Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 135378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
I shake my head, annoyed, but I know it’s not fair. Mom doesn’t know what led to that “falling out.” I never told her. I never told anyone until Silvan asked about it last night.
It doesn’t matter. What matters is that Mom is so relentless that, in the end, I always end up trying to prove myself to her.
But I’m done.
After last night, there’s no way I’m putting myself in another situation like that just for it to turn out the same way again.
“You know I just want you to be happy, honey,” Mom says softly, ratcheting up the guilt roiling in my stomach.
I am happy.
My lips part to let out the lie, but I shut my mouth before a sound escapes.
Maybe I’m not the happiest right now, but I will be someday.
I want to make her feel better, so even though I’m hesitant to talk about the party and especially Silvan, I turn around to face her as I wait for my coffee to cool enough to sip it. “There was one thing that was kind of cool, I guess.”
Mom perks right up. “Yeah?”
I nod. “The guy who threw the party lives in this big mansion and has a trust fund, so I imagine his family is stupid rich.”
“Sure.”
“So he had a whole escape room built inside his house for party guests to go through.”
“No way,” she says, her eyes sparkling with pleasure. “Well, that sounds like fun.”
I nod even though it makes my stomach ache. “He was dressed up as a Viking. You know the guy in The Last Kingdom?”
“Uh, yeah. He was my phone wallpaper for a solid month last year when I went through that dry spell.”
I crack a smile and nod. “Well, he was dressed up kinda like him.”
“Nice. He must be a fan. We still have to watch the last season. You should see if he wants to come over, and he could watch it with us!”
My smile falls. “Oh. No. Definitely not.”
Mom glances around our small house, then says, “I suppose you’re right. If he lives in a mansion, he probably wouldn’t be impressed with our digs.”
“That’s not why,” I assure her quickly, shaking my head. “Anyway, the escape room was Viking themed, too. That was pretty neat.”
“What’s his name?”
I don’t want to tell her, but I guess that would be weird. “Silvan.”
“Did he seem nice?”
“No,” I answer honestly.
Mom laughs at the deadpan way I say it, probably thinking I’m joking. “Rich guys are weird.”
“He was definitely weird.” Bringing my mug to my lips, I test the temperature, then take a careful sip. “Anyway, I did give the party a chance, but I don’t think I’ll have much time to do stuff like that this year. The workload for my classes is a lot, and I want to get a job.”
“You should at least make time for a couple of friends.”
“We’ll see,” I say, just trying to placate her.
___
Come evening, I’m so deep in my books that I don’t even notice when the doorbell rings. I know Mom’s home from grocery shopping, so I know she’ll answer it.
I figure it’s for her anyway. The door is always for her. It’s probably some guy here to pick her up for a date she forgot to tell me about.
I usually enjoy having the house to myself for the evening, but tonight, I don’t relish the thought of being home alone. The sun will set soon, and once it’s gone, I might start imagining monsters in the dark again.
The human kind.
Those are the only ones I’m afraid of.
“Sophie,” Mom calls out.
“Yeah?” I call back.
“It’s for you.”
What’s for me?
I almost ask, but then I realize she obviously means the door.
What?
That’s no less confusing. I don’t have a single friend in this town, and if I did, they’d be text-only friends, people I see in class or around campus, definitely not people who would show up unannounced at my mom’s house.
A sick feeling hits my gut, but the thought is too depraved. There’s no way.
Slowly, I slide my page of notes between the pages of my textbook and close it so I don’t lose my place.
He’s not here, I tell myself.
There’s no way he’s here. How would he even know where I live? Where would he get the audacity to show up on my doorstep after last night?
I know it’s not him. I know it can’t be.
I still half expect to see him when I round the corner and see the front door cracked open, Mom standing there chatting with whoever is on the other side.
I try to gauge who it could be by her posture and smile, but Mom is so friendly. Just because she’s visiting with them doesn’t mean she knows them. She gets chatty with the pizza delivery guy, and I have to drag her away before our food gets cold.