𝙇 𝙄 𝘽 𝙀 𝙍 𝘼𝙏 𝙀 𝘿

38 L I B E R A T E D 38

38 V 38

"Hey, you want anything to eat?" I asked Liberty.

She was laid out on the air mattress I had to pull down from the attic. Liberty now occupied the other side of my room, but that wouldn't last for long. I was disappointed but relieved at the same time. She wasn't that good at keeping up after herself and it's not like we could do anything with my mother forcing me to keep the door wide open.

It's like when they take the doors off the school bathrooms and you can't smoke anymore.

Like, why?

"No. I'm good," she rolled over, her phone in her hands as she held it above her face. "Watch that hoe fall down on yo face," I snickered. "If it do ima come over there and-

"Liberty, do you want any casserole leftovers?" my mother asked, peeking her head into my room.

"No thanks," Liberty chirped from the bed.

I rolled my eyes at her innocent act. "I want some though," I told my mother.

"I'm talking to my one and only daughter," my mother scoffed, then gave me a smirk, "And you know you had some for breakfast. You not the only one in this house who likes to eat, Von."

"Waaah," I fake pouted.

"Your baby days are over," my mother rolled her eyes. "She's still a baby stud," Liberty pointed out.

"Hey," I cried out, seeing the two of them ganging up on me. "What happened to y'all loving me?"

"Tough love," Liberty said from the bed, playing some worm number game on her phone.

"Tough love," my mother echoed, laughing at my expression.

Once she left, I looked over at Liberty again.

"Whore."

"Slut," she shot back, laughing.

"Language!" my mother called out from downstairs.

"Does your mother know," Liberty looked at the open doorway, then got out of bed. She came over to mine, and crawled into my lap, "about the whole Beatrix thing." Sometimes it annoyed me when she brought it up because I was trying to leave that whole event in my past- I knew that I was a different person. But then I had to realize that Liberty just wanted to know more about me, that she was looking out for herself even though I try to assure her that she doesn't have to.

Beatrix can't leave the pain that I left her with in her past, but I can. That's unfair too. We both should heal. She has to live with knowing that for the rest of her life, while I have the luxury of forgetting.

"I never told her. I guess...I didn't want her to be ashamed of me. I didn't want my perfect daughter facade to crack and for her to see what a monster I was at that time. Maybe one day I'll open up to her about it," I told Liberty.

"I hope you do. It might help you in the long run. Have you talked to Beatrix at all since the cafeteria incident?"

"I haven't. I didn't really think it would be appealing to you if I was talking to my ex," I chuckled, "but maybe her and I could meet up. I could apologize. I could grow from what I did."

"I think that would be one of the best things for you two, unless she's already moving along in her life. In that case, I wouldn't bother her," she advised.

"You're right," I sighed.

"I know," Liberty told me, a little smile on her face.

She grabbed my hand and trailed it down her body. It was covered in goosebumps, as I felt something stir in my lower regions. "Can we do that thing...that thing you taught me in your mother's car?" she mumbled.

If I had a dick, I'd be hard as hell right now.

"Sure. Once my mom leaves. She's going over to your place to help your mom with the final floor plans."

"Does your mom know about my problem?"

I blushed guiltily, "I kind of had to tell her so that she'd let you stay here. She was just really firm with me about leaving you alone in the house and leaving valuable stuff out."

A look of exhaustion seemed to cross her face.

"Everybody thinks I'm going to steal from them. I know it's justified, but it still hurts. I wonder when everybody will stop holding my problems over my head. Will I be 40, 50, 60 with people still scared to leave stuff out around me?" Her eyes watered up as she buried her head into my chest.

I didn't know what to say to make anything better, so I resorted to listening, rubbing her back as she poured out her heart.