Chapter 42 Chapter Forty Two

Chapter 42 Chapter Forty Two
Mira’s POV

I froze in the hallway, heart slamming against my ribs. Kem stood a few feet away, arms loosely crossed, head tilted like she was trying to solve a puzzle. Her gaze kept drifting toward the direction I had come from, calm in a way that made my skin crawl more than any nasty look would have.

“That’s not my dad,” I blurted out, the words rushing too fast. I forced my voice to stay steady even as my hands trembled at my sides, fingers curling into useless fists. “He hasn’t been released yet.”

She studied me for a long second, eyebrows slightly raised. “Huh. Okay.” She mumbled the words like they didn’t matter much, shrugged one shoulder, and walked off toward the stairwell without another word.

I stayed rooted to the spot until her footsteps completely faded, then let out a shaky breath that rattled through my entire body. My legs felt wobbly as I made my way outside and headed home. The bus ride gave me too much time to think, I pressed my forehead against the cool window, staring at the blur of passing streets and trying desperately to focus on anything other than the fear clawing at my throat.

I called Elma the second I got home, sitting on my bedroom floor with my back against the bed frame because somehow the floor felt safer than the bed.

She picked up almost immediately. “M, are you back? How was he? Really?”

I hugged my knees harder. 

“He looks… really bad, El. Like he hasn’t eaten properly in weeks. His face is all sunken in, and his eyes-” My voice cracked, the image flashing behind my eyelids again. “And then Kem saw us, though I lied, but the way she looked at me…I think she knows. I can feel it in my bones.”

She exhaled hard on the other end. “Okay. Breathe with me for a second. First, are you safe right now? Are you home?”

“Yeah. I’m just… scared.” I pressed the heel of my hand against my eyes, trying to stop the tears before they started. “If she tells anyone, or if Mom finds out -” 

“She won’t,” Elma said firmly. “If she wanted to spread it, I’m sure it would’ve been everywhere by now. Who cares what that stupid girl thinks anyway?”

I managed a weak, watery laugh even though she couldn’t see it. “Yeah… When are you coming back again?”

“A week or so.”

I was still holding the phone, laughing quietly at nothing in particular just to keep the tears at bay, when my bedroom door creaked open.

Aunt Ruth stood in the doorway, arms crossed, one eyebrow already arched high on her forehead in that signature way of hers.

“Elma, I gotta go.” I hung up before she could protest.

“How long were you standing there?” My voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper.

“Long enough.” She stepped inside and shut the door behind her, which somehow felt more serious than if she’d yelled. “You saw your father today.”

I opened my mouth to deny it, but the lie died before it could form. Instead, I let out a long, defeated sigh, my shoulders slumping as the weight of the day crashed down on me.

“Please don’t tell Mom.” The words rushed out before I lost my nerve. “She’s already stressed enough. I don’t want her worrying about Dad on top of everything else.”

She sat on the edge of my bed, studying me with that patient, steady gaze that always made me want to squirm. It was the same look she’d given me when I was little and got caught sneaking cookies before dinner.

“I won’t tell her.” She raised a finger before relief could settle in my chest. “But on two conditions. You tell me everything, all of it, now. And you come to church with me this Sunday. No excuses or last minute homework emergencies.”

“That’s blackmail,” I muttered, trying for a smile that wobbled at the edges.

I hesitated, twisting my fingers in my lap. Church wasn’t exactly my favorite place right now, but the thought of Mom finding out everything made my skin crawl. “Okay. Deal.”

I told her everything, how thin and worn Dad had looked, the hollow look in his eyes that made my chest ache. She listened without interrupting, her expression softening with every painful detail.

When I finished, she pulled me into a warm hug, rubbing my back the way she used to when I was little. “We’ll figure this out together. You’re not alone, baby girl.”

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. I avoided everyone as much as possible, burying myself in homework just to keep my mind busy. The next day at school I kept my head down, weaving through hallways like I was dodging landmines. I managed to avoid Nat completely, and even Chloe seemed to have chilled out when we passed each other in the corridor. For a few hours, things almost felt manageable.

Until I ran into Amber near the vending machines.

“Hey,” she said, tilting her head with a small, concerned frown. “Anything yet?”

“Everything’s normal,” I lied, forcing a smile that felt cracked and brittle on my face.

She studied me a beat too long, clearly unconvinced, then let out a small, unsatisfied huff before walking away.

For two full days, nothing happened. There was no Kem materializing out of nowhere with that unreadable, curious look on her face. I actually started to relax, which in hindsight should have been my first warning sign.

She caught me by the science wing on the third day, stepping directly into my path like she’d been waiting there the whole afternoon.

“I need you to start writing my assignments.” She said it so casually, like she was asking to borrow a pencil. “Articles too, once tech class starts the newsletter unit. All of it.”

“Why would I want to do that?”

“You don’t want to know what I would do if you don’t.” Her eyes gleamed with quiet menace.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I tried to step around her, heart hammering.

She scoffed, sliding sideways to block me again, arms crossed.

“Cute. Really.” Her voice dropped, sharpening at the edges. “I’m doing this because we used to be besties, you know. I could just tell everyone your whole family’s a bunch of criminals. And you, the stalker has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

“Kem, please.” My voice cracked despite every effort to hold it steady. Tears stung my eyes.

“Did you see him, though?” She tilted her head, something almost delighted flickering across her face as she completely ignored my plea. “God, he looked rough. Like, genuinely rough. Did prison do that, or was that a more recent development?”

Something in my chest cracked wide open, hot and furious and utterly helpless all at once. My hands curled into fists at my sides, and for one wild second I actually considered shoving past her, consequences be damned.

“Aw, don’t cry.” Her voice climbed, cruel and singsong now, feeding off whatever pain she saw on my face. “It’s not that deep. Just do the assignments, and nobody has to know your sad little secret.”

My eyes burned fiercely. I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek until I tasted copper, refusing to let a single tear fall in the middle of the hallway where people were already starting to glance our way.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”