Summer Relations

Chapter 13

After dinner the next day, I'm helping with dishes when the doorbell rings.

Spencer kisses my cheek and walks to the door. He opens it and sighs. "You shouldn't be here." He says.

The person says something. S

pencer whispers to them and then his parents argue quietly with them.

I look out the window.

My eyes rest on a car; Mom's car.

Last night, I was fed up.

I let them take me away from my parents.

Mom is more fit of a parent for me than anyone and I've missed living with her. I shut the water off and dry my hands on my jeans, and then come up behind Spencer.

He moves to the side.

It's just Mom; not Dad. Her eyes rest on me and she looks like she's going to cry. "Please, just let me talk to my daughter."

Everyone looks at me. "It's up to you." Mrs. Key says.

Spencer looks at me. When we make eye contact, I know he's begging me, pleading really, for me to not go.

"She won't hurt me." I step outside. "I'll be back by ten, okay?" Everyone nods.

Spencer gives me one last look before he shuts the door.

Mom walks to the car. I follow her.

I can feel their eyes on me from the kitchen. "Go get Spencer." Mom sighs. "Have him come. I need to tell you something and you aren't going to take it well. You need him."

I hesitate. "I kinda want it to be just me and you."

"Okay. I'm telling you here then."

I nod. We stand in sight of the window.

Mom takes my hands.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news." She says. "Last night, your father got fed up that we couldn't have you. We went to bed. When I woke up, he wasn't near me. When I went downstairs, he was in the kitchen." Tears start to slide down her cheeks. "He had a knife in his chest. He killed himself."

"How do you know? He could've been murdered." I whisper, tears welling in my eyes.

"His fingerprints were the only ones on the knife."

I can't breathe.

My face screws up.

My knees give out and I sit down on the ground.

Mom sits in front of me and pulls me into her arms. I just break. Tears bullet down my cheeks like rain on a windshield. Mom let's me sob on her shoulder.

I didn't even get to know him!

"What did you say to her?" I hear Spencer demand. "Let go!"

Mom releases me. I stand up.

"She told me my Dad is dead, Spencer! Stop treating her like shit! She's my mother, not a monster!" He opens his mouth to say something, but I shake my head. "No. I'm going with my Mom. I want to go. Can we go?" Mom nods.

She doesn't ask for permission.

Spencer looks like he's having a mental war. His parents are outside, too.

I leave with Mom.

****

It took me almost a month to get be able to get out of bed. I refused to have any visitors and I threw my phone in the swimming pool because everyone, especially Spencer, kept calling me. Finally, I texted him and said I love you but goodbye and then I tossed it in the pool and crawled back into bed. Mom and I moved in with Uncle Albert, but he moved.