I should go back to the women’s shelter, but that would be the first place Ryder would look for me. Here is probably the second, which means I can’t stay long. Just long enough to tell them the truth and tell them how sorry I am.
Walking up to the house feels like I’ve stepped back in time… a better time. Everything looks the same, my dad keeps the grass cut, and my mom keeps the flowers blooming. There is a wind chime hanging from the front porch, the gentle sound calming my nerves slightly.
Standing in front of the door, it takes me a few minutes to gather my courage to knock. When I finally raise my hand and let my knuckles rap over the heavy wood, my heart is slamming furiously against my ribcage.
Fighting the urge to run, I force myself to stand still and wait.
A moment later, I hear footsteps approaching, and the door swings open. All I can do is stand there, frozen in time as I hold my breath.
My mom stares at me, her eyes impossibly wide as if she can’t believe I’m really here.
“Oh, Penny,” she finally says, taking a step toward me. She wraps her arms around me and pulls me into her in a way that only a mother could. “We were so worried about you. We thought…”
“I’m so sorry,” I murmur into her hair, and she hugs me even tighter.
“Don’t be sorry, honey. I’m just so glad to see you.” She pulls away, tears glistening in her eyes now. She cradles my face between both of her hands, rubbing my cheeks with her thumbs. “We missed you so much, Penny.”
“I missed you too.” More than I can explain.
“Now, come on in and tell me what happened.” She pulls me into the house and shuts the door behind me. Leading me into the kitchen, she pulls out a chair for me. “Sit down, I’ll make you some hot chocolate.”
I take a seat and watch her getting out a cup.
“Ryder didn’t start the fight,” I blurt out.
My mom stops dead in her tracks. She turns and looks at me, confused. “But you said he did.”
“I know. It was a lie. Ryder was protecting me from Tommy that day. He was just trying to help, and I lied to get rid of him. It was all my fault.”
“Penny…” My mom sits the cup back down and crosses the room. Sitting down next to me, she takes my hand into hers. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I was stupid, jealous, and desperate for someone to like me. When you started fostering Ryder, I felt like he was taking you away from me. It was dumb and immature. But at the time, I just wanted him gone. And then the fight happened, and Ryder got in trouble. Everyone blamed him, and then the next day, the police came to the school asking questions, and I lied.”
I’ve never been so ashamed in my life. I can’t even look at my mother while I confess this. I hurt someone, really hurt him, changed his life because of my selfishness.
“I don’t know what to say, Penny.”
“There is nothing to say. I did that, and I deserved everything that happened to me after.”
“Don’t say that. We all make mistakes. What I don’t understand is why you stayed with Tommy. Why did you let him treat you like that? Why didn’t you just tell us the truth?”
“Right after I talked to the police, I felt so guilty. I was going to tell them, tell you, but then Tommy caught me on my way home. He started talking to me, being very nice and charming. He told me that he always liked me and that I did the right thing, and we could now be together. He started walking me to school every morning, picking me up every afternoon, bringing me presents. I believed it all, fell for his lies. I thought he actually loved me.”
“Tommy is an expert manipulator. He had us fooled too. It took us a while to figure out he was trying to get you away from us, and when we figured it out, it was already too late. He had you wrapped up in his web, and we didn’t think we’d ever get you back. Then he came looking for you here, about two months ago. We were so worried.”
“That’s when I got away. I wanted to come here, but I was scared that he would find me and that you wouldn’t want me back.”
My mom squeezes my hand gently in response. “We always want you here. This is your home, no matter how old you are. Your dad will be home from work soon, and then we can get you situated in your old room.”
“Mom, I can’t stay long. I should probably go soon.”
“Penny, if you think I’m going to let you walk out of that door after not seeing you for so long, you are very, very wrong.”
“But–”
“No, buts.” she holds up her finger, “You are staying, and that’s the end of it.”
“Okay,” I finally agree. It’s not like I have anywhere else to go.
Now, I can only hope that Ryder is not going to come looking for me. Hopefully, I won’t be worth the trouble.