Randomly, Chad and his father walked out of the party and into their chauffeur driven car, not even questioning why we were all on the street. Even the gambler's friend drove off in his pick-up truck. It created a little traffic jam on our small street. I looked back at my house and oddly felt a sense of pride amidst this adversity: No parents, no lock on the front door and, after the break-in, a broken window also. Now we had a padlock and a boarded-up window but still no parents, though. Glass was an expensive replacement, and so was an actual lock on the front door. This was the best we could do, and I felt proud we did it. Luke returned to my side, swinging his arm over my shoulder, and enveloping me in his familiar scent. He squeezed me against him, and the soft fabric of his shirt rubbed the makeup on my face. He kissed the top of my head and told me: "You're so crazy," his deep voice murmured, "I love you." My heart skipped a beat hearing him say it like that. His skin against mine was what I needed right now. I wrapped my arms around his waist as well and murmured the same thing into the soft fabric of his shirt, "I love you." I breathed in that familiar musky scent that most of my stolen sweaters smell like now. I wanted to stay in this position forever. Austin and Jake approached us, watching my mom drive off into the distance. "Meet the parents didn't go down too well, did it?" Austin commented, ignoring the intimate moment we were trying to have. It seemed like everyone watched her leave. Even Luke's parents were staring after my mom's car. And it made me remember what my mom had said. "Actually," I mumbled, my mind retracing the last few minutes, "That reminds me..." I had something to say to Mr Dawson. ** Parents hide things sometimes when they're not hiding themselves. My dad plays such an amazing game of hide & seek, that he's still out there – hiding. Do I trust my boyfriend's father? Not at all. And my mother may not be getting a 'mother of the year' award anytime soon, but there was obviously more to the story than she was letting on. Maybe this was my way of holding on to the hope that she didn't just leave for no reason. I wanted there to be a reason. I almost needed there to be. And all signs were pointing to Mr D. I walked towards the adults while the boys hung back, already talking about something else. I should've asked Jake for tips on confronting his dad. Jake's been through his father's drama. Mr Dawson walked out on Jake's mom to start a new life with another woman. Charlotte and Luke were the product of Mr Dawson's affair and I couldn't believe my family had any involvement in Mr Dawson's messy web of lies. I walked slowly across the street, my head spinning with the words I wanted to say to him. I knew Mr D was occupied, and I knew he didn't like me interrupting him. I mean, the guy didn't like me period. But I couldn't shake off the feeling... It was the way my mom kept looking at him and the way she freaked out when I mentioned his name... I just knew he had something to do with why she left. She said it herself, that she needed to get off this street. The Dawsons were huddled in an intimate conversation with Luke's coach next to Mrs Dawson's flower display. As I approached them, I overheard: "I'm worried about Luke," Mrs Dawson said in a hushed voice, "He's overestimating his strength and not being careful with his knee. I spoke to the doctor and-" "The doctor's just trying to scare you," Jamie's dad replied reassuringly, "Don't worry, your husband and I are taking very good care of Luke. He's done a mighty fine job of balancing the pressure of the game with his health." I hesitated to interrupt this conversation. I didn't realize that Luke's mom had any reason to doubt Luke wasn't taking care of himself and I didn't like how dismissive the coach was. Unfortunately, Mrs Dawson noticed me first, and stopped talking. The three adults turned around. And I stuttered. "Is there something else we can help you with, Millie?" Mr Dawson asked. Else? I wasn't aware there was a something he helped me with in the first place. "Did you speak to my mom, Mr Dawson?" I asked plainly. "You saw her get into her car and leave," Mr Dawson answered coldly, "So, no. I didn't. Now please run along-" "Why do you ask, Millie?" Mrs Dawson interrupted, giving me the benefit of the doubt. She glared at her husband, cautioning him not to interrupt again. Jamie's dad backed away from the conversation and returned to the party, recognizing that his chat with Luke's parents was likely over. As coach, he was already so involved in Luke's life. "No reason, other than my mom mentioned it," I lied. Half lie. "Either she's mistaken, or you are," Mr Dawson said defensively, looking at his wife instead of me, "I don't have any reason to speak to them. They self-combust every few years." "I'm standing in front of you, Mr Dawson," I said, "I'd appreciate if you didn't demean my family in front of me." I tried to keep a cool exterior, but my heart was pumping 10000 miles a minute. As Luke's girlfriend, I was very focused on leaving a good impression on Mr Dawson. But now, I wasn't speaking as Luke's girlfriend, I was speaking to him as my mom's daughter. He's messing with my family and there was no way I was going to stay quiet. After confronting my mom, police officers and a f*cking home invader, I've learnt to speak up for myself. Otherwise, people are going to speak for me – and tell the wrong story. "I'm not," Mr Dawson chuckled, "You do that to yourselves." "No worries, I'll uh..." I tried to think of what to say, "My mom's boyfriend is coming over tonight and he wanted to sit down and tell us everything. Obviously, Luke and I were bu-" "What does Luke have to do with this?" Mr Dawson interrupted me, reacting immediately to the mention of his golden boy. That's right, I was using his weakness against him. "He's my boyfriend, Mr Dawson," I feigned innocence, "He's very worried about what made my mom leave me alone. The only reason we haven't had the conversation already is because of Luke's party today. But this evening-" "Are you threatening me with my own son?" the look that came over Mr Dawson's face filled me with dread. He looked so coldhearted when he was angry, and I didn't really want to be on the receiving end of what that meant. "What are you hiding? Just tell her because I can tell you're hiding something," Mrs Dawson snapped at her husband, "You might as well spit it out." He didn't want to. "I have nothing to hide." "Alright," I shrugged, "No problem. My mom's boyfriend is already going to spill the beans..." Another lie. In case he had threatened my mom into silence, I had to invent someone willing to share the secret. It seems reasonable that my mom would've told the truth to her boyfriend. I started to walk away, recognizing that I now had to tell Luke everything. I hadn't told him the full extent of my mom's abandonment and my financial problems – I just didn't feel like crying to anybody for help. But now, he needed to know, since his dad was involved. I could hear Luke's parents arguing between each other until, suddenly, Mr Dawson called me back. "Fine," he drawled, "I spoke to her." I turned around, shocked that he admitted it. The look his wife gave him was enough to worry me all over again. She knew her husband's ways and it hadn't been worth lying to her over this. "W- what did you say?" I asked. "Before you went to Dubai, Luke... reminded me of your past family problems," he said, and I knew he was talking about calling social services on us when we were kids. "And I realized that things haven't changed much for you." Did he break into my house? Was he the intruder? Mrs Dawson and I waited with bated breath. "So?" Mrs Dawson asked, "What did you do?" "I called your dad."