Running From You

Chapter 28

NORA

I wake up to loud voices drifting from downstairs. I rub my eyes and check the time. 12:26 a.m. Who the heck is screaming at this time of night? Curious, I get out of bed and throw a robe over my shorts and top before tiptoeing across the room to the door. I slowly crack it open and slip through to the landing.

The voices are much clearer now.

"What the hell were you thinking?" mom yells. I know that tone. She's seriously pissed.

"Always so dramatic," my father's voice answers, making me halt. What the hell is he doing here?

"Dramatic?" mom practically screeches. "You think this is me being dramatic? You've seen nothing yet!"

I frown and peek over the railing. They're facing each other in the hall, mom in a bathrobe and slippers and dad dressed as neatly as ever, not a single wrinkle in his collared shirt.

"Mom!" Mads appears in my line of vision, looking a bit worried. She's wearing a cute pink dress I've never seen her wear before and would never have guessed she owns. It's not exactly her style with all the lace and such. "It's no big deal."

"No big deal?" mom turns her eyes to her. "You come home after midnight on a school night, not even bothering to inform me where you are so that I don't have to worry, and it's no big deal?"

Oh.

"I was with dad!" she tries to explain. "I was supposed to text you but I totally forgot. I'm sorry."

"You know you're not allowed to be out after eleven on school nights," mom's voice is stern. "The fact that you were with your father doesn't excuse it, especially as I wasn't informed of the matter. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"I..." Mads looks at dad for help. He nods at her and draws mom's attention back to himself.

"You're making a way too big deal out of this, Dayjah," I can almost hear him roll his eyes. "She was with me, she was perfectly safe. And may I add that you're not really home enough to lecture about curfew? The way I've understood it, Nora runs around town as she pleases most of the time, doing who knows what. Madison always follows the rules. One time staying out late with her father, out of all people, won't hurt her."

"You did not just..." if mom was angry before, she's furious now. "Mads, go to bed," her tone is final and even Mads seems to realize it. She lowers her head and quickly slips past them to the stairs. She halts when she sees me eavesdropping. 

"Are you okay?" I whisper when she reaches me on the landing, not wanting our parents to hear I'm awake.

She hesitates and then shrugs before going to her room. I doubt she's going to sleep anytime soon, not with the racket going on downstairs.

"How dare you?" mom is screaming again, her face red. "You have no right to lecture me about being absent!"

"I had no choice but to leave," he's starting to get angry. "You made life a living hell. What did you expect?"

"Oh, I did, did I?" mom is shaking. "You're the one who was sleeping around and being cold and vicious when you were home!"

"And you were a little controlling bitch," he spits out the words and I gasp. No, he didn't.

"You fucking asshole! Leave! Get out of my house!"

"Calm down," he looks around the foyer curiously. "I see you haven't changed much of anything since I left. Looks almost exactly the same as it did four years ago."