Runaways by Nicole Dykes
Ihad fun. Like, a lot of fun. I can’t remember the last time I did. Not even at the private school I attended in Dallas before my mom decided to uproot our lives and marry Colin, moving us to this tiny little town.
For now, we’re living in his small three-bedroom house in the middle of town, but my mother’s having a large home built out in the country that we’ll move into soon enough.
The car drops me off in front of the house, and I walk up to the front door, only to see it be jerked open and for Colin to step outside. He’s furious, grabbing my arm and jarring me. “Where the hell have you been?”
I hate his stupid thick Texas accent. I yank away from him. “I texted my mother that I was going to hang out with friends after school today. She hasn’t even read it so I’m sure she’s not worried.”
“I don’t give a fuck if she’s worried or not. It’s eight o’clock. Who were you out with this late?”
“It’s not that late.”
“Don’t you dare take that tone with me, Raelynn. I’ve worked hard to gain my reputation in this town, and I won’t let my little slut of a stepdaughter ruin it for me.”
I flinch, hating that I let him get to me. It’s not the first time he’s called me that. But after the word being written on my locker today, I’m even more sensitive.
“I’m not a slut.”
“Right.” He waves his hand in my direction. “Are you even wearing a bra?”
I instinctively fold my arms over my chest, feeling dirty at his question. “What? You can’t ask me that.”
“You think those little boys at school aren’t looking at you? Trying to decide the same thing? You look slutty, and they’re going to treat you accordingly.”
The shirt I’m wearing has a built-in bra, and it’s not like my chest is all that impressive, but that’s not the point. My mother married a skeevy perv who never stops mentioning these sorts of things to me. But never around her. Not really.
But he’s always commenting on my clothes and how they show too much skin. How men will get the wrong idea. That maybe I’ll like that. That maybe I want men to use me up.
It’s disgusting and untrue.
And I hate him. I’ve only known him for six months, but I knew within the first six minutes I didn’t like him.
“Leave me alone.” I start to walk off to my bedroom, to safety, but he grabs my arm, stopping me.
“I’m the principal. You cannot just do whatever you want here. You’re not spending your time with Lawson Davis. Do you hear me?”
I turn to him, my jaw dropped. “What are you, spying on me?”
“I own that school. You think I didn’t know you were late to your first class today and you sauntered in with Lawson? Your locker proves that you already have a reputation.”
“You knew about that? And it was still on my locker at the end of the day?”
“Maybe you need to learn the lesson.”
“What lesson?” I glare at him.
“Not to act so damn slutty at my school.”
“I didn’t do anything!” I shout just as my mother walks in through the front door.
At forty-five, Margaret Da Silva, formally Margaret Sanders, doesn’t look at day over thirty-five, thanks to plastic surgery and lots and lots of money. “What is going on?” She keeps her tone hushed despite us being the only ones in the house.
“Your daughter is spending time with troublemakers, and I’m trying to warn her, babe.” Colin wraps an arm around my mom’s waist, and she melts into him.
Looking up at him like he’s a god among men. I know he’s a good-looking man. I’m not blind. He has the all-American, model/athlete look. He used to play football in high school and has told us both about his glory days, running the school even before he actually ran the school.
But to me, he’s ugly.
“Raelynn.” My mother looks at me in horror. “That is not okay.”
“Lawson is nice, Mom.”
“He’s a Davis. He’s a nobody. You know his parents are drunks, right? Always causing trouble in town.”
I glare at my stepfather before glancing back at my mother, who looks repulsed at the idea of a “nobody” being around her daughter. “No more, Raelynn. I told you we have to make this work. We aren’t here to make trouble for Colin.” She drags her hand over his jaw, and he looks like he’s about to eat her.
I could stay and try to argue, but there’s no point. There’s no point in telling my mom the things Colin has said to me. She either won’t believe it or won’t care. She already eyes me suspiciously around him like I’m going to try and steal him away from her.
It’s sick.
I want nothing to do with either of them, so I just head down the hall to my room, locking the door behind me. I liked today, despite the ugly start and ending, but hanging out with Lawson was fun.
He’s easy to talk to and so real. He didn’t have any problem with me vomiting up personal, embarrassing information, and he even supplied his own family history. It only made him more endearing to me.
I lie down on my bed, covering my head with my pillow when it becomes clear Colin and my mother have retired to their room and not to sleep. Why does their room have to share a wall with mine?
Only four more years.
