Why You Shouldn't Lend A Bad Boy Your Clothes

Chapter 37

Years ago, after Luke's death, I had worked out a secret that had helped me ever since: Crying is easiest in the shower. Tears mix with the water, sobs get drowned out by the noise, red eyes are easily explained by saying you got shampoo in them.

By now my parents were probably thinking I was too stupid to handle a bottle of conditioner.

A week had passed since my father had found me at Hunter's and dragged me home. As soon as he had brought me inside, I had ignored my mother's crying and locked myself in the bathroom.

Before I had done anything else, I called Alexis, asking her to go to Hunter's and check on him. After a few concerned questions, she had hung up with the promise to go there and stay for as long as he needed her.

I hadn't talked to her or him since then. There was just no way I could.

My dad was spending his nights on the couch in the living room downstairs to make sure I didn't leave the house at nights, though I wasn't completely sure if it was just that or if he just didn't want to sleep in a bed with mom.

Over the past week, I had noticed just how distant they were acting around each other, barely talking and if they did it, was in short sentences and usually just about Maya or their job.

In addition to all of it, my parents were driving me to school and picked me up every day to make sure I wasn't meeting anyone afterwards.

I had tried to talk to Hunter at school on Wednesday, but I had barely been able to say hello before Victoria had popped up out of nowhere.

That evening, dad had called the local priest and signed me up for Church Camp starting in two weeks.

There wasn't anything I could do about it. All that was left for me to do was cry when my parents didn't look and put on a strong facade when they did.

Knocks on the bathroom door ripped me out of my thoughts.

"What is taking you so long in there, Juley?" my mom called.

"Just... just a second," I rasped and got up into a standing position from where I had been kneeling on the shower floor.

I hadn't even noticed, but by the time I turned the water off, it had run ice-cold already. My teeth were chattering when I wrapped a towel around me and got into boxers and my pants.

My eyes were staring back at me blearily and red when I finally dared to look into the mirror. I immediately glanced away, took a shaky breath and pulled a shirt over my head.

My mother was still standing next to the door when I left the bathroom.

I ignored her hand on my shoulder and pushed past her instead. "Can you please drive me to work?" I asked quietly without looking at her. "I can't miss another shift. I need the money."

"What for, Juley?" mom wanted to know. "You know we always support you."

I turned around and stared blankly at her. Then, in lack of anything to reply to that, I just shook my head and headed towards my room.

But before I could close the door behind me, her foot blocked it and she pushed into my room with a small smile. "Of course I'll drive you, if that's what you want, baby. Just promise me: no breaking of the rules."

"Hunter won't be there," I said tonelessly. "Victoria likes to spend her afternoons there."

Mom's face lit up with relief at that. "Come on then, let's get there in time for your shift."

I nodded silently and followed her into the car. Maya was sitting in the backseat, so I slid in beside her instead of choosing the passenger seat."Hey Maya."