Big Girl Boots

Twenty-One

Heyo! How's it going for everybody??!!

I GRADUATE IN SIX DAYS! CAN'T WAIT! So yeah. I'm excited.

This chapter is a pretty intense one...prepare yourselves.

Thanks for voting and commenting; I love you all!

--Lindsey

***

As promised, I left Caldwell early Sunday morning so that I could be back in time for school on Monday. Both of my parents sent me off with tight hugs and half-hearted threats about how I wasn't allowed to cause any trouble at school. It was nearly two by the time I made it back to Starton and the sun shone faintly through a layer of soft, fluffy clouds. I probably could have made it by one, but I chose to take my time and stop for lunch at a roadside A&W. 

After pulling my pickup up next to Kellan's and removing the keys, I smiled. It felt good to have my own rig, and I was proud that I'd been able to complete the trip by myself without a single disaster, especially after not be able to drive for so long. I gathered by bag, coat, and cowboy hat and headed inside to alert everyone of my successful trip. Surprisingly, the house was quiet. To my amazement, the TV wasn't even on, although there was a half finished mug of cocoa sitting on the coffee table in the living room. The remote was tossed carelessly next to it and there was a soft camouflage blanket sitting in a heap on the couch; a mess I suspected to be from Kellan.

Wondering where everyone was, I ventured a little further into the heart of my Aunt's mansion, preparing to go upstairs and drop my luggage in my bedroom. I had just made it to the stairs when a sound caught my attention. It sounded all too much like crying and I dropped my bag and hat at the bottom of the steps to rush towards Coda's room at the other end of the hall. The closer I got, the louder the hiccupping sobs became and I quickened my pace.

I found her door open a few inches but couldn't bring myself to go in, at least not right away. Instead, I listened carefully, trying to make out the words she was uttering between sobs.

"Mom--" sob "--said--" hiccup "--she's back and wants--" sob "--me to live with her and--" sob "--she said dad doesn't deserve me or Torrin or any of us!"

I heard Kellan's low, soothing voice next. "Why'd she say that?"

"I don't know," Coda wailed, stabbing a knife into my heart. "Probably because she--" sob "--wants money. For child support."

It wasn't hard to imagine the look Kellan was giving her. I knew it, like mine, had to be about as sad as they come. Hearing Coda voice the feelings of neglect and hatred she got from her mother was one of the most painful sounds that ever met my ears. She never had done a very thorough job of explaining to me exactly how everything went down with her mom--emotions were more of Kellan's department--but I knew enough to be sure she'd had to fend for herself a lot throughout the years; something no child should have to do. Now, I got the vibe that her mother was a manipulative, gold-digging, repulsive human being that didn't even deserve to be near Coda or any of her kids. The image of her screaming curses at my best friend made my blood boil. I was about ready to burst into the room and tell Coda exactly what I thought of her mother when I heard my cousin speak.

"Coda, listen to me. You don't have to do anything she says, okay? We can take this to court if that's what we have to do. She's the one who doesn't deserve you."

Her loud, hiccupping sobs subsided, giving way to low, mournful cries that told me she was probably curled up with her eyes squeezed shut, tears leaking out of them. The blood that had been pounding in my ears quieted itself somewhat, allowing me to think rationally.