Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Cadence
I’d done a stupid thing.
It was a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon, but I wanted the sun to fall from the sky and end us all in a fiery Hell.
I gripped my steering wheel as I made my way closer to Fayetteville.
I’d done a really stupid thing.
After my phone call with Damien yesterday, I decided to talk to Elijah and tell him I was going home to support my best friend. But when he got to the house after work, he’d been in a bad mood and basically… I chickened out.
I wasn’t proud of it, but it was the truth.
He exuded this whole ‘I’m not in the mood for anything’ aura, and I didn’t want to fight with him.
So, instead of being the adult I claimed to be, when he went into the office to clock a few extra hours, I packed my bags and left without a word.
I hit my head on my steering wheel a few times.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. I’m a child!
But I didn’t know what else to do.
I knew what he would say. He would tell me work was more important and my duty was to stay here. I didn’t want that. I wanted to go.
He would have tried to stop me. And I would have listened.
Then I would have resented him.
I was only an hour into the three-hour drive when that dreaded call came through.
“Hello?”
“What are you doing?”
“Uh. Currently driving on I-95.”
“I assumed, considering what your note said,” Elijah paused. “Cadence… what the fuck?”
“That’s an extremely vague question.”
“What is going on with you? You left without even talking to me about it? What about work? After everything that happened with the compliance inspection, do you honestly think right now is an appropriate time to neglect all your responsibilities?”
“I’m not neglecting any of my responsibilities.
I put in for vacation. Liam is putting on a charity fashion show today to support Jamie’s project at work.
It’s a noble cause, and your family loves supporting charities, so I’m sure they’d approve.
Then, after, Jamie plans to propose to Blake, and I want to be there for her. ”
“Here you go again, always going on about your other friends. But I should have become your main priority when you and I started dating.”
“That’s not fair. You’ve always been my priority, but you can’t expect me to drop everyone and everything else.
This isn’t a ‘you say jump and I say how high’ situation.
My entire life didn’t begin when you and I got together.
Besides, I’ve wanted to visit my mom for a while now. I’ve been telling you that for months.”
“I don’t remember you mentioning that. No.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Do you realize how disrespectful it is to just up and leave in the middle of the day while I’m gone? Why didn’t you say anything to me before I left this morning? I imagine you planned it before then.”
I frowned as I approached a car in the slow lane and put on my blinker to pass. “I am sorry about that. I wasn’t sure how to talk to you about it. You’ve been so confrontational recently, and I didn’t know how to bring it up without you trying to convince me not to go.”
“And I would have. This is bullshit, Cadence. You can’t just up and leave. If the fashion show is today, come home tonight.”
“You want me to drive three hours there, and three hours back home tonight? No. I’m good.”
He scoffed. “Fine. Come home tomorrow.”
I took in a steadying breath. “Actually. I’m not planning on coming home until next Sunday.”
“In a week? Jesus.”
“You’re acting like you can’t survive without me.”
“You have obligations here.”
“And those obligations will be there when I get back.”
“Who are you right now? It’s like I don’t even know you.”
“I’m coming into some traffic. I’m going to let you go.”
“Of course, you are.”
As I began to say bye, Elijah hung up.
Typical. He always had to get in the last word.
I sat up taller in my seat and rolled my shoulders and neck, dispersing some of the negativity that lingered around me.
Time to put on my petty girl playlist, curated with a mix of Paramore, Flyleaf, and Taylor Swift.
And yes, one of those things is not like the other, but I like what I like.
I turned up my music and sang as loud as my lungs would let me.
For some mysterious reason, I believed it would be a fun surprise to show up at my mom’s house unannounced.
Maybe because I forgot to call her on the way here? Definitely.
As I pulled into the driveway, I was relieved to find her car in car port. I used my key to let myself in and pushed the door shut behind me.
I turned and yelled like I’d just met my maker.
My scream matched my mom’s as she yelled, “What the hell, Cadence? I thought someone was breaking in. A little warning would have been nice.”
But she dropped the baseball bat she was holding and pulled me into her arms.
“Sorry, Mom.”
She released a breath. “It’s fine, sweetie. You just scared the shit out of me.”
I wrapped my arms around her and sank into the familiar, comforting feeling only a mother could create. “I’m sorry. I forgot to call you.”
My mom always smelled the same way, and I swear she’d been using the same perfume since before I was born. A citrusy, floral scent only achieved by Burberry. Those hints of tangerine reminded me that everything would be okay, just like when I’d been a child.
She pulled back and looked at me, her hazel eyes roamed my face, laced with concern. “Are you okay?”
There were a few more wrinkles around her eyes from the last time I’d visited her. Proof that I’d stayed away for too long. My mother was adamant about her skincare routine. If she showed any signs of aging, it wasn’t from lack of trying.
Looking at her now, I never realized how much I favored my father. I had my dad’s light brown eyes, wavy brunette hair, and medium complexion. My mom was blessed with straight, light brown hair, hazel eyes that changed in the light, and a fair complexion.
The only thing I didn’t get from my dad was his height. Even my mom was considered average. Somehow, I was the runt of the family, barely hitting five foot two.
“I’m fine, Mom. I wanted to make it in time for the fashion show today. Plus, I didn’t attend Noah’s funeral, and I wanted to offer my condolences to the Richey family.”
She nodded in understanding. “Well, come on in. Do you need help grabbing anything?”
“No. I’ll grab my bags later. I need a cup of coffee, and I know you have a pot on.”
She grinned. “Always.”
We spent the next couple of hours talking and catching up. I kept my new problems with Elijah to myself. I didn’t want her to worry more than she already did. Whatever I needed to do, I would do it on my own.
I did spill the beans on Jamie proposing to Blake and my mom had squealed with excitement.
Apparently, I was the only one who didn’t know it was coming.
When the time came to get ready for the fashion show, I ran out to my car, grabbed my bags, and carried them into my childhood room.
I threw them on the floor before collapsing on the edge of my old bed