'Til We Meet Again Book 2

Chapter 60

The second day of 2001, I'm on the phone with my mom to check up on her, and have a conversation with her since I haven't done that in a while. There is a question I need to ask her because for my peace of mind I have to know what happened the day after I left Michigan. I need to know if my dad came to the house and looked for me and Kristy but she clams up when I ask her, instead of talking this out over the phone, it's better for me to talk about this with her in person.

I hang up the phone and place it on the coffee table. I get up and walk to Marshalls home studio, I open the door and find Marshall recording his verse for Fight Music. I wait for him to finish up so I can tell him I'm going to my moms. He steps out the booth "Hey baby, what do you think of my verse?" He asks me as he walks over to me "I love it" Marshall pecks my lips "I'm going to my moms for a couple hours" I tell Marshall "Be safe, tell your mom I said hi" Marshall smiles at me "Sure will" I smile at him and leave his studio. I throw my coat on, shoes and grab my purse with all my belongings inside. I head to my car and drive off to my moms place, she still lives in the same house Kristy and I lived with her when dad got arrested.

I make it to her house and step out of my car. I can't believe I'm gonna ask her but I need to know. I knock on her door and wait for her to open up, I hear footsteps grow closer to the door "I'm coming" I hear her say. The door swings open "Hey sweetie" Mom gives me a hug "Hey" I smile as I hug her, we pull away "Come on in" She steps aside and I enter "Do you want something to eat or drink?" She asks me as she closes the door behind her "No I'm okay" I look around the living room and it still looks the same except for the furniture, seems like she brought new ones "So what brings you here?" She asks me as she walks over to me "I can't believe I'm about to ask you this and I wish I wouldn't hav-" She cuts me "Is this about Jared?" My mom asks me "Yes I have to know what happened" My mom shakes her head "You don't need to know since nothing happened" She clams up again "Something did happen" I glare at her "I know you well enough to know that you're lying to me right now" I raise my voice at her

"Amanda, I can't tell you" She raises her voice at me "Why not?" I ask her yelling "Because Brian made me promise not to tell you if you ever came back to Michigan" She yells "Brian is dead" I yell "You're honoring his promise but keeping the truth from me" I look at her in disbelief "It's not as simple, Amanda" She sighs "I thought you changed after I left, after Brian died and after Ian died but you haven't" I can't believe her "you are still the same selfish woman I knew when I was 15 years old" I walk away "My mistake for coming here" I approach the door "Amanda wait" My mom grabs my wrist, I yank my wrist from her grip "No more excuses and don't be coy, I just need the truth" I glare at her "You need to sit down for this" My mom sighs.

I sit down on her sofa and she sits next to me "I hadn't known you left, that morning your dad somehow found where Brian and I lived and he came to the house. Brian knew Jared was a bad man for everything he put us through so he didn't let him in the house without security so if he tried something he would be stopped immediately. He came to the house with a loaded pistol and aimed it at me, Brian and our security were trying to get him to put his pistol down but Jared didn't listen he only wanted to see you and Kristy, he had wanted to take you both back to his house and said he wasn't gonna leave until he got you both in his car. Brian stayed in the living room with Jared pointing the gun at him as I went to both of your rooms and find you guys weren't sleeping, it was 10:30 in the morning. I started panicking and grabbed my phone, I called you a few times but no answer then I called Marshall cause I thought you and Kristy snuck out to go see him and Nathan but he didn't know where you were either. My last call was to Shanice and she hadn't known where you were as well, Ian wasn't even home" She stops to catch her breath

"I made it back to the living room and he asked me where you both were, I told him that you guys weren't in your rooms so he took it upon himself to search the house since he didn't believe me. He was furious when he didn't find you and Kristy, Jared thought I was hiding you guys so he came back to the living room and before he could shoot me, the guard apprehended him and he was detained with handcuffs til the police showed up and he was arrested. He served three years behind bars and is now serving 20 years for attempted murder" That is a lot to digest "Wow" I'm loss for words "I didn't mean to spring it on you but you asked" My mom says as she hunches over, I place my hand on her back and I rub it "Where is he being held at?" I ask her and she tells me "I'll see you later" I get up and before she can say anything I leave her house.

I go to the prison and exit my car. This place is giving me the creeps, I enter inside and approach the guard "Name?" The guard asks me as he takes off the lid of his pen and places the ballpoint on the clipboard "Amanda Vanderwall" He writes down my name "Age?" He asks me "25" I tell him and he nods "ID?" I give him my ID and he examines it, he passes it back to me "What is the reason for your visit?" He looks at me with his green eyes and asks "I'm here to see Jared Vance" I used to be Amanda Vance but my mom helped me legally change my last name to Amanda Vanderwall when I was 14 years old, that's my mom's last name "What is your relationship to Mr. Vance?" He asks me "He's my father" I tell him and he nods "Come with me to the visiting room, I'll get your father" He guides me to the visiting room and I see convicts sitting opposite their friends and family, chatting away.

I take a seat on this white round table and I wait patiently to see my dad. After, what seemed like forever, I see my dad in an orange jumpsuit with handcuffs being escorted by the guard. I see him make eye contact with me as his handcuffs are being removed. He walks over to me "I didn't think I would ever see you again" my dad says as he sits opposite me "You look absolutely radiant" He smiles at me "Cut the crap, I'm not here for small talk or to form any relationship with you" I glare at him "Well at least you visited me, I don't get any visitors" my dad sighs "After all you've done, you deserve it" I raise my brow "Do you remember how we were? So happy, we were a loving family before your mom admitted to cheating on me and asked for divorce" He asks me "I remember, I can't even tell you how many nights I wished to go back in time" I admit to him "Life was simpler then" I still glare at him "Your mom ruined it" He sighs "That's your excuse for being abusive" I stare at him in disbelief "I was on drugs and I was an alcoholic but I'm not anymore" He tells me "And you think prison changed you" I shake my head "Considering I have lost my freedom for 20 years, yeah" He nods "Someone like you could never change even after you get your freedom back" I lean forward on the table

"Whatever your mom told you are vicious lies" He glares at me "Really? So you didn't show up at the house almost 8 years ago looking for me and Kristy" He's full of shit "I wanted my little girls back" My dad glares at me "And you thought pointing a loaded gun at mom and Brian would get us back" I laugh in disbelief "I was pissed off, your mom was hiding you and Kristy" He raises his voice at me "See that's where you're wrong because she didn't hide us, I left the night before because your parole officer told me you were being released in the morning" I explain to him "He had this crazy idea that I would throw you a welcome-home party" He glares at me "Where did you and Kristy ago?" He asks me "You're hilarious if you think I'm ever gonna tell you" I laugh "I have the right to know" Is he insane? "No, you lost that right when you abused us and held my sister hostage when you barricaded yourself from the police" I yell at him and he doesn't say anything "Now if you'll excuse me but I have to go" I get up from my seat "I have errands to run" I'm feeling sick as I walk out of the prison. I run behind the building and vomit my guts out, I can't believe I did this.