They went back and forth a few more times before their footsteps receded down the hall. And then, I heard absolutely nothing.
Well, that was strange.
As quietly as I could, I settled myself back under the covers and stared up at the ceiling. It was pretty, with ornate trim all around the edges.
It looked expensive, just like everything else in the room. Isodidn't belong here. And I'd caused Jax nothing but trouble.
On top of that, it was weird to think that I was inhishouse, wearing clothes thatheprovided, and yet, I knew nearly nothing about him.
But soon, all of that changed, courtesy of who?
My mom.
Chapter 23
It was still early, and I was huddled with my cell phone under the covers.
My mom had just asked, "Why are you whispering?"
"Because," I said, "it's early, and I don't want to wake anyone."
This was only partly true. Mostly, I had no idea who was in the house, and I dreaded the thought of yet another ugly scene.
Already, I'd double checked the bedroom door to make sure it was still locked after all that rattling.
Was I paranoid?
Definitely.
But, as Jax had said last night, better safe than sorry. Still, this made me wonder, had he known all along that something would happen?
Either he was totally psychic or even more paranoid than I was.
On the phone, my mom asked, "So, where are you, anyway?"
I couldn’t help but scoff. "Do you care?"
"Of course I care. I'm your mother."
I recalled the voicemail that she'd left for me late last night. It was one of the rudest things I'd ever heard. Sadly, it wasn't nearly as rude as the message from Tabitha, who'd called me every name in the book, including the c-word.
Funny, I hadn't realized the word was so popular.
Last night, I hadn't called either one of them back. But this morning, my mom had calledme, and I'd felt compelled to answer – not out of family loyalty, but rather because a bunch of my stuff was still at her place, and I wasn't ready to give it up.
I told her, "I’m staying with a friend."
"Oh, please," she said. "You don't have any friends."
"Gee, thanks."
"I meanthere, in town. You don't know anyone."
I didnow. And he was by far the most intriguing person I'd ever met. I replied, "I knowsomepeople."
"You're withhim, aren't you?"
She didn't say who she meant, but it wasn't hard to guess. Looking to change the subject, I said, "Is there a reason you called?"
