How Not to Fall In Love

Chapter 52

Sadie came running out of her house, throwing her arms around my neck. "Rylee, I'm so glad you're okay. I talked to my parents, and they agreed that you and Jules can stay here as long as you like." 

I dropped my arms. "You told them..." 

Sadie stepped back, tears trickling down her cheeks. "I had to tell them the truth about why you and Jules would be staying here. Please don't be mad." She wiped the corners of her eyes. 

"Rylee, don't be mad at her. She was only trying to help you and Jules," Austin said, taking my hand in his. He tugged on my hand, trying to get me to look at him. "Rylee..." 

I continued to stare at Sadie, unable to pull my eyes away from her to look at Austin. I couldn't believe she had betrayed me by telling her parents my secret. It wasn't her place to tell them. Now, every time they looked at me, it was with pity...Oh, poor Rylee. I didn't want or need anyone's pity. Pity wasn't going to stop the abuse, and that's all I wanted; I wanted it to stop and start being a normal teenage girl who didn't have to worry about hiding her bruises from the world. 

I shifted my eyes slowly over to Austin. "I'm not mad. I just wish people didn't know about it." 

"Your dad needs help. He has no remorse for the things he does, Rylee. Who knows what he's capable of doing? Next time, he could kill you and not even care." Austin released my hand and walked around to the trunk. He opened it up and grabbed our bags. 

"What about my car?" I asked, grabbing my makeup bag from the backseat. 

"What about it?" Austin asked, walking toward Sadie's front porch. "You can't have your car, Rylee. Remember, you're still in hiding." 

Hiding? It felt more like a prison sentence with each passing minute. Don't do this, and don't do that. You can't have certain things. I understood it was for my own good, but it was really starting to get to me. I didn't know how much more I could take before I snapped. No one knew what it was like, so they couldn't say they knew how I felt. I felt so many different things... humiliation, sadness, jealousy, and, lately, anger. Angry at Mom for dying and leaving me here to be treated like Dad's personal punching bag. 

"Right..." I sighed, walking to the front porch. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Jules was close behind me. She was my main concern at the moment. I didn't want anything to happen to her. I had to keep us together at all costs. 

Sadie opened the door for us; Austin asked her where he should put our bags. She pointed by the entryway table, then hollered for her mom. Her mom, Jennifer McCullough, walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. I couldn't get over how much Sadie and her mom looked alike. Sadie was the spitting image of her mother; she had the same brown eyes and button nose that turned up a little. The only actual difference between them besides their age difference was their hair. Sadie's was longer than her mom's. 

"I didn't hear you come in. Rylee, we're glad to have you and your sister Julia stay with us. Sadie already told us what had been happening for a while and why the three of you had run off. We had to let Austin's parents know he was okay and why he took off the way he did. They aren't upset anymore and understand he was protecting you. Austin, your mom is waiting for you. You should probably head home and see your parents. Rylee will be safe here with us. I promise." She nodded, letting him know that he needed to go home now. 

"I'll text you later, Rylee." Austin hugged me, kissing the corner of my forehead. He lowered his arms, turned, and walked to the front door. He glanced over his shoulder back at me, with his hand on the doorknob. "I'm never far from you." He opened the front door and left. 

I stood there staring at the front door, wanting him to run back inside and scoop me up in his arms. Like in those cheesy romance movies where the guy comes flying back in for the girl he left behind. I knew he wasn't leaving me behind, but it sure felt like it. That horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach that you aren't ever going to see them again. It was all I could do not to run out the door after him, begging him to stay or to take me with him. 

Sadie's mom took Jules and me upstairs and showed us to our rooms. She said we could get stuff for our rooms this weekend. Jules started unpacking right away as if nothing was wrong, thanking Mrs. McCullough for letting us stay. Jules's new temporary room was next to mine. It was a light blue with white trim around the windows, close to the color of her room at home. A queen-size bed was in the middle of the room, with two white nightstands on each side. There was a tall dresser next to the bed and a walk-in closet on the left side of the bed. That was probably why she rushed in and claimed the room before I could say anything. I made sure Jules was okay before I headed to my new room. I stood in the doorway, staring at the light sage room with white trim. It was pretty much set up almost identical to the other guest bedroom. I walked into the bedroom, sat my bag on the bed, and perused about the room. 

"Mrs. McCullough, thank you for letting us stay here. I know us being here puts you in danger." I lowered my head and turned back toward the bed, staring down at my bag and fumbling with the zipper. 

"Rylee, call me Jennifer, please. Don't worry about us. We want you here and want you to feel safe. I'm sorry you had to go through that. No child should ever have to go through that kind of abuse." She touched my arm. "Rylee..." 

I turned around, tears collecting in the corners of my eyes, trying to escape. She embraced me, comforting me like a loving mom would their sad child. I couldn't hold in my tears any longer and began to sob like I had the day we lost our mom. 

                                                                                

Jennifer showed me the bathroom that Jules and I would be sharing, then let me clean up from crying. A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on the door. 

"Rylee, Mom sent me up here to see if you needed any help with your makeup," Sadie asked through the closed door. 

"You can open the door." I grabbed the towel on the counter and started to pat my face. 

The door eased open; Sadie's long fingers grasped the edge of the door, opening it wider as she walked inside. "I can help you with your makeup if you like?" She smiled. 

"Does my eye and lip still look that bad?" I turned toward the mirror. 

"It looks better than it did last week. In another week, I bet there won't be a bruise, and no one will be able to tell anything. Mom said we could get you a vanity table for your room. That is if you want one. For the time being, we'll use mine." She grabbed my makeup bag and motioned me to follow her. Sadie's room was across the hall from my new room. Her room looked like something out of a home magazine. Her bed was covered with a light pink comforter and pink and white decorative pillows. She even had a pale pink and white plush rug under her bed, covering most of her floor. Her white vanity with a square-lighted mirror was across the room from her bed. 

"Wow...I love your room, Sadie." I said, gazing at her spotless room. Nothing was out of place. 

"Thanks. I just remodeled it a few weeks ago. It was part of my birthday present." She patted the pink cushion on the vanity bench. "I need to get you ready." 

"Ready for what?" I sat down on the bench. 

Sadie grabbed my primer out of my makeup bag. "Mom will explain when we go back downstairs." She smiled, dabbing primer on my face. 

Author's Notes:

Wonder where Sadie's Mom is going to take Rylee? Do you have any ideas?

If you like this chapter, please show it some love. Thanks! Amber.