Deep Freeze (West Coast 1)
But it was mailed from Portland, less than an hour away.
From her.
From her children.
Inwardly, she turned ice cold.
I will come for you.
She took in a deep breath. Try it, she thought, anger overcoming fear. Tomorrow she’d not only sign up with the security company, she’d go to the outdoor store for some shotgun shells.
“Come on, Cass…it’ll be fun,” Josh insisted. “And besides, there’s no school tomorrow. Meet me in an hour at the usual spot.”
“If I get caught I’ll be so dead.” Cassie was burrowed deep in her bed, covers over her head, her cell phone against her ear. He wanted her to sneak out. Again. So soon after being caught. No…she couldn’t risk it.
“So what? Can she ground you any more?”
“She can make my life pretty damned miserable,” Cassie said and winced slightly. It was true her mom was bugging the hell out of her, always prying, always laying down rules, always treating her like a kid, but deep down, Cassie knew, Jenna was playing the part of disciplinarian because she thought it was the best thing for her daughters. Which was, of course, way wrong.
“You won’t get caught. By the time you leave, it’ll be after one. She’ll be asleep. Guaranteed. Dead to the world.”
Cassie hesitated, biting her lip before finally deciding. “I can’t. Really.”
“Oh, quit being a wuss. Lots of kids are going out tonight.”
“Their parents let them.”
“No, Cass. They just don’t let their parents boss them around, like you do. They’re not scared of their parents.”
“I’m not scared of my mom.”
“Sure you are.”
“No way.”
“Then why don’t you ask her to let you go out?”
“She’d say ‘no.’ I’m supposed to be grounded. Remember?” Sometimes he could be so dense!
“So how can she stop you?”
“For one thing, she turned on the security system tonight. I saw her from the landing of the stairs. She’s probably doing it just to keep me inside.”
“So turn it off. You know the code, don’t you?”
“Then the house would be unprotected.”
“So what?” he said with a laugh.
“Look, I just don’t want the hassle.”
“Because, like I said, you’re afraid of
your mom. You’ve given her that power over you. This really isn’t her problem. It’s yours.”
“Fine. But it’s not yours!” She snapped her cell phone shut and turned it off so that if Josh decided to call her again, she wouldn’t hear it. Sometimes he was so pushy. But his words taunted her. You’re afraid of your mom. You’ve given her that power over you. This isn’t her problem. It’s yours. So he thought she was weak. No, she wouldn’t buy into that. He was just trying to find a way to get her to do what he wanted. He was the one who was trying to exert his power over Cassie. Not her mother. She pushed herself from beneath the covers and clicked her remote so that her television came to life. It was too late for most shows, but there was a movie she could watch, one she’d missed because she’d been in the middle of the move from California at the time. Boy, had that been a mistake.
From the next bedroom, she heard laughter. Allie and her friend were really stoked about not going to school. They’d spent some time outdoors trying to build a snow fort. It had been too cold for that, so they’d gone to the stables, which were heated, to check on the horses, all of which were surviving just fine, and then they’d come inside for hot cocoa and popcorn and…Cassie let out a quiet little sob. Sometimes she felt so alone. Even Allie had a good friend. Jenna had the people at the local theater, even though some of them were beyond strange, but Cassie felt as if she hadn’t really connected with anyone since she’d moved up here.