Chapter 22
“How have you been?” my mom asks.
“What do you mean?” I ask as I walk alongside her, following Brynlee as she goes house to house, trick-or-treating. She’s Snow White this year. She wants to dress up like all the princesses. Last year she was Cinderella.
Thankfully, Halloween is on a Saturday this year. I don’t know how I would have snuck out, partied, and then gone to school the next day without being obvious.
“You’ve been grounded for almost a month. I know how much time you and Paige typically spend together, so it must be hard.”
No kidding.
“Are you still seeing Kai?” she asks.
“Only at school.” I pause. “And not for very long. He only has morning classes and then he goes straight to work after school.”
“Oh, my gosh.” Brynlee gasps and points in front of her. “Look, it’s the Sanderson Sisters.”
“Oh, yeah. I wonder where Binx is?” my mom says.
I grew up watching Hocus Pocus every year. When Brynlee came along, the three of us would watch it together. It’s my favorite Halloween movie. I can’t help but smile at Brynlee’s excitement. It makes me happy that she loves Hocus Pocus as much as I do.
“Mom, Binx wouldn’t be with the sisters. They’re the ones that turned him into a cat,” she says as if she should know better.
My mom and I both giggle.
“You’re right,” Mom says.
I haven’t seen it this year yet. They may have seen it without me since I’ve been in my room a lot more than usual.
Both of us stop and wait for Brynlee to trick-or-treat at a house with bats, spiders, and cobwebs hanging off the trees.
“What does Kai do for work?”
I tell her a little about his life and how his mom is a single mom, too.
She listens as we walk around the neighborhood.
The night is chilly. I only brought a small jacket.
Every now and then, a breeze goes by, making goosebumps appear all over my body.
It always snows this time of year, making it hard to trick-or-treat.
This year hasn’t been as cold as it usually is by October.
“That’s crazy how much you two have in common,” my mom says.
“It’s what connected us more.”
“You really like him, then?”
“Yes. I do.” Flashes of our nights together swarm my stomach with butterflies.
If my mom only knew all the nights we spent together she would kill me.
Especially knowing I lost my virginity only a few days ago.
She hasn’t had the sex talk with me. Doesn’t every parent have the talk with their kids? Not mine. Paige’s mom hasn’t either.
“Maybe we can all go out to dinner sometime. If you like him that much, I would like to get to know him more.”
A small sliver of hope rises within me. “Really?” I’m overwhelmed with shock. This isn’t like my mom. She never asks to meet who I’m dating. Probably because this is the first guy who’s asked me out on a date, picked me up, and met my mom.
Maybe now I won’t have to sneak out to see Kai. We can see each other without the worry of getting caught.
“I was young once. I know what it’s like wanting to spend every minute with the guy you like.” She reaches into her back pocket and hands me my phone. “You can have this back. But you better not sneak out again.”
I’m at a loss for words. Not because I’m getting my phone back, but because she thinks I’ve been doing good. My stomach sinks as I think about how I’ve been deceiving her.
Her brows crease as I reach for the phone. “You don’t seem happy about getting your phone back. I thought you’d be jumping for joy.”
I release my bottom lip from my teeth before she realizes. She knows I do that when I’m nervous. “I guess I’m in shock. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“You’ve been coming home every day after school like I asked and helping with Brynlee. So I think it’s time to unground you.”
Her words are making me dizzy as I hold my breath in, not knowing what to say. “Thanks,” is all I can manage.
I should be a better daughter.