Underneath the Sycamore Tree(36)

It’ll be good. That’s what I keep telling myself. It gives me time back home to visit with everyone, especially Logan. Plus, it gives me a chance to breathe. Things with Dad haven’t been bad, but that doesn’t extend to Kaiden.

Ever since our impromptu movie night, he finds ways to make me blush—winks, hand brushes, crude comments. Usually, he doesn’t pay me much attention if we’re both home. He does his thing and I do mine. Once in a while he’ll barge into my room while I’m doing homework and ask me pointless questions, pestering me because he can.

It makes Cam smile.

You’re like siblings, she told me.

I haven’t gone to the tree since that day either. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve gone to school with him, drove home with him, and locked myself away in my room. It never stops him if he wants my attention, and I can’t help but wonder what the point of it is.

When the late bus drops me off in front of the house, I’m tired and ready to change into my sweatpants for the evening. To my surprise, the front door is locked and the key on my chain is missing. Strange. Thankfully, I vaguely remember Dad telling me that there was a spare key hidden somewhere.

It takes a long moment to search through the fogginess of my memory before I’m looking under the rim of the flowerpot he mentioned it being under.

Nothing.

I check another one.

Nothing again.

Sighing, I turn and knock on the door. Kaiden’s car is here, so he must have gotten done in the weight room early. I wait a minute before knocking louder until my knuckles hurt. The doorbell doesn’t work. Cam keeps saying she’ll get it fixed, but never calls anyone.

I back up and glance at the windows, trying to see if there’s a light on. There doesn’t seem to be, so I go around the back to check the glass door leading to the kitchen.

Someone locked the fence door.

I don’t remember it ever being locked.

My phone died twenty minutes ago, so I can’t call anyone. I’m not even sure what the home number is here, because I never hear it ring. I’m pretty sure the landline is there for decoration only, because I see Dad and Cam on their cell phones more than not.

They’ll come home soon and rescue me from the chilly air that’s beating against my skin. My fall jacket is nothing more than a protection against a subtle breeze, but it does nothing against the nip of air that’s getting colder as the minutes pass.

I sit on the front steps and tuck my knees against my chest for warmth.

Five minutes pass.

Ten.

Fifteen.

The tips of my fingers are starting to go numb, and I notice the discoloration of a few. They’re turning blue. Lo had something like this when it got too cold. Her circulation wouldn’t work right, and her fingers and toes would turn a deep purple until she got them warm again.

I try sitting on them to heat them up, but wince at how tender the joints are. Sharp pain shoots down my wrists and settles into my elbows, causing me to tear up. My jaw quivers as the breeze hits me, and there’s nothing blocking it from hitting where I sit in front of the door.

After what feels like forever, Dad pulls in. He seems stunned I’m sitting there, and quickly gets out with his work bag and a small frown on his face.

“Emery?” When he gets closer, his eyes widen at my shaking form. I can’t sit still. My nose is numb, my cheeks sting, and my hands are now swollen and blue despite sitting on them for over half the time I’ve waited for somebody.

He cusses under his breath and quickly drops his things to peel off his coat. It’s thicker than mine and feels like heaven when he drapes it over my shoulders.

“I g-got l-locked out,” I stutter, forcing myself to stand. The cold already settled into my joints, causing both my knees to lock up and make it difficult to get out of his way to unlock the door.

He looks at me with concern lingering in his eyes, and it warms a part of my chest that I didn’t think a glance from him could. “Isn’t Kaiden home? Did you forget the spare?”

I shake my head, too cold to answer. As he pushes the door open, I hear music and giggling and something crash. Dad swears as he guides me in, putting an arm around my shoulder and rubbing my arm for friction.

“What the hell is going on here?” Dad has never sounded so angry before, and the bite to his tone even has me wincing.

Not as much as when I look at Kaiden and Rachel in the kitchen. He’s covered in flour, she’s sitting on the island, and it looks like whatever they were trying to bake has more ingredients on the floor than the bowl or pan.

The music playing is coming from a distance, the basement by the sounds of it. Rachel brushes hair behind her ear and glances down, like she can’t meet Dad’s eye.

Kaiden looks at me. “What’s up with you?” He glances at the clock and makes a face like he’s surprised at something. “Aren’t you usually home earlier?”

Rachel slides off the counter. “I should probably get going. It was fun, Kaid.” She kisses his cheek and gives me a once over before gliding past us toward the door.

Dad’s grip on me becomes protective. “I have a lot of things I’d like to say to you right now, but Cam isn’t home. What I’m concerned about is the fact Emery was locked outside, half-freezing, while you made…brownies?” He eyes the mess, jaw tight. “You better clean up this mess now and apologize to Emery.”