Enemies Without a Limit

Chapter 20

"Naomi!" called out her dad in worry as she pushed through the front door of her home. Before she came in she could hear her mom and dad laughing amongst themselves in the living room, reminiscing the prom they had just came from, but now their good-humor was gone as they both rushed to where she stood. They were both still dressed in their formal wear--her mom in a shimmering gold sweetheart dress and her dad in a finely-tailored tuxedo.

"Dad, I'm fine. I just want to go to bed." Naomi said deflatedly. She wiped at her eyes and realized that she was still crying.

"Sweetie, what's wrong? Did something happen at Jasmine's?" her mother's words and face etched in concern and anxiousness. "Who brought you home?"

"I wasn't at Jazzy's." Naomi answered, ignoring the incessant questions. 

"Then who were you with?" her father asked curiously, "Lord, help me, Naomi, if you tell me you were with Miles." her dad fumed. Naomi rolled her eyes. Her dad was always the overprotective type.

"I wasn't with him either." she hesitated. "I was at Darryl's." She looked up and could see the confused looks they tossed in her direction.

"The whole night?" her mother asked with skepticism. "You two haven't talked in years, why would you go to his house?"

Naomi tried to choke back the sobs that were building in her throat but failed as another wave of grief washed over her, leaving her hunched over on the floor.

Her dad was quick to scoop her up in a tight hug and she let herself cry into him, his hand soothing her hair. "Naomi, did he hurt you?" her dad asked in a strained tone. Naomi could tell that he was trying his best to keep his emotions at bay, but her father never had much luck when it came to it.

"No, I hurt him. I haven't been a good friend to him and now he has no one but himself." Naomi's tears ran in rivers down her cheeks, soiling her dad's dress-shirt.

"Naomi, what happened over there?" her mother asked.

"Darryl's dad died earlier tonight." Naomi answered. She pulled away from her dad to see his reaction--his eyes widened in horror. Her mother was holding onto the banister to brace herself.

"How's he taking it?" her dad asked. "Is he okay?"

"No. The police are taking him down to the morgue to identify the body. When I left, Darryl was on the floor crying. I've never seen him in so much pain." Naomi sobbed as she remembered the sight of Darryl looking so vulnerable as he slumped down on the floor of his room. A long silence broke out between them, maybe all of them grieving the loss that Darryl was going through.

"Did you guys know that his mother was dead, too?" Naomi asked glancing between them. She watched as they exchanged remorseful looks to one another and then settled their eyes on her. That was all the answer she needed. Anger brew in place of her grief, "You guys knew his mother was dead and didn't tell me?!" she exclaimed as pulled away from her father.

Her mother approached her cautiously but Naomi deflected. "Naomi, honey, we're sorry. We thought we were doing the right thing by you when we decided not to tell you."

"Why was it best for me not to know?" Naomi fumed.

"Well, because you were so young and we didn't want you to grieve someone so early...you were only fourteen and we knew you thought of Mrs. Adams as a good friend." her mother answered as she wrung her fingers anxiously, searching for forgiveness in her daughter's eyes.

"And plus, you were always saying how you never wanted to hear his name again and how much you hated him for what he did to you. We just thought you wouldn't want to hear it." her dad continued.