No, because I was her angel, her perfect child who’d never stepped wrong.
This was uncharted territory for the both of us.
“Carly, just listen,” Uncle Leo tried, stepping forward.
“No,” she clipped. “Meyah, get in the car.”
With all of the brothers there watching, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. I wanted to yell and scream, to tell her everything that I’d remembered today. The horse riding. The way my friends stopped hanging out with me when she stopped letting me go. The way it made me afraid to try new things just in case she tore that away, too. But the words were lost on my tongue, and I knew all they would see was a teenage girl throwing a tantrum and disrespecting her mom.
Instead, I lifted my chin even as tears dripped onto my cheeks and turned to face Uncle Leo. “I’m sorry,” I told him, trying to keep my voice firm. I moved my gaze to Optimus who was behind him watching silently. “I’m sorry if I caused any trouble.”
He nodded. “You know you’re always welcome here, girl.”
I cleared my throat. “Thank you.”
With that, I turned and walked with my head high to the end of the patio where Mom was waiting impatiently refusing to look at her as I swept past.
I’d been in trouble before. I’d made her angry before.
But I just had this feeling in my gut that this was more.
This was going to be the shitstorm from hell, and I was right in the middle of it.