Three months later
‘Why do you hate her so much?’
I tear my eyes away from my mother to focus on Terence. He’s sitting next to me on the couch, and looks genuinely curious. I put my ice cream down as I think back to when my animosity for my mother started.
‘Ethan was three yrs older than me. When I was four, I used to follow him around everywhere. We used to play hide and seek, and I was always, always the seeker.
Sometimes I searched for him for hours. I only found out much later that he used to lock himself in his room to get some time away from me.
In any case, one day I was looking for him. I had my hand over my mouth and I was giggling quietly, trying to be stealthy. Mom was in the kitchen with one of her friends. They were talking about us. Ethan and me. Mom said she didn’t mind Ethan much. But I was the problem. Unplanned. A mistake that both my dad and hers wouldn’t let her take care of.
She was going on about the weight she’d put on because of me, how annoying I was, and the scar.
Kaleb and Ethan were born normally, but I was a C-section baby. I don’t know how I got outside, but I know that’s where Ethan found me; sleeping in the grass with dried tear tracks on my face. We never played hide and seek again.’
‘Wow. That’s just... wow. I didn’t expect that.’
‘What did you expect?’
‘I don’t know.’
Dad’s letting Terence and Adam stay with us while their father is in rehab. It took a lot of guilt tripping to get him to agree to that one. Mom is being surprisingly, very quiet about it all. In fact, she’s been behaving rather weirdly. Smiling, talking on the phone all the time, sneaking off at odd hours. Not like her usual self at all.
‘Keith has a crush on you.’ The subject change is so abrupt it takes me aback for a moment.
‘Does he?’
Terence nods. ‘A huge one.’
‘Why is this important?’
‘I was wondering if you might like him back.’
I stare open mouthed at him for a few seconds. ‘And this would be your business because?’
‘It’s not really my business per say, I’m just... looking out for two of my best friends.’ His face is carefully blank.
I pick up my ice cream bowl. ‘I see.’
YOU ARE READING
Hidden Thorns (Delphin City Book 1)
Teen FictionSiara Martins has been in love with Terence Carter since before she even knew the meaning of the word. But he walked away from her when she needed him the most. Now, seven yrs later she's still dealing with the aftermath of the accident that destroy...
