What could she say? Hadn’t she just been thinking the same thing moments ago?
“Here’s another truth,” Kaden said, then paused, and Abby almost reached out and stopped him. She wanted to cover his mouth with her hand. This sharing was too much. She couldn’t do it, and it wasn’t fair for him to continue to spill his guts while she remained silent.
“Truth be told, I’ve never skipped school before either. And it makes me a little jittery. It’s not that I never break the rules but...” He bit his lip, and stared out the window, collecting his thoughts. “Ever since my mom died, I feel like I need to be perfect for my dad, like I can’t raise any red flags or get in trouble or do any normal stuff teenagers do like go to parties or skip curfew. Sure, I sneak work, but that’s about it. I don’t go out. I don’t even ask or try, and he prefers it that way. I get straight A’s and help watch my sister until he gets home from work, and I go to bed on time every night without him having to ask. It’s what I do. But maybe I’m tired of it. When I’m around you, I question why I don’t try harder to have a life.”
Abby sat in the silence, taking in everything he just said. She shook her head, trying to understand. “You joke and tease. You don’t act like someone who has problems.”
A glimmer of understanding flickered in his eyes as his gaze locked on hers, and he shrugged. “You can either make the most of the hand you’re dealt, or you can dwell on it and be miserable. I’ve got nothing to complain about. Not really. I know how I feel, and I own that. It helps.”
Abby drove in silence, wishing she could be so honest. Her thoughts drifted from Kaden to herself. They were not all that different. She grew up thinking family was everything.
Family first. Everything else came second, and though it seemed natural at the time, she wondered if pushing away friends and only keeping family close had exacerbated her innate inability to open up and let people in. Family would always be there. She could rely on them, but friends were trickier. They weren’t obligated to like her or want her around, keep her confidences, or remain loyal. The risk of friendship was much greater.
And now, as she neared her grandparents’ house, preparing herself to retrieve GG’s safety deposit box key and unravel her family’s secrets, she found the situation reversed. In this case, family was the problem. GG had come across a secret, and Abby couldn’t turn to any of them for help, which meant going at it alone. And not for the first time since this started, Abby’s desire for a close friend, a confidant, twitched in her belly, hungering for someone to share this burden with.
But letting someone in was a choice. For Kaden, it wasn’t so simple, since pleasing his father meant avoiding meaningful interactions.
She glanced over at him, thinking how exhausting it must be to try and make someone happy for so many years. His argument with his dad about spending time with her flickered in her head, and a light went on. He chose her over his father’s wishes. Something Kaden claimed he never did.
“Why me?” she asked before she could stop herself. “Out of all the people, why do I make you question why you’ve never fought him?”
“Maybe you’re the first thing I wanted more than I wanted to please my father. Some things are just worth it.”
He turned back to his window as if he hadn’t just sent her heart into palpitations.
Abby swallowed as his words sunk into her bones, and the air in the car shifted. Something intense and meaningful settled between them.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to clear her head. Now that she knew more about him, she didn’t want to get him into trouble.
“Are you sure you want to do this? What if your dad finds out?” she asked as she turned onto her grandparents’ street.
“Depends. Will I learn all your secrets? If so, it’s worth it.” He winked, having no idea how close he was to the truth. “Did I mention my dad works for Fairfax PD? He’s like a human lie detector.”
“Oh.” Abby sunk back into her seat. “Well, that’s inconvenient for you.”
“It is, isn’t it? But what’s with the sudden concern. Are we going to be breaking any laws?” He grinned.
Not technically.
“We’re just going to my grandmother’s house.”
Kaden laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. It’s just, both of us are skipping school for the first time and what are we doing? Going to your grandma’s house. Kind of amusing, don’t you think?”
“No. I don’t think. And for your information, we’re going there to get a key.”
“Ah, a key! This keeps getting more exciting,” he said, laughter in his voice.
“It’s a key that can potentially help me unravel a secret, okay?”
“Ohhh, a secret. Got it. Totally explains everything now.” He rolled his eyes.
“It’s to her safety deposit box, and yes, before you say anything, she asked me to get the key and open it.”
“Uh-huh.”