Forever Strong (Book 7 in Nemi Forever Series)

Chapter 28

Mercy

When I asked Mommy if she was going to divorce Daddy because he was cheating, I was hoping she would smile & say, "Mercy, don't be ridiculous. I won't ever divorce your daddy." But that's not what she said. Actually, she didn't say anything. I watched her go downstairs & I started to cry. I didn't want my parents to get divorced because of stupid Olivia. I felt really bad because I shouldn't have brought the letter home. Mommy wouldn't be mad if she hadn't found that letter. I cried in my room & Jerry heard me. He even asked me what was wrong & I told him nothing. After Jerry left me, I put my shoes on, grabbed my jacket & headed downstairs. I heard Jerry call out my name from his bedroom.

"Where ya going, Mercy?" Jerry asked coming to his door.

I turned around. "I need a friend." I shrugged.

Jerry's forehead got wrinkled. "I'm your friend." He looked a little sad, but I couldn't tell him what I had done to our family. I didn't want him to hate me for making Mommy mad at Daddy & I didn't think he needed to be mad at Daddy right now. Even though I was mad at Daddy, I still would feel bad if everyone was mad at him.

"I need a different kind of friend. I just need to go see my best friend in the whole world. Don't tell Mommy & Daddy that I left." I said before I went downstairs. I was glad Jerry didn't keep asking questions. He just went back to whatever he was doing in his room.

Before I left the house, I went to the top of the stairs that led down to Daddy's studio. I could hear them yelling at each other, so I knew this was bad. They didn't yell at each other very much. I had to leave & I needed a friend. But I needed a friend who couldn't tell their parents that I was there. I didn't want my parents to find me for a while, until they stopped being mad at each other. And me.

I left the house & headed to my friend, Tori's house. Her real name was Victoria & she was a a few years older than me. We had met one day at the park when she was playing with toy horses. We both love horses, but Tori has a stable behind her house. I go over there sometimes to help her do stuff with her horse. My favorite thing is to brush him. His name is Midnight & he's as dark as night, so that's why she calls him Midnight. He's so beautiful & when I get a horse, I want him to be black, too.

I snuck into Tori's stables & went straight to Midnight. I brushed him as I poured my heart out. I just needed someone to listen as I cried. I wanted to tell someone how bad I felt & how scared I was. Midnight was exactly what I needed. He was the friend who I was grateful for, right now. I brushed him for a while. I noticed the sun starting to go down behind the stable, so I knew it had been a few hours since I left home. It felt like dinner time, since I was hungry. I didn't get a snack after school either, so I felt a little funny. I knew my sugar was low. I was mad at myself that I didn't grab something from the kitchen before I left. I should check my sugar, but I was a little bit afraid to.

I heard the stable door creak open & saw Tori come in, looking confused. "Mercy! What are you doing in here?" She asked.

"I needed to get away from my house." I answered her. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You should probably go home, though. Your Mom & Dad will be worried."

"They are too busy with their own problems right now. They probably don't even know I'm gone yet."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Tori said. I looked up to see her mom & my daddy standing there. Daddy looked sad, but looked relieved to see me. I rolled my eyes & went back to brushing Midnight.

"Tori, do you think you can find a granola bar or piece of fruit for Mercy, please?" Daddy asked. "Thank you." Daddy said as Tori ran off. Tori's mom gave Daddy a half smile, then she left, too.