to get pizza tonight. I didn’t think he’d be by until later, but I’ve been so excited I even managed to clean my room.
“Bye, Jasmine,” I call to the kitten curled up on my pillow. “I put some food down for you, and your new toy.”
As usual, Jasmine doesn’t even look up.
I race down the stairs with a smile on my face.
“Hey, Mom! Hey, James!” I turn the corner to see my mom and dad and Uncle Optimus sitting at the kitchen table.
“Hey, squirt,” Uncle Optimus says as he gets to his feet.
“Hey.” I notice that he doesn’t look happy. I’m not sure if he’s mad at me or at my mom. I don’t want to ask. He’s probably mad at me after what I did to Kingston. I’ve been waiting for someone to say something.
My heart actually hurts.
“I gotta run,” he tells Mom and James. “Later, kiddo.”
With that, he’s out the door in a flash and I’m left staring at my mom and dad. They both look upset.
“Take a seat, Bianca.” My mom’s voice is stern but not mean.
I squeeze my cell phone in my hand and go to the table, pulling out the chair across from them.
“Did I do something wrong?”
My mom continues to look at me for what feels like forever.
“I should’ve brought this up a while back, but … well, things have been a little hectic, as you know. I wanted to talk to you about the Facebook post.”
I smile. It brought my mom and dad together.
“Why didn’t you talk to me before you posted that, Bianca?”
My smile falls because clearly she’s not happy about that. “I don’t know.”
“Why did you create a second account so that I wouldn’t see it?”
“I don’t know.” It’s the only answer I can come up with.
“You can do better than that,” my mom says, clearly reading my mind.
“I didn’t want you to be mad.”
“If you thought I’d be mad, why’d you do it?”
“Because I wanted to find my dad.” I look at James. He’s not saying anything, nor does he look like he’s on my side.
“You know you could’ve talked to me about that. I would’ve tried to help you. I could’ve posted from my account to ensure your safety.”
“I put the bar’s phone number,” I argue. I really was being safe. I didn’t put any information about myself, and I didn’t answer any messages that I got. Not that I got many.
My mom laughs, but it doesn’t sound like she finds it funny.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I wanted to find him.” I look at James. “Aren’t you glad I did it?”
“I am,” he says softly.
See? I knew he would be on my side.
“But, Bianca,” he continues, “I agree with your mom. Going behind her back… Not only does it hurt her, but it puts you in danger.”
“But I wasn’t in danger. It wasn’t like—”
“Bianca,” James says more firmly. “We understand why you did it. And I’m extremely thankful that it worked out. However, the way you handled it wasn’t the right way.”
“I’m sorry,” I tell him. “I won’t do it again.”
My mom sighs. “I’m glad it worked out, too. But Bianca, you’ve been defying me quite a bit lately. First it was your hair, then it was the Facebook stuff. I think proper punishment is in order.”
“What?” My mother has never punished me before. “Like what?”
“You’re grounded from your phone for one week.”
“One week! Are you insane?” I can’t believe she’s doing this! “That’s not fair. You know it’s not fair.” I can’t stop the tears from falling.
“Bianca…”
“No! That’s not fair. I wanted to find my dad. That’s my right. I can’t be punished for that!”
“You’re not being punished for finding him,” she clarifies. “You’re being punished for the way you’ve been handling things lately.”
“You act like I’ve done all this stuff!”
My mom’s eyes narrow. “You want to tell me about the text messages you sent to Kingston?”
Oh, crap.
Ellie
I’ve been constantly glancing at the clock for the past half hour. That’s exactly how long it’s been since James and Bianca left to go to dinner. Because of our talk, they had to switch the movie to afterward. They tried to get me to go with them, but I couldn’t. I don’t want to lead Bianca on and make her think something is going to happen between her dad and me.
It was bad enough that Spencer came over to inform me about Bianca’s text message to Kingston. No wonder the man won’t even look me in the eye. My own