The sudden blaring of a car horn outside the trailer makes me jump before I spin around to look out the still-open door. A car much nicer than any I’ve ever seen around here is sitting out there, and a moment later, the door opens, and a familiar head pops out. “You’re earlier than I expected! I was going to meet you at the bus station, but you were already gone.”
“Mom?” I whisper. It’s her, but it’s not her. I mean, she’s driving a Mercedes, for one thing, and she looks great. Like she just had her hair done, and she’s dressed in clothes much nicer than the jeans and T-shirts I’m used to seeing her in.
“What happened?” I blurt out as she gets out of the car. “Where is everything?”
She reaches me and gives me a brief hug, which is still better than what I expected. Mom has never been big on displaying affection. “Why don’t we get in the car, and I’ll tell you about everything along the way?”
“Along the way, where?”
Just like that, her beaming smile slips, and now I’m looking at a woman who reminds me more of my mother. “Honestly, Leni. Why do you have to make everything so difficult? I’m your mother. Do you think I would take you anywhere dangerous?” She laughs like it’s actually funny, like she would never do anything like that. And it’s not that she’s ever hurt me, exactly, but she’s also never gone too far out of her way to protect me.
I get in the car like she asks and look once more at the trailer. It looks so sad and empty now. Not that it ever looked that great before. “Is all my stuff gone, too?”
She clicks her tongue, impatient. “Yes, dear, the whole place is emptied out.” She quickly returns to her chipper attitude, smiling from ear to ear. “It has been a very big couple of weeks. I would have called you at your grandmother’s, but I wanted it to be a surprise.”
She succeeded. “So what’s the big surprise? What happened? Did you win the lottery?”
“In a way, yes. I hit the jackpot.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, I fell in love! I met the man of my dreams, and we’re getting married next week.”
If she crashed the car right now, I wouldn’t be more surprised. “You’re what?” It’s not April Fool’s Day, is it?
“Is it so surprising a man could fall in love with me?” she chirps, giggling. “Yes, we’re in love. I know it’s all happened so fast, but like they say, when you know…” She gives another little giggle. “He is the most incredible man. Kind, generous, funny, intelligent. And all he wants, Leni, is to take care of us. This is the end of all of our struggles and concerns. We’re finally going to live the life we both deserve.”
I’m still stuck. I can’t piece any of this together in my head. “So where are we going?”
“To his house—our house, now.”
“We’ve moved in with him?”
“Well, silly, what did you think? Yes, naturally, we’re moving in with him. Actually, I already have. It was only a matter of waiting for you. Now, everything is complete. We’ll be a family together.”
Maybe I fell asleep on the bus and haven’t woken up yet. I actually pinch myself just in case that’s true, but no, I’m awake. And more confused than I can remember being in a long time.
“I know it’s cliché, falling for your boss,” she continues, oblivious to my shock. “But there was no stopping it. The second we set eyes on each other, it’s like it was meant to be. Destiny.”
“So this is your boss? At the new law firm you started at?” She was only there a few days before I left for my trip.
“Yes. I can’t wait for you to see the house! It’s a mansion. James is so looking forward to having you there, too. He’s been so excited all day. He even wanted to pick you up, but I thought it would be better if I did since this is all such a big surprise. You deserved to hear all about it from me.”
“What’s his last name again? James what?”
“James Alistair.”
Alistair. Fuck no.
I’m going to be sick. As if the rest of this wasn’t bad enough.
I no longer see the scenery we pass as Mom drives us to our new home, babbling the whole way. I see the hallway back at school, back before everything fell apart. Back when I was still in training a few years ago. When I had a whole bright, shining future ahead of me.
I could walk through the halls with my head held high as people greeted me, waving and saying hi as I passed. I was popular. I had friends. People wanted to be near me, the local celebrity on her way to the Olympics. I never saw myself that way. I wasn’t anybody special. If anything, I used to wonder if all those people who wanted to be my friend would lose a little bit of their excitement if they saw how grim and tough life as an aspiring Olympic gymnast could be. I didn’t have much room for fun or parties, or all the other things kids were into. But it was nice, feeling their approval as I walked to my locker and looked forward to chatting with my best friend before class.
Until somebody slammed into me from behind hard enough to knock me against a row of lockers. “Whoops,” a male voice said, nasty and cold. I barely had time to shake off my surprise before being jostled again by a second person.
“Stuck-up bitch.” Colt Alistair sneered at me while his brother laughed. Nix was already on his way down the hall, snickering over his shoulder. But Colt continued staring at me, almost like he was challenging me to fight back. I was too stunned and confused to offer anything but a puzzled stare.