young lady, and you will regret it.”
“What exactly can you do to make my life worse than it already is? Let me tell you: nothing. My life is already the worst it can possibly be, so don’t threaten me. You don’t scare me anymore. You want my life to suck? Congratulations. It does. I’m going to bed.”
“Don’t walk away from me when I am talking to you!”
“Do you realize how ridiculous you sound? You think I was trying to pull something? Yes, mother. Two months ago when I started mowing the lawn I decided to take an extra half hour out of my day to “pretend” that the lawn mower was broken so that now, two months later, I could meet some random kid across the street, and we could have an super-romantic trip to the hardware store. Not only that, but I paid his dad a hundred dollars from the allowance that I don’t get to also pretend that the lawnmower was broken. For someone who thinks I am worthless and stupid, you sure are giving me a lot of credit. So yes, I am going to go to bed, because it is in my room, where I am all of the time, from which I come up with these genius plans.”
She rushes up the stairs towards me with her hand in the air. I think for sure she is going to slap me, but she is too smart for that. One hit, and she knows I could be out of that house in a flash. She puts her hand down just as she gets to me. And we are nose to nose.
“You think you are so smart. Well, don’t think anything like this is going to happen again. You are grounded for another month.”
“Whatever.”
I keep walking up the stairs, close my door, and throw myself onto the bed. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see light flashing from outside of the window, so I get up and pad over to the window. I can see Chase writing something, and he holds up the pad of paper that says “PHONE?”
I am expecting my mom to come up and continue yelling at me, so I don’t know if taking out the phone is the best idea right now. However, I want to talk to him, so I take it out anyway and sit back in the window.
Tenley: Sorry, my phone is still hidden in my room. Need to be quick. She could come in any second.
Chase: Are you ok?
Tenley: I am. I am just going to go to bed.
Chase: It’s 3 in the afternoon?
Tenley: Better than sitting here feeling sorry for myself.
Chase: I am going to fix this for you. I don’t know how yet, but I promise you, I will fix it.
Tenley: Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
Chase: I never do. Come to your window.
I walk over to the window, and he holds up his pinky.
Chase: Hold up your pinky.
I hold it up.
Chase: I just pinky promised you. I never break a pinky promise.
I can’t help but smile.
Tenley: ‘Night.
Chase: Sleep well, pretty girl.
I sit in the window for a while, just watching Chase’s house. He and his dad play football in the yard for a while, and at one point, he looks up at me in the window and winks. I don’t have any idea what that means, and even though I know better than to get excited, my heart feels like something big is about to happen.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Chase
T he feeling that I need to give her space is overwhelmed by my need to be there for her, and when I reach out to hold her hand, she lets me take it. Although she still won’t look at me, I still feel like we are connected and that I am doing what I can in this moment to show her that I’m not going anywhere. The problem is that I know that I cannot convey that by simply holding her hand.
When we pull into her driveway, I can’t stay silent anymore.
“You will be okay. I will protect you. No matter what.” I say it with as much conviction as I can muster.
“I wish I could believe that,” she says sadly as she steps out of the car.
Letting her walk into the house alone is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I know that her mom is probably going to be pissed that she got out of the house, but I don’t know what else I can do at this point.
When I get home, my dad is sitting
“What exactly can you do to make my life worse than it already is? Let me tell you: nothing. My life is already the worst it can possibly be, so don’t threaten me. You don’t scare me anymore. You want my life to suck? Congratulations. It does. I’m going to bed.”
“Don’t walk away from me when I am talking to you!”
“Do you realize how ridiculous you sound? You think I was trying to pull something? Yes, mother. Two months ago when I started mowing the lawn I decided to take an extra half hour out of my day to “pretend” that the lawn mower was broken so that now, two months later, I could meet some random kid across the street, and we could have an super-romantic trip to the hardware store. Not only that, but I paid his dad a hundred dollars from the allowance that I don’t get to also pretend that the lawnmower was broken. For someone who thinks I am worthless and stupid, you sure are giving me a lot of credit. So yes, I am going to go to bed, because it is in my room, where I am all of the time, from which I come up with these genius plans.”
She rushes up the stairs towards me with her hand in the air. I think for sure she is going to slap me, but she is too smart for that. One hit, and she knows I could be out of that house in a flash. She puts her hand down just as she gets to me. And we are nose to nose.
“You think you are so smart. Well, don’t think anything like this is going to happen again. You are grounded for another month.”
“Whatever.”
I keep walking up the stairs, close my door, and throw myself onto the bed. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see light flashing from outside of the window, so I get up and pad over to the window. I can see Chase writing something, and he holds up the pad of paper that says “PHONE?”
I am expecting my mom to come up and continue yelling at me, so I don’t know if taking out the phone is the best idea right now. However, I want to talk to him, so I take it out anyway and sit back in the window.
Tenley: Sorry, my phone is still hidden in my room. Need to be quick. She could come in any second.
Chase: Are you ok?
Tenley: I am. I am just going to go to bed.
Chase: It’s 3 in the afternoon?
Tenley: Better than sitting here feeling sorry for myself.
Chase: I am going to fix this for you. I don’t know how yet, but I promise you, I will fix it.
Tenley: Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
Chase: I never do. Come to your window.
I walk over to the window, and he holds up his pinky.
Chase: Hold up your pinky.
I hold it up.
Chase: I just pinky promised you. I never break a pinky promise.
I can’t help but smile.
Tenley: ‘Night.
Chase: Sleep well, pretty girl.
I sit in the window for a while, just watching Chase’s house. He and his dad play football in the yard for a while, and at one point, he looks up at me in the window and winks. I don’t have any idea what that means, and even though I know better than to get excited, my heart feels like something big is about to happen.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Chase
T he feeling that I need to give her space is overwhelmed by my need to be there for her, and when I reach out to hold her hand, she lets me take it. Although she still won’t look at me, I still feel like we are connected and that I am doing what I can in this moment to show her that I’m not going anywhere. The problem is that I know that I cannot convey that by simply holding her hand.
When we pull into her driveway, I can’t stay silent anymore.
“You will be okay. I will protect you. No matter what.” I say it with as much conviction as I can muster.
“I wish I could believe that,” she says sadly as she steps out of the car.
Letting her walk into the house alone is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I know that her mom is probably going to be pissed that she got out of the house, but I don’t know what else I can do at this point.
When I get home, my dad is sitting
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