Page 104 of Someone Like Me
Oblivious to what is happening within me — and what might be happening between Drew and me — Mom grips her elbows almost protectively. She’s frowning. “Clearly we have a lot to talk about. That’s why we came home. To talk.” Her eyes cut to Drew. “As a family.”
“Mom.”This time, I’m the one warning. But I know there’s no avoiding a sit-down with them. Hell, I don’t even want to avoid it. “We’ll talk, okay? Just don’t be rude, please.”
Relief washes over her features. “We’ll talk? You mean it? You’ll come home and—”
“Wait,” Drew mutters almost inaudibly beside me as Mom prattles. His hand is tighter around mine.
I glance up at him and whisper back, “Wait?”
His nod is barely perceptible.
“... a chance to sort this out?” Eagerness has made Mom’s voice pitch higher, as though she might float away on hope.
“Mrs. Lalonde.” Drew’s assertive voice, by contrast, grounds me. “Just give us a minute to put the bikes away.”
Mom blinks, looking almost startled that he’s spoken. And this irks me because her expression seems to suggest he has no right to speak. No part in this conversation. But from where I stand, he does. He’s on my side, after all.
So I answer for her. “That’s a good idea, Drew.” And we move to the bikes, which we left near the curb in front of Janine’s house, and we push them up the driveway and into her darkened garage. Lights are now on in the Mayfield’s house, but I see no sign of my friends.
“I don’t want to leave you,” Drew says, and I jerk my gaze from the house to his eyes.
“W-what?” I stammer. All that registers is the possibility that he will leave me. And I rebel against this. “What do you mean?”
His dark brows are low with concern. “Evie, I know they’re your parents, but I don’t want to leave you with them.” He shakes his head. “I can’t explain it.”
The tension drains away, and I want to laugh. I don’t, of course. “They’re not going to hurt me, Drew.”
His expression doesn’t change. “At Angola, you know where all the blind spots are, the places where the cameras can’t see and the guards don’t look. Best to avoid them, but if you can’t, you sure as hell don’t go there alone.”
Any impulse I had to laugh dries to dust. I step closer and reach for him. My hands cup either side of his face, so beautiful it staggers me. “It’s fine, Drew. These are my parents we’re talking about,” I say, wanting to reassure him. “They aren’t bad people. They’re just misguided.”
A crease appears between his brows. “They want to control you.” He seems to wince at the sound of his own words and gives a tight shake of his head. “I mean, it’s obvious they love you, but, damn, Evie. They flew halfway across the planet so you’d hear them out. That’s a little extreme.”
My answering smile is rueful. “I see that.”
He looks down at me, and the hard lines around his eyes and mouth soften. Just a little. But then the concern returns. “I’m just afraid that—”
His words catch at my heart. What could Drew possibly fear? “What?” I ask. “What are you afraid of?”
Drew watches me for a long time. He lets out a deep breath, and then his eyes drift down the length of the driveway. I follow their track to the trio who stands waiting for me in the middle of the street. Tori is the only one brazen enough to watch us in Janine and James’s garage. But I can tell by their postures that Mom and Dad are tuned in, as alert and interested in us and our actions as they could possibly be without looking directly at us.
“Just that they know how to make you doubt yourself.”
My breath leaves me in a rush because how can he see this so clearly? How can he seemeso clearly?
When I speak, my voice is shaky. “Y-you’re probably onto something there.”
He brings his gaze back to me, but now I see the barest hint of a smile. “Don’t sound so surprised, Guppy,” he teases, and in spite of everything, I laugh a thready laugh.
“I’m…” I begin, shaking my head. “I’m not surprised. I feel like…”
Will it sound dumb if I just say it? Will he understand?
Drew’s gaze sharpens on me. “Feel like what?”
I bite my lip and stare up at him. No. He’s not going to reject me now. I don’t know how I know this, but I do.
“I feel like you see me.”
