Mom pushes to her feet. “I always do this to her? You always do this to me. You’re always putting words in my mouth so you’re her savior and I’m the witch. I
only meant that she wouldn’t keep a boy from me. That’s something a daughter shares with her mom.”
I don’t even have it in me to feel guilty. I can’t believe she thinks I would share it with her. We never talk about anything that matters.
“So you think she’d be on drugs before she might keep something from you? Hell, Paulette, all she did is lie about where she was. All teenagers do it.”
Back and forth they yell about me. Fight about me. They think they know who I am. What I do. What’s best for me. Their voices are an echo, a muffled echo
beating against my brain until I can’t take it anymore. I’m pushing to my feet. My chair falls backward on the floor. “Enough! I can’t do this! Stop fighting about me like I’m not here!”
It hurts to breathe, to talk, but I keep going. “I joined a gym and got a trainer because I’m tired of being fat. He’s the only person who lets me be me. Who isn’t telling me what I need to do, offering me makeovers, defending me, or trying to fix me—which is funny since he started out as my trainer. But it has always been
about what I want and now he’s my boyfriend and that’s who I’m with every day. And I lied so I could avoid this!”
The room is dead quiet. As always Mom looks perfect, regal in her royal room. She’s almost too calm. Me? I’m a live-wire, thrashing around because I’m not sure
I did the right thing. Not sure I should have told them anything.
There’s a long silence before Dad speaks. “Wow… I’m…I’m in shock here.” He shakes his head, confused, “I’m sorry if you feel like we expect certain things of
you, Pumpkin. You’re mother and I might not always show it in the right way, but we love you. Isn’t that right, Paulette?” As always, it’s Dad who understands. Dad who gets it.
Mom doesn’t. “I want to meet him. Invite him to dinner, Annabel.”
Nausea churns in my stomach. I don’t want Tegan to meet her. I don’t want him to see me through her eyes. “Why?”
“You say this boy is a trainer? At the gym?”
Oh. Now, I get it. She doesn’t think I’m good enough for him. What would a boy who likes to work out want with me? It hurts so much, all of it that I can’t hold
it back any longer. “So you haven’t even seen him and he’s too good for me? Just like the pageant was too good for me too? What if I wanted to do it, Mom?” I’m not yelling because I don’t have it in me. I just really want to know. I need to know.
She sighs. “Annabel, I never said he’s too good for you and the pageant… You wouldn’t have wanted to do it anyway.”
“What is she talking about, Paulette?” Dad interrupts.
“They had an open space and asked if Annabel would like to participate. I know our daughter, so I told them no. End of story.”
I try to talk past the shake of my chin. “You lied and told them I wasn’t available. You thought it would embarrass me? Why would it embarrass me if it’s not
because I’m not pretty enough? If I’m not skinny or perfect enough?”
“Oh, Pumpkin. You’re beautiful. You have to know that. Both your mother and I think so.”
Mom looks from Dad, to me. “Of course, I’m the bad guy again. You’re completely twisting what I said, Annabel. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a phone call
to make.”
Without another word, she walks out of the room and I’m on the floor in a heap, tears finally falling from my eyes. Dad’s arms come around me, trying to comfort
me, but it makes me cry more. I start mumbling. I don’t get why she hates me. Why she’ll never love me. All I want is to be enough for her.
“Shh, pumpkin. Your mom doesn’t hate you and you are enough. Don’t you ever think otherwise.”
I hadn’t realized I spoke out loud. With the heel of my hand, I try and wipe my tears away, but more keep falling.
“She doesn’t know how to express herself very well. She just shuts down, but that’s not your fault. It’s something she needs to work on, but none of this is your fault. I’m damn proud of you, kiddo, and she is too. I’ll talk to her. I’ll fix it.”
For the first time, I realize he doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand me. My poor dad doesn’t understand her either.
I pull away, shoving the tears aside. “Daddy, I love you so much, but I don’t want you to fix it. Don’t you see? You’re always trying to make things easier on me and as much as I appreciate it, I have to do it for myself.”
Dad frowns, and I notice the wrinkles around his mouth for the first time. “Do I do that? Make you feel inferior? That’s never been my intention.”
As much as it kills me to hurt him, I have to be honest. He might be the only person in this world beside Tegan that I feel comfortable enough to be honest with
right now. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I know you didn’t mean it.”
I’m shocked with the intensity of his hug as he pulls me close to him. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I love you and I believe in you and I hope you know I never wanted to make you feel like I didn’t think you could take care of yourself. I’m not sure if you realize it, but I think you can do just about anything in this world, Annabel.”
Then I’m squeezing him just as tight as he’s squeezing me. Eventually I’m going to have to stand up to Mom, talk to Em, but right now, all that matters is Dad and me. I’ve crossed my milestone and there’s no one else I’d rather have holding me at the finish line.
“Your mom… she’s built differently than we are emotionally, but I promise, she does love you.”
I nod pretending I believe him. He needs me to believe him because he loves us both.
“But I do agree with your mother on one thing. I want to meet the boy who’s special enough to catch your attention.”
Chapter Eighteen
FIGHTING WITH WORDS HURTS MORE THAN FISTS
Talking to Em will be much easier than talking to Mom. At least that’s what I tell myself when I text her that we need to talk. She replies right away and I arrange to pick her up.
“Hey,” she mumbles when she climbs into my car. The slight catch in that one little word tells me how hurt she is. How left behind she feels because she knows
something is up. That I’ve been doing something without her while using her for an excuse. The word ‘hey’ vibrates through me, causing little waves of guilt to ripple inside.
She doesn’t ask where we’re going and I don’t offer. I know Em and right now, she’s not up for small talk. Or maybe I’m just being all cowardly lion because I’m
honestly freaked out to talk to her. What if she doesn’t understand? What if I’ve ruined the friendship that has saved me so many times because I’ve turned into a liar?
A shudder rips through me because if it happens, I probably deserve it. Em doesn’t need many people in her life, but I know she needs me. By cutting her out of this, she’s going to think I don’t need her in the same way.
Instead of bringing her to our spot, I bring her to mine and Tegan’s jogging place. I know he’s at work, so he won’t be here and I don’t want to risk another ‘near Billy experience’ like we had at the pond last time. Without a word she gets out of the car. I follow, walking to the little hideaway Tegan and I found.
“So? What’s up? I’ve been downgraded from BFF to your excuse to go hang out with whoever you hang out with now?” Her hood is up and she’s facing away
from me, sitting on top of a picnic table.
My heart is going crazy the way it did on those first runs with Tegan, but for a totally different reason. “You’ll always be my best friend, Em.” I sit beside her. “I just… I know it sounds stupid and probably makes no sense, but I just needed to keep this to myself for a while. I needed to navigate it on my own without anyone else telling me what to do.”