Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
“ I ’m really sorry, but I don’t want to get anyone sick.” Libby pulled the phone away from her ear and gave another exaggerated cough. “I can work a double shift when I’m feeling better.”
Maggie said something in the background, her fingers moving steadily over the keys. “Don’t worry about it. I got you. Do you need me to bring anything? Some soup or ginger ale?”
Libby faked another sneeze and tacked on a loud cough for good measure. “No, I appreciate this, Mags. You’re the best.”
“Feel better soon, hon.”
As soon as Libby hung up, another surge of guilt made her stomach tighten. She tried not to think about it as she finished the last of her coffee and oatmeal. Then, she stood at the sink, letting the cool water soothe her jumbled thoughts. When she was done, Libby patted her hands dry and glanced around the kitchen.
When she poked her head into Annie’s room, her foster daughter was shoving books into her backpack. “You ready to go?”
Annie grunted in response and gathered her hair into a high ponytail.
Libby offered her a smile and ducked back outside to wait for her. She was fiddling with her keys and tapping her feet nervously when Annie appeared. With a roll of her eyes, Annie snatched the lunch bag off the counter and peered into it. Her face gave nothing away as she brushed past Libby and wrenched the front door open.
Outside, the early morning sun was high in the sky, set against a backdrop of clear blue skies. Birds called out to each other, and a few kids raced past them on their bikes. Without missing a beat, Annie inched past them and continued on her march. Once they reached the school, Libby’s stomach grew even tighter.
“Have a good day, sweetie,” Libby called out to Annie’s retreating form.
For a while, Annie walked and didn’t say anything. Then, before she disappeared inside, she glanced over her shoulder at Libby, who gave her an enthusiastic wave. Libby waited until she was sure Annie was inside before pretending to walk away.
She stopped behind a cluster of trees nearby and peered through them at the front door.
Libby had no idea what she was hoping to accomplish by spying on Annie. Or what she was going to accomplish by following her around, but it had to be better than sitting around at work, tapping her screen every hour and waiting for the app to load while she carried around a heavy feeling in her stomach. While Libby knew there was no excuse for what she was doing, she was officially out of options.
Annie barely said more than a few sentences to her, giving nothing away. And she refused to see the child psychiatrist Charlotte had recommended.
Short of dragging Annie there, bound and gagged against her will, her foster daughter wasn’t going anywhere near the psychiatrist’s office. Now that Libby was running out of options, she clung to the only thing she knew: her own judgment.
So, she stood there, chewing on her apple and scrolling through her phone. When her legs grew too stiff, she shook them out. Then, she wandered over to the cluster of benches outside the school. She sat down on one of them, stretched her legs out, and checked her watch.
Hours later, when Libby was studying her nails, she heard a shrill bell. Hastily, she scrambled to her feet and went back to hide behind the cluster of trees. A few students poured out of the front door, with teachers trailing after them. Libby spotted Annie easily, with Charlotte hot on her heels. She smiled when Charlotte placed a hand on her shoulder and said something.
But Annie was looking right through her.
Abruptly, Annie leaned out of reach, spun on her heel, and walked away. Libby’s heart was pounding in her ears as she sucked in a harsh breath. She waited for a while longer and then jumped out from behind the trees. She earned a few curious looks from the other students, but no one said anything.
Libby was sweating as she followed Annie at a safe distance down Hamlin Avenue. Annie snuck glances at her phone the entire time, her shoulders hunched. She veered left onto Kathy Lee Bates Road, and Libby slowed her pace. Libby’s heart was still pounding erratically, and she felt like she was going to throw up.
Suddenly, Libby was overcome with the urge to run in the opposite direction.
What if Annie was engaged in some illicit activity?
How was Libby meant to stop her?
Before she could wonder about all of the trouble Annie could be in, she saw Annie step onto the path leading directly to the Falmouth Public Library. It had immaculate green laws sprawled out and several brown-colored buildings on either side, then the library itself, with its gabled roofline and white windows, sprawled in the center.
Libby ducked behind the nearest tree, and her eyes widened when she saw Annie duck inside. When a long moment passed, and nothing happened, Libby stood up to leave.
Shame on you for doubting her. She’s a good kid, Libby. It’s a good thing she didn’t see you.
Libby cast one final glance over her shoulders, guilt and frustration still coursing through her and making her stomach tighten into knots when she saw Annie step out. A heartbeat later, Annie glanced over her shoulder and smiled at the tall, blond-haired man who looked to be around Annie’s age. With a frown, Libby squinted and saw the man had dreadlocks to his shoulders and wore too large clothes, and when he smiled, he showed off a row of yellow teeth.
A shudder went through Libby when the man reached out and engulfed Annie in a hug.
Sweat broke out over Libby’s forehead and back.
