“I’m fine,” Emery said. And she was fine. She was infinitely better than yesterday.
“I’m hungry. Let’s raid the cold pizza.” Rachel stood and pulled her long hair into a messy bun and pulled her shorts down her legs, her midriff showing in between her shorts and tank top.
As Emery and Rachel sat at the table eating cold pizza and talking about their plans for the day, the door opened and in walked Noah, accompanied by two other boys. Emery looked down at her phone. It was only nine am.
“They’re getting ready for two-a-days,” Rachel supplied, answering her unasked question.
“What’s that?” Emery asked.
“It’s where we have to practice football in the morning and again in the afternoon and we better be in good shape if we plan on not throwing up,” a guy in a gray shirt and sweatpants stained with sweat answered. He stuck his hand out to Rachel first. “Jake Simmons. I heard you were living here now.”
“Not me,” Rachel responded.
“Oh, you must be Emily,” Jake then stuck his hand out at Emery.
“Hi.” She smiled.
“You guys ate all the pizza,” Noah whined from the fridge.
“You don’t need to eat it if you’re getting in shape,” Rachel retorted and walked to the bathroom. Emery chuckled as she noticed the new guys’ eyes follow Rachel all the way until she shut the door.
“Emily, this is Meat,” Noah introduced.
Emery stuck her hand out to the quiet, bigger guy in the corner. “Meat?”
“Nice to meet you, Emily,” the guy said softly and then looked at Noah. “See you guys later.”
“All right, man,” Noah said as Meat closed the door.
Self-conscious, she put their paper plates in the trash. “Nice to meet you, Jake. I have to get ready. I need furniture.” She made a quick escape to her new bedroom and shut the door behind her.
Later, she and Rachel went to a furniture store and ordered a bed, desk, and dresser for her room to be delivered in a few days. Rachel didn’t know how Emery was going to sleep on the floor for another few nights and had said as much six times by the time they stopped for lunch.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I slept the best I’ve slept in three years last night,” Emery said before taking a gigantic bite of her burrito.
“It’s because you’re free,” Rachel commented, staring at Emery intensely.
Emery shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not free, Rachel,” Emery said solemnly. “I don’t think I’ll feel free until my sister is out of that house.”
Rachel nodded and took a sip of her diet soda.
“I think I slept so well because I was sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag.”
“Why the fuck would that make you sleep better?” Rachel laughed. “Sleeping bags make me damn claustrophobic.”
“Because my body was aware that no one would get into my bed in the middle of the night.”
Rachel put her burrito down mid-bite and looked down, her face flushing.
“I’m just making a comment, Rach. You don’t have to feel bad.”
“Everything about what he did to you makes me feel horrible. Your mother should be—”
“I just wanted you to know I slept well,” Emery interrupted. “Let’s not talk about all this. There’s no point in talking about what I can’t change. I certainly don’t have to talk about it to remember every single thing he took from me.”
A tear fell from Rachel’s eye and she wiped it furiously, looking around. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Don’t be sorry.”
Rachel grabbed Emery’s left hand. “No…I’m sorry I didn’t meet you sooner.”
“Me too,” Emery agreed.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Change of Direction
About a week later, Emery was lounging in her room on the bed trying to figure out how to sign up for the GED exam so she could get her equivalency certificate.
The door slamming shook her wall, making her snap her eyes to her own door.
In a few seconds, Noah appeared in the doorway, taking up the entire opening. He turned up the bottle of water in his hand and she let her eyes take in his bare chest and the way his Adam’s apple bobbed as he took gulps of water.
Apprehension tickled the back of her neck as she looked around her room. It was scattered with clothes, books, and everything else she’d decided to bring with her. It wasn’t much, but Emery felt like once she put it up she’d have to face the reality of living here. With a boy she didn’t know.
“What are you doing?” he asked after he’d finished his water.