Sinful Discovery

004

Chapter 4

"Israel Immanuel Taylor, where have you been?!" Ma screams at me and I swear she's coming to slap me but dad holds her back.

"I— I—" I hardly ever lie and even when I do it's with much practice. I forgot to practice!

"Talk to me boy!" Ma screams and I flinch, biting on my lip so hard I taste blood.

"Liz, calm down." Dad says, being the calm and collected intermediary as always.

"Calm down?" Ma asks him, doing the exact opposite as she glares at me, pointing a finger. "I've been worried sick about you. I thought something terrible has happened to you and your phone was switched off. I was so close to calling the police and I've driven to your school to check up on you and now you waltz in here and your daddy is telling me to be calm?" She laughs humorless for a sec and then glares back. "Israel, if you don't tell me where you've been, I'mma—" she pauses, then continues. "I'm going to beat you up, blue black!"

"Ma, I'm sorry," I breakdown, unable to hold in the tears any longer. I don't want to get beat up, I can't tell the truth and I don't know a lie to tell.

"Are you injured? Anything happened?" Dad asks repeating the questions ma threw at me when I walked in. I shook my head, wiping at my cheeks.

Nessa comes out the kitchen, backing my parents and raises a book up to me. I have to apply subtlety as I squint my eyes to read what she wrote on bold letters.

Say you slept off... in the parking lot...

"I— I slept off in the parking lot," I blurt out, my heart hammering in chest for the second time today for a completely different reason.

"Slept off?" Dad asked.

I nod, "y-yeah I was waiting for more cars to leave before I do." That wasn't a lie.

"How come I didn't see you when I came to your school?" Ma asks.

Um... I look back at Nessa and she was mouthing something I couldn't quite get. Then she started moving her legs and hands backwards as if pulling something invisible. I frowned at her and mum looked back to see what was happening. Nessa immediately lifted the mug to her lips, if not for the situation I was in, the whole thing would have been comical. When ma's eyes returned to me, Nessa got to spelling whatever she was mouthing.

T... O... W...

"Tow," I say out loud, happy I got it.

"What?" Ma and dad asked and I got what Nessa has been trying to tell me.

"They towed the car." I blurt out.

"With you inside?" Dad asks worried.

I nod, "but they didn't go far because I woke up and pleaded with them."

"Israel, I don't fully understand you right now." Ma says probably picking on the lie.

"Ma why don't we just let Israel rest," Nessa jumps in to save me. "He has clearly had a long day."

Ma doesn't say anything and Dad sighs waving us away. Nessa and I thank them and we start going up the stairs. When we reach my room, I pause looking down at my feet and waiting for Nessa to ask me what truly happened.

"I don't want to know Is, just keep your mess together." She waves before bounding into her own room and shutting the door behind her.

I sigh in relief and enter into the room, turning on the lights and almost screaming when I see Pounce there. "What are you doing here little guy?"