is plenty of time to get      ready for school. I roll out of bed and pad on bare feet to the door. The bright      light from the foyer hurts my eyes so I squint and barely comprehend that      Scott’s shoving a bag into my hand. “Here. I got your stuff.”

I wipe the sleep from my eyes. Scott wears the same T-shirt      and jeans from last night. “What stuff?”

He drops his I-mean-business glare and my lips tug up. It’s      a look he gave me when I was little, especially when I wouldn’t eat my      vegetables or when I begged him to read to me.

Scott’s answering smile is hesitant. “I went by your aunt’s      and picked up your clothes. That Noah guy was there last night and he showed me      what was yours. I’m sorry if I left anything behind. If you tell me something      specific maybe I can swing by one day after work.”

I stare at the bag. My stuff. He got me my stuff and he      talked to... “How’s Noah?”

The hesitant joy on his face fades. “We didn’t have a      heart-to-heart. Elisabeth, this doesn’t change any of my rules. I want you to      settle here in Groveton and let your old life go. Trust me on this one, okay,      kid?”

Okay, kid. It’s      what he always said to me, and I find myself nodding without realizing it. A      habit from childhood—a time when I believed that Scott hung the moon and      commanded the sun. A bad habit for a teenager. I stop nodding. “I can wear my      clothes?”

“Skin has to be covered and no rips in indecent places. Push      me on this and I’ll burn every stitch in that bag.” Scott inclines his head      toward the kitchen. “Breakfast in thirty.”

I cradle the bag in my hands like a newborn. My stuff. Mine.      “Thanks.” The gratitude is stiff and awkward, but give me credit—I said it.

*

I slide the low-rise, faded blue jeans to my hips and a      contented sigh escapes my lips. How I missed you, old friend. Jeans that hug a      little too tight. Small rips on the thighs. The other pair, the pair I really      love that has rips right below my ass, Scott would soak in gasoline. I carefully      fold them on a hanger and store them in the closet.

For the first time in two weeks, I feel like me. Black      cotton tee that clings to my waist. Silver hoop earrings in my ears. I change      the hoop in my nose for a fake diamond stud. As I check myself out in the      mirror, I revel in the lightness because I know the moment I step into that      kitchen, I’ll grow heavy again.

Right at six-thirty, I enter the kitchen. The red breaking      of dawn splatters across the sky. Scott fries bacon at the stove and the smell      makes my mouth water. Allison is perfectly absent.