Little Do We Know(91)

She seemed so calm and clearheaded. But I remembered those times I’d seen her back down to him in a way that wasn’t at all like her, and I couldn’t help but think there was a small part of her that was afraid of him.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Positive.” She took my hands in hers. “Are you sure you don’t want me to press charges?”

I’d thought about it. A lot. I didn’t need to press charges to make myself feel better about what happened; I just wanted him out of our lives.

“I think losing you is punishment enough.” I smiled at her. “And I’m fine. Really.”

“Okay. Then go. Get out of here before he shows up.”

I agreed, but it was a lie. I’d be in my room the entire time, because that was part of my plan with Luke and Hannah. I had to be there to protect her, just in case she needed me. And I had to hear what he said when she told him.

She hugged me. “I’ll text you when he’s gone and you and Luke can come back here and watch a movie or something.” She pulled away and looked me in the eyes. “But you don’t have to. It’s a Friday night. Go have fun. I’ll be fine.”

When she went to the kitchen, I disappeared into my bedroom. Working quickly so she wouldn’t get suspicious, I reached deep into the back of my closet and pulled out the metal stepladder. I carried it over to the window, lowered it into the dirt below, and returned to the living room.

“All set?” Luke whispered, and I gave him a thumbs-up.

We told her good-bye and left through the front door. We climbed into his car, and he backed out and drove around the corner, parking under the streetlamp in front of Hannah’s kitchen window. We checked to be sure the coast was clear, and then we snuck around the corner and darted up her front steps.

Hannah was already there, waiting for us, watching through the crack in the doorway. She opened it wider so we could come inside.

We followed her into the living room. Pastor J was standing at the window, peering through the side of the white linen curtain. When he heard my voice, he looked over his shoulder and smiled at me.

I smiled back.

“How did it go?” Hannah’s mom asked.

“Fine, I guess. He’s on his way.” I figured I shouldn’t call him D-bag in front of Hannah’s parents, but I wasn’t about to call him David, either.

Pastor J waved me over to the window so I could watch by his side.

“Are you okay?” he asked, and I nodded, trying to ignore how clammy my hands felt and the giant knot deep in the pit of my stomach.

I’d lost count of how many times Hannah’s dad had apologized to me over the last two days. And now he was trying to make up for it by saying all the right things, like I’d always been part of their family and I always would be.

Hannah’s mom gave me a supportive pat on the back. “I wish you’d let us all go over there with you. We could confront him together. Your mom wouldn’t be alone.”

It was true, but I knew that wasn’t the way Mom wanted it. She wanted to confront him by herself. And I was happy to let her, as long as she had backup.

“She’s got this.” I was about to say more, but instead I said, “He’s here.”

The adrenaline kicked in as soon as I saw David’s car pull into the driveway. We all gathered in front of the window, watching as he got out, took a duffel bag from the trunk, and walked to the front door. He was carrying his bag in a way that made his arm look huge and powerful, even from that distance.

He didn’t knock, he just opened the front door and disappeared inside my house.

That was our cue.

Luke was already at the edge of Hannah’s living room, waiting for me. The two of us left through the back door, ran across the grass, climbed the stepladder, and slipped inside my bedroom.

I opened the door a crack, and the two of us poked our heads into the hallway, listening.

I could hear Mom’s voice, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. She and David went back and forth a few times, but everything was muffled. And then I heard him, loud and clear. “She’s a liar, Jennifer.”

I steeled myself, waiting for her to respond. Luke gripped my arm, and I turned to look at him. His face was red, his eyebrows pinched together, and I think if he had been standing anywhere near D-bag, he would have punched him. I loved him for that.

“You’re actually trying to tell me she made this up?” Mom was yelling now, too. “Come on, David. She would never do that.”

I wanted to hug her.

“Of course she would! Emory has never liked me. She’s lying to you, and you’re falling for it. That girl has you wrapped around her little finger and you don’t even see it!”

I shook my head. He was making this up as he went. I never had any reason to manipulate my mom. Why would I?

It was way too quiet for far too long.

“Get out,” Mom said calmly. “Get your things and get out of my house.”

“You’re siding with her?”

“Of course I’m siding with her.”

“Jennifer, please. Listen to me.”

“Get out. Now.”

“I’m not leaving.”

I felt Luke start to push past me, and I turned around and looked at him, silently begging him to stay put. I pointed at his side, reminding him about his stitches.