faces.
Behind her, someone shouted, ‘Hey, move it!’
She hurried down the aisle and slid into the nearest seat as she continued to look at the faces of the other riders. No sign of Madison, Ashley or Jessica. A slight edge of tension eroded away during the ride. It ratcheted up again when the bus reached her stop. What if they’re waiting for me here? she wondered.
She went down the steps to the sidewalk. The doors to the condominium building seemed so far away. She wanted to run inside and cower behind the security desk until she was sure no one was following her. Instead, she straightened her spine and took deliberate steps, shuddering with relief when she was inside. She scanned the lobby, waved at the security team behind the desk and pressed the up button for the elevator.
The ascent seemed eternal. The walk from the lift to her door seemed interminable. Finally, she was there. Her hands trembled as she struggled to get the key in the lock, missing every time she turned her gaze up or down the hall to make sure no one was creeping up behind her.
At last, she was inside. She pushed the door tightly closed. And then, she shoved on it once again. She threw the deadbolt and stood stock-still feeling the fear and anxiety drain from her body. Home, she thought. Home safe and sound. A nasty little voice in her head whispered, I bet Mom thought she was safe and sound in her home, too. She pressed her skull between her hands and breathed in deeply through her nose, held it in for a moment, then let it out slowly – just like her therapist taught her. She feared she would be haunted by her mother’s brutal death for the rest of her life.
Within two minutes, she felt the calm wash over her. But the day’s tension left its scar. She wanted a cup of coffee right now more than anything. She knew her dad had forbidden anything with caffeine after school but today simply had to be an exception. It could be worse, she thought, I could have an urge to hit the liquor cabinet.
She brewed a small pot, fixed a cup and went out on the balcony to await the arrival of Kara and Ruby. As she sipped, a new course of action percolated through her thoughts. Maybe it would be better if I checked out the model apartment first. Make sure that there was a real reason to raise the alarm. Maybe they knew I was in the stall the whole time and everything they said was one big joke. Maybe they wanted me to report what they claimed to have done but actually hadn’t to make me look silly and stupid and have me labeled as a crybaby tattletale. Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of her little sister and the sitter.
She listened to Kara scold her about the coffee. Charley insisted she was sorry when she really was simply annoyed. Kara still treated her like a stupid, little child. Ruby’s prattling had been annoying her of late but today she welcomed it, willingly giving her hand to her sister and allowing her to drag her away from Kara’s lecture.
Ruby was on non-stop chatterbox mode. Charley nodded her head and made non-committal responses as Ruby kept the virtual monologue going. It started to give Charley a headache but it beat listening to Kara’s admonishments. She was, she believed, far too old and far too mature to have to answer to any sitter. Ruby was a baby in need of supervision, she thought, but not me.
If I want coffee after school to help me get through my homework and studying, then I should be able to have it, she told herself. A tiny internal voice said, That’s not why you had coffee today. She suppressed that bit of truth and grew determined to confront her father about the caffeine restriction. After all, she was in middle school; she was no longer a baby.
Dinner was an unbearable ordeal where her dad kept asking what was on her mind and she kept insisting that nothing was. Finally, he gave up, telling her, ‘That’s never true, Charley, there’s always something on your mind. Just remember, when you’re
Behind her, someone shouted, ‘Hey, move it!’
She hurried down the aisle and slid into the nearest seat as she continued to look at the faces of the other riders. No sign of Madison, Ashley or Jessica. A slight edge of tension eroded away during the ride. It ratcheted up again when the bus reached her stop. What if they’re waiting for me here? she wondered.
She went down the steps to the sidewalk. The doors to the condominium building seemed so far away. She wanted to run inside and cower behind the security desk until she was sure no one was following her. Instead, she straightened her spine and took deliberate steps, shuddering with relief when she was inside. She scanned the lobby, waved at the security team behind the desk and pressed the up button for the elevator.
The ascent seemed eternal. The walk from the lift to her door seemed interminable. Finally, she was there. Her hands trembled as she struggled to get the key in the lock, missing every time she turned her gaze up or down the hall to make sure no one was creeping up behind her.
At last, she was inside. She pushed the door tightly closed. And then, she shoved on it once again. She threw the deadbolt and stood stock-still feeling the fear and anxiety drain from her body. Home, she thought. Home safe and sound. A nasty little voice in her head whispered, I bet Mom thought she was safe and sound in her home, too. She pressed her skull between her hands and breathed in deeply through her nose, held it in for a moment, then let it out slowly – just like her therapist taught her. She feared she would be haunted by her mother’s brutal death for the rest of her life.
Within two minutes, she felt the calm wash over her. But the day’s tension left its scar. She wanted a cup of coffee right now more than anything. She knew her dad had forbidden anything with caffeine after school but today simply had to be an exception. It could be worse, she thought, I could have an urge to hit the liquor cabinet.
She brewed a small pot, fixed a cup and went out on the balcony to await the arrival of Kara and Ruby. As she sipped, a new course of action percolated through her thoughts. Maybe it would be better if I checked out the model apartment first. Make sure that there was a real reason to raise the alarm. Maybe they knew I was in the stall the whole time and everything they said was one big joke. Maybe they wanted me to report what they claimed to have done but actually hadn’t to make me look silly and stupid and have me labeled as a crybaby tattletale. Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of her little sister and the sitter.
She listened to Kara scold her about the coffee. Charley insisted she was sorry when she really was simply annoyed. Kara still treated her like a stupid, little child. Ruby’s prattling had been annoying her of late but today she welcomed it, willingly giving her hand to her sister and allowing her to drag her away from Kara’s lecture.
Ruby was on non-stop chatterbox mode. Charley nodded her head and made non-committal responses as Ruby kept the virtual monologue going. It started to give Charley a headache but it beat listening to Kara’s admonishments. She was, she believed, far too old and far too mature to have to answer to any sitter. Ruby was a baby in need of supervision, she thought, but not me.
If I want coffee after school to help me get through my homework and studying, then I should be able to have it, she told herself. A tiny internal voice said, That’s not why you had coffee today. She suppressed that bit of truth and grew determined to confront her father about the caffeine restriction. After all, she was in middle school; she was no longer a baby.
Dinner was an unbearable ordeal where her dad kept asking what was on her mind and she kept insisting that nothing was. Finally, he gave up, telling her, ‘That’s never true, Charley, there’s always something on your mind. Just remember, when you’re
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