Annie returned the hug, and the two of them stood there on the steps of the library while everyone moved around them. Libby’s heart was in her throat, and she had to stop herself from marching over to them and yanking Annie out of his grasp. She wanted to give the man a piece of her mind; then, she wanted to drag Annie home and do the same.
But she didn’t.
Instead, against every bone in her body telling her otherwise, she stood there, clenching and unclenching her fists. She bit down on her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. For the longest time, nothing happened, and Libby was still using every ounce of self-control she had not to do something stupid.
Finally, Annie was the first to pull back, her cheeks flushed with color.
She gave the man a small smile, and he returned it.
Libby felt sick to her stomach.
Annie gave the man a quick wave and walked away, shoulders squared and her hands clenched at her sides. Heart hammering in her throat, Libby ducked behind a nearby tree and waited for her foster daughter to pass. Then, she counted backward from sixty and slowly poked her head out from behind the tree. When Annie’s friend climbed down the steps, Libby released a deep breath and stepped out.
She followed him as he left the library and wandered through the streets of Falmouth. Libby lengthened her strides to keep up with him as he marched down West Main Street. At the intersection, he turned left on Locust Street and then stopped to tie his shoelaces.
Libby pretended to be on her phone when he glanced over his shoulder.
Her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest when he continued walking and veered onto Siders Pond Road. Siders Pond loomed in the distance, glistening underneath the late afternoon sun. Libby slowed her pace when she spotted a group of kids forming a half-circle, wearing too-large clothes and gesturing to each other.
They had the same dreadlocks and yellowed teeth as Annie’s friend.
She swallowed, ducked behind the nearest cluster of bushes, and crouched behind it. With bated breath, she peeked through the foliage and saw Annie’s friend walk up to them and smile. From her position, she couldn’t see much other than a secret handshake they did that involved rubbing elbows and spitting on the ground.
Her chest tightened when one of them took out a clear Ziplock with white powder.
Annie can’t possibly know about this. She wouldn’t be mixed up with something like this. She can’t be.
Annie’s friend, on the other hand, was another matter.
The longer she watched his stiff interactions with the others, the more worried she became. She still couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it was obviously riling them up with the way they were waving their fists and thumping their chests. A sense of unease crept up on her and made her stomach tighten as she began to wonder what kind of activities Annie’s friend was involved in.
What kind of illegal activities did he engage in?
And how much of it was he going to drag her daughter into?
Libby stiffened when the circle broke up, and they all began to walk in opposite directions. She lowered herself onto the ground and breathed deeply, listening for the sound of their footsteps. Once they were gone, she stood back up and dusted herself off. In a daze, Libby walked back home, replaying the scene over and over in her head.
Was this another act of rebellion, or was Annie just confused?
Was Libby supposed to confront her or keep pushing until Annie came clean?
What if she never came clean?
The apartment building loomed in the distance, and Libby felt her stomach tighten further. She had no idea what she was meant to do with this new information and whether locking Annie up would be an extreme reaction. On the one hand, keeping her under lock and key ensured her safety. On the other hand, Libby knew it was one of the worst ideas she’d ever had, not only because of how impractical it was but also because of its cruelty.
Annie didn’t deserve to be imprisoned in her room.
Libby’s hands were shaking when she shoved the key into the lock and turned. When she saw Annie’s book bag by the door, along with a sweater and a pair of shoes thrown haphazardly, her heart missed a beat. In silence, Libby went into the kitchen to start on dinner. She diced up the onions and left them to sauté in the pan with some olive oil. Then, she cut the chicken into thin strips and threw them in with some salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika.
After leaving the stove on low heat, Libby gripped the sink and exhaled. She nearly jumped out of her own skin when Annie came out of her room and slowed to a halt.
“I didn’t hear you come in. You’re home early.”
“Yeah, things were slow at the clinic, so they told Maggie to stay and sent me home,” Libby replied without looking at her. “What about you? How was your day?”
“The usual.”
Libby made herself release the counter and twisted, heart jumping into her throat. “What did you do after school?”
“I went to the library,” Annie replied without meeting her gaze. “I thought I’d try and get ahead of the work, but I just ended up wandering around.”
Libby made a low, sympathetic sound. “By yourself? I’m sorry.”
Annie glanced up sharply. “I’m used to it.”
Libby hid her hands behind her back and hoped they weren’t shaking. “You know, you can invite some friends over if you want, girls if I’m not around. But if you want to have boys over too, just let me know.”
Annie’s brows furrowed. “Okay.”
Libby cleared her throat. “I just want you to feel safe and comfortable here, Annie. I’m not your warden. I’m your guardian.”
She desperately hoped that by giving her some space, Annie was going to find her way back to the right path, where Libby was waiting for her.
No matter how long it took.