Living Or Dying

Chapter Sixteen

Sherry's mind was a blank. Had mom mentioned a terminal? Did she even say which flight? Sherry flipped open her phone and re-read the text that was there.

~ found a plane. Leaves Paris at 6 am Mountain Time. Be there by noon. Pick me up?:-)~

Other than that, nothing. Sherry suddenly felt very stupid. "No, she didn't say where. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Sherry. Your mam just wasn't specific enough. Text her again, asking where she is. She'll get it when she lands." Marcus comforted.

Sherry thanked him. She wrote the text and quickly sent it. Sighing, she dropped the phone. Her hands landed on her stomach. Is there really something in there? Growing?

Sherry didn't feel anything. But she knew there was no mistake. She had two tests done already. Gently, she rubbed her hands over her stomach. It had started to bulge, so Sherry was glad she was wearing a loose tank top. She sighed lightly.

"Hey," Byern whispered. "You okay?"

Sherry laughed a little inside, but she had to shake her head. Stress had become a big part of her life, along with worry.  She was just thankful that she had a good friend like Byern to help her through the hard times.

"I'm just a little worried. What if my mom gets mad at me? I know she wasn't over the phone, but what about once she actually sees me? What if she changes her mind?"

Byern laughed lightly, and put his forehead on hers. Sherry blushed at this, but didn't pull away.

"She's your mother. She wants what is best for you. And last I checked, she made the same mistake, too."

His breath tickled her nose, and Sherry twitched, much like a bunny. Byern grinned, a stupid, large grin. Sherry undid her seatbelt and pushed towards Byern. Gently, she laid her head on his shoulder. His arm automatically went around her waist.

Marcus, still sitting in the front seat, watched as the two teens curled together in the back. He laughed, quietly enough so they couldn't hear.

Bzzzz. Sherry's phone went off. Disturbing Byern, she reached into her pocket. The text was from Robbie. Sherry instantly sat up straighter. Byern did too, in surprise.

"What is it? Is it your dad?" A look of worry crossed over his face.

Sherry shook her head, a deep worry growling in her stomach. "No. It's Robbie."

Byern growled, "You don't have to answer that. You shouldn't even read it. Just delete it."

Sherry disagreed. Instead, she opened the text.

~ You little bitch! I offer you a way to keep me an you turn it down! Don't ever worry about getting another bf, i'll spread so much lies about you! And remember those photos we took of you naked? The entire school'll get those!~

Sherry shuddered. Byern read the text over again. This time, he flipped.

"That's it! Don't delete the message! After we got your mom, we're going to the police station with that!" Byern yelled.

Sherry quieted. "No, I'll just forget about it. I won't even be going to that school anymore. It doesn't even matter."

Sherry went to delete the message, but Byern grabbed her phone.

"Don't delete it Sherry. It's for your own good. If we don't stop him before he does that, those pictures will be all over the internet." Suddenly, Byern was at the most serious point Sherry had ever seen him. HIs soft brown eyes had turned cold, and his laughing smile was set in a hard line. "Trust me Sherry, once something gets on the internet, it doesn't come off."

Sherry looked at her friend, her protector. Slowly, she nodded and dropped her hands, with the phone inside of them. Sighing, she looked out the window. Immediately her eyes widened.

"There she is! That's my mom!" She cried, jumping about.

Byern pulled back, startled by her reaction. Immediately Sherry reached for the door handle, pushing it open as fast as Marcus could unlock the door. She tumbled out and landed hard on the ground. Her thump caused her mother to look over. Sheer joy spread over the woman's face, her bright blue eyes sparkling. She left her luggage by the door, and ran to her daughter. Sherry struggled, using the car to pull herself to her feet, being careful of the cast. Soon Byern's hand appeared in front of her, and Sherry gladly reached for it. As soon as she was on her feet, her mother knocked her back down into a hug.

"Chérie! Je t'ai  manqué!"

Sherry grabbed at her mother's back, falling forward into the hug. The floodgates opened, and she began to cry. Byern looked at the two, finally seeing each other after who knows how long, and began to shift. He started to back up when he felt someone grab his wrist. He was instantly pulled into a group hug between the mother and daughter. He squired at first, but the two wouldn't let him go.

Finally the mother let the two teens go. As she pulled her face away, they could see the mist in her eyes. Byern marveled at the similarity between the two, they looked exactly alike. Except for eye color. Sherry had brown eyes while her mother had the clearest blue. It took all he could not to gape at the two.

"Now," Pierrette said with her thick French accent. "I believe you two have some explaining to do? But first, I want to see where my petite is staying."

Byern regained his composure enough to show them to the car. He remembered her luggage at the last moment, just as Pierrette sat in the front. Marcus quickly introduced himself and set off. The car ride started off as silent. Then Pierrette got comfortable.

"So, Sherry, who is the boy who broke your heart?" She asked, in a sidelong manner.

"His name is Robbie. I've known him for a few years..." Sherry trailed off.

Pierrette nodded, then turned to Byern. "And I assume you are the Byern I talked to on the phone? And this Marcus is your father?"

Byern nodded meekly, the quietest Sherry had seen him.

As Marcus pulled over to park, sherry felt a knot in her stomach. They weren't at the café. As Pierrette looked out, she gasped. They were at the police station.

"What are we doing here?!"

"Ma'am. This Robbie has recently sent your daughter some very threatening, illegal texts. And we're going to do something about it.