The Unseen

The Truth

Drew decides that we can't go back to his house until he can at least put his shirt on so we head to my house. My mom should be at work for a few more hours. I end up driving because Drew can't stop staring at his tattoo. I can imagine it would be strange to just one moment have a bare chest, and the next, a design permanently etched into your skin.

"So what's next? Eyebrow piercing? Snake bites?" I tease.

He grins, "Actually, I was thinking about getting a tattoo of a cat on my left butt cheek."

"Make it a Siamese."

"Will do." He laughs.

I pull into my empty driveway and nearly miss. Drew's car is a bit bigger than mine and a little harder to drive.

We both get out and head into the house. The door opens without being unlocked. Shit. I must've forgotten to lock the door before I left. I walk in and Drew follows quickly behind and shuts it. His arms wrap around my waist and suddenly, his lips are on mine.

"Y'know, back in my day, we at least waited until we were inside to rip our boy's clothes off." My head whips to the side and I see my mother staring at us and leaning on the counter. Her face is blotchy and red, as if she's been crying.

I turn in Drew's embrace so that my back is against his chest but his arms are still around me, "Mom? I thought you were at work? What's wrong?"

"They sent me home. I had somewhat of a meltdown." She admits, "Rainy, I need to tell you something. I've been lying to you about-" Water threatens to pool over in her blue eyes as she remembers that Drew's here, "Um, could we maybe talk in private?"

"Anything you need to tell me, Drew can hear. I don't mind." I assure her and Drew gently squeezes me.

She sighs, "Well, take a seat. I have a story to tell."

Drew goes to go sit at the counter, but thinking better of it, I lead him to the table. Bianca and Davon successfully ruined the counter for me. Mom comes and joins us at the table and twists her fingers together uncomfortably, "So what is it? What's the big secret?"

"It's about your father. I've been lying to you about your father." She says. Mom brushes a few stray strands of her graying red hair behind her ear, "The truth is, your father died when he found out I was pregnant. Killed himself. Everyone thought I killed him, but I won the court case and I didn't do it. But at the same time, I was cheating on him with his older brother, your uncle. I was very depressed about your father dying, but then I thought 'hey, maybe he'll want to help me raise this baby, it's his niece or nephew anyway'. So I told him about you and he left. He left me alone, in senior year, to raise you." Mom recalls, "I had a young girl come in today for an official pregnancy test and she's pregnant and something similar is now happening to her."

"Oh," I say, "What was he like?"

"He was great. I loved him and I was a fool for ever cheating on him." Mom sighs again, then remembers Drew's there, "Don't you ever cheat on him, Rain. You'd be stupid not to hold onto him."

I smile and Drew squeezes my hand under the table, "Do I look like him?"

My mother leans closer and examines mine and Drew's faces, "Hmm, not really...oh, your ears! Your ears are very similar."

I laugh quietly, "I mean my father."

"Blonde hair. Yours is much lighter though. His was long. Your father was from down south. He had this cute, little accent. Oh, Rainy, it was so sexy." Drew squirms beside me. I tighten my grip on his hand for a moment, apologizing without saying a word, "But your uncle, Lance. He was built. I mean so was Luke but nothing like Lance."

Wheels turn and finally click disturbingly into place, "What was my father's name?"

"Luke. Lucas Nichols." She says, "Why?"

"Bout this tall," I gesture above my head, "Dirty blonde hair that's usually in a bun, brown eyes?" I ask.

"How do you know all this about your father? I've never shown you a picture." Drew tenses beside me as he makes the same realization I came to about my father.

"Old yearbooks." I say, too fast to be casual.

"Oh, ok." She eyes me suspiciously before leaving to the hall, "I have to take a shit."

As soon as the lock on the door clicks, Drew speaks, "Was she talking about who I thought she was talking about?"

I nod. The same Lucas who possessed Drew and Landon to try to be my lover, already had strong ties to me. Lucas is my father.