I sighed and rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands. “I can’t tell you what’s going on. But know I have it under control,” I said.
“I told you this wouldn’t work,” my mother said.
“Sam, talk to us,” my father said.
“There really isn’t anything else to talk about. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some work that I really need to get done before my next deadline.”
I walked quietly back up the stairs and into my “bedroom.” Quite frankly, it was none of their damn business what was going on with me. I was a grown woman with a full-time job, a place of her own, and had no bills that were their responsibility whatsoever. I didn’t owe them anything. Mom wanted to bitch about how I never came home, and then I come home when I need the support of family the most and all they did was prove to me why I stayed away.
What a joke.
My parents didn’t have a right to my life, but my mother was right. I was back under their roof, however temporary. And that meant certain rules needed to be followed out of respect, whether or not they gave it back to me. I still didn’t believe they had a right to every detail of my life, but I wasn’t going to stomp all over their rules. I kept my noise down, met them for all meals, and I would let them know if I went anywhere and would give them a time I was coming back.
None of that required my life story, however.
Part of me wished I could take back what happened.
But an honest part of me didn’t.
I opened my laptop and got a bit of work done when my stomach growled. I looked at the clock. It was nowhere near close to dinner. I changed my clothes and went downstairs, and I didn’t see my parents anywhere. If they weren’t anywhere for me to tell them where I was going, then I had to leave a note. I scribbled down the name of a restaurant in town along with the time I’d be back, then I did something I knew they wouldn’t like.
I told them I probably wouldn’t be hungry for dinner.
I grabbed my purse and prepared the leave the house when a knock came at the door. I opened it up and found Lauren standing there, and she threw her arms around me. It felt good to hug my best friend. It felt good to be in the warmth of an embrace I considered family.
But knowing the secret I was keeping from her was killing me inside.
“I’ve been so worried about you,” she said.
“I’m sorry I haven’t picked up your calls. I’ve been tired.”
“You’ve been texting. It’s fine. Where are you headed? You look like you’re going somewhere.”
“To get some food. I didn’t eat breakfast, and I’m starving,” I said.
“Come on. We can go spend some time together.”
I didn’t know if that was a good idea, but time with my best friend was something I needed, so I agreed.
“What’s going on with you?” Lauren asked as we drove in her car.
“Nothing. Like I said, I’ve just been busy working.” It wasn’t a total lie.
“Listen Sam, I’ve known you for a long time and I know you better than you know yourself. I know you didn’t leave Vegas because of work.”
I panned my gaze over to her as panic settled in my veins.
“What?” I asked.
“I know my brothers had something to do with it. What happened after Todd and I left you all in the club that night? Did they bring strippers back to the room or do something equally gross to make you want to stay away from them?
No, I wanted to say. I was the gross one. I was the one who fucked all four of them at once. Seriously, who does something like that?
“What did they do?” she asked again.
“Nothing,” I said. “Seriously. I’m just so stressed.”
“About what?”