Libby pretended to be on her phone when he glanced over his shoulder.
Her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest when he continued walking and veered onto Siders Pond Road. Siders Pond loomed in the distance, glistening underneath the late afternoon sun. Libby slowed her pace when she spotted a group of kids forming a half-circle, wearing too-large clothes and gesturing to each other.
They had the same dreadlocks and yellowed teeth as Annie’s friend.
She swallowed, ducked behind the nearest cluster of bushes, and crouched behind it. With bated breath, she peeked through the foliage and saw Annie’s friend walk up to them and smile. From her position, she couldn’t see much other than a secret handshake they did that involved rubbing elbows and spitting on the ground.
Her chest tightened when one of them took out a clear Ziplock with white powder.
Annie can’t possibly know about this. She wouldn’t be mixed up with something like this. Shecan’tbe.
Annie’s friend, on the other hand, was another matter.
The longer she watched his stiff interactions with the others, the more worried she became. She still couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it was obviously riling them up with the way they were waving their fists and thumping their chests. A sense of unease crept up on her and made her stomach tighten as she began to wonder what kind of activities Annie’s friend was involved in.
What kind of illegal activities did he engage in?
And how much of it was he going to drag her daughter into?
Libby stiffened when the circle broke up, and they all began to walk in opposite directions. She lowered herself onto the ground and breathed deeply, listening for the sound of their footsteps. Once they were gone, she stood back up and dusted herself off. In a daze, Libby walked back home, replaying the scene over and over in her head.
Was this another act of rebellion, or was Annie just confused?
Was Libby supposed to confront her or keep pushing until Annie came clean?
What if she never came clean?
The apartment building loomed in the distance, and Libby felt her stomach tighten further. She had no idea what she was meant to do with this new information and whether locking Annie up would be an extreme reaction. On the one hand, keeping her under lock and key ensured her safety. On the other hand, Libby knew it was one of the worst ideas she’d ever had, not only because of how impractical it was but also because of its cruelty.
Annie didn’t deserve to be imprisoned in her room.
Libby’s hands were shaking when she shoved the key into the lock and turned. When she saw Annie’s book bag by the door, along with a sweater and a pair of shoes thrown haphazardly, herheart missed a beat. In silence, Libby went into the kitchen to start on dinner. She diced up the onions and left them to sauté in the pan with some olive oil. Then, she cut the chicken into thin strips and threw them in with some salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika.
After leaving the stove on low heat, Libby gripped the sink and exhaled. She nearly jumped out of her own skin when Annie came out of her room and slowed to a halt.
“I didn’t hear you come in. You’re home early.”
“Yeah, things were slow at the clinic, so they told Maggie to stay and sent me home,” Libby replied without looking at her. “What about you? How was your day?”
“The usual.”
Libby made herself release the counter and twisted, heart jumping into her throat. “What did you do after school?”
“I went to the library,” Annie replied without meeting her gaze. “I thought I’d try and get ahead of the work, but I just ended up wandering around.”
Libby made a low, sympathetic sound. “By yourself? I’m sorry.”
Annie glanced up sharply. “I’m used to it.”
Libby hid her hands behind her back and hoped they weren’t shaking. “You know, you can invite some friends over if you want, girls if I’m not around. But if you want to have boys over too, just let me know.”
Annie’s brows furrowed. “Okay.”
Libby cleared her throat. “I just want you to feel safe and comfortable here, Annie. I’m not your warden. I’m your guardian.”
She desperately hoped that by giving her some space, Annie was going to find her way back to the right path, where Libby was waiting for her.
No matter how long it took.
