Running From You

Chapter 37

NORA

After Tyler parks the car in the garage, I steer Mads upstairs and to her room while Tyler makes himself comfortable in mine. 

I sit on Mads' bed while she goes to her bathroom to get ready for the night. When she finally comes back dressed in her cute monkey pajamas, I pat the spot beside me.

"You doing okay?" I ask, examining her face. While she's managed to wash away the smudged mascara, her eyes are still red and puffy from crying.

She looks at the floor and shrugs.

"Come here," I snake my arm around her side and pull her to my side. She rests her head on my shoulder, just like in the car. I start soothingly stroking her hair with my free hand.

"I remember you doing that when I was a kid," her voice is still hoarse but I can hear a smile in it.

"Doing what?"

"Stroking my hair whenever I was upset," she says. "I used to always come to you if I scraped my knee or had a fight with a friend, or just anytime I was feeling like crap."

"I remember." Dad was never really the comforting type and mom, well, mom did okay if she was home.

"You have always been the one constant in my life," she seems to be reading my mind. "I don't know what I would've done without you. You've taken care of me all this time, half the time doing mom and dad's job for them.

"I..." I don't know what to say. She's right, but it feels odd hearing her acknowledge it.

"And when dad left..." her voice catches and I squeeze my eyes shut at the raw pain in it. "I was devastated. I was just a kid and I felt like my world was falling apart, and mom was no better. She really let the ball drop after that and you picked up the slack. You really carried us through it all and I don't think I ever really realized it before," she looks up with such intense gratitude and admiration in her eyes that my throat closes.

"I just did what I had to," I look away before I start crying. To be truthful, the year after our parents' divorce was probably the hardest time of my life. Mom was a crying mess most of the time, gone the rest, and Mads was sad and relying on me since mom was pretty much useless. So I was basically taking care of the two of them as well as the house, while I was keeping up my GPA and running, not to mention missing Tyler. It was an exhausting time, for sure.

"No," she squeezes my hand. "You did more. You went above and beyond, and still do. And I haven't really appreciated you lately," she cringes. "But if anything, tonight has shown me who my real family is," she smiles up at me through her teary eyes. "I love you, and I'm so sorry I've been such an ass."

I shake my head at her. "You haven't."

She levels me with a look and I can't help but let out a small laugh. "Okay, maybe a little. But you had your reasons. And I love you, too. Now," I clear my throat, trying to keep myself together, "time for bed. Sister's orders."

"Yes, ma'am," she salutes and climbs under the covers while grinning.

I tuck her in. "You up for school tomorrow?"

She considers it for a moment. "Yeah. If I stay home, I'm just going mope around, so sticking to routine and seeing Hunter and Elliot might just help."

"Okay, then," I smile proudly. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she yawns and I walk across the room and turn off the light. I close the door behind me and cross the landing to my room, where Tyler has made himself comfortable on my bed.