My mouth tightened, but I accepted the treat. “He beat her,” I whispered. “And he beat me.”
“That’s why she did it?” Janice inquired, much like she’d ask which recipe I was following if I was making a cake.
“Yes. The lady I spoke with said as much.”
Janice pursed her lips. “Well, I can’t say that I blame her then.”
Tears filled my eyes for real this time. I wanted someone else to have her back. My poor, innocent momma. She didn’t deserve the fate that had been handed to her, and I had to believe that I’d been taken along this path, not only to find Adam, but to get her out of a life worse than death.
It was in our blood to travel. To roam.
Roma weren’t meant to stay in one place for too long. Our ideals were different, bred into us over the ages, making nomads of us in our cradles.
I couldn’t imagine how my momma felt, locked in, caged...
“I want to see her,” I whispered.
“I can’t blame you, but it might not be as easy as all that. Maybe she doesn’t want to see you,” Janice cautioned gently, before she took a bite of her own ice cream sandwich. “You need to write to her first. See what she says. I think they have to invite you for visitation as well. You can’t just pop in and visit like she’s in the hospital, sweetheart.”
I hated that she was right, and as impatience filled me, gooey ice cream started slipping down my fingers as it melted in my hand, but I wasn’t interested in the creamy concoction, not to taste it, at any rate. Though it was weird, the sight reminded me of last night. I stared at the white liquid which spattered my hand before I whispered, “Can you take me to the pharmacy?”
She reared back in surprise, and I couldn’t blame her. We were going from talking about my mother to my needing to start damage control on a potentially flammable situation. “Why?” she queried with a frown.
“I-I had sex last night.”
Janice tensed. “What?”
I shrugged.
“You didn’t use anything?”
“I know the boy. He’s safe,” I mumbled.
A pained moan escaped her, and she dropped her treat on the plate with a splat. “How could you be so reckless, Thea?”
I hated how disappointed she sounded. In fact, I’d probably prefer for her to be mad at me, to call me stupid, to tell me I was a slut.
Instead, she was hurt. Because I’d been stupid.
Biting my bottom lip, I whispered, “I love him.”
“Was it your first time?” she asked carefully.
I caught her eye, nodded, and she released a breath, then patted my arm with sticky fingers.
“We’ll go this afternoon. Or in the morning if nowhere’s open.”
“Thank you, Janice.”
I felt better for having spoken with her, for having revealed the truth to someone other than Adam. For a second, I wondered if Robert had told him about my mom, but no, his surprise had been genuine.
God, I was so sick of adults ruling my world.
I was so ready to be out there, doing my own thing, living my life the way I wanted to.
But, if anything had come from today, it was that, one—I loved Adam as much as I ever had. I didn’t feel like I was dying inside when I thought of him anymore either. There was a bittersweet sorrow, I’d admit to that, but not that soul deep, bone gnawing ache that made me feel like I was being eaten away by a cancer that literally had no cure.
Two—up until now, my only goal had been to swim. To spend as much time in the pool as I physically could. That was where my freedom was, where I could travel and roam without anyone disturbing me.
The difference was, now, I’d swim and train with a purpose.
I wasn’t going to make the money it would take to liberate my mom from the jail cell she was living in if I didn’t focus on winning and reaching the big time.
I needed to get rich, and I needed to do it fast.
Coach was right—nothing lasted forever, and my time was nearing. The future beckoned me with a promise so bright it felt hotter than the sun, and I’d need that to spur me on, because no way in hell was my mother going to rot in prison for another eighteen years.
Over my dead body.
THEA
I yawned as I opened the door, but though I expected room service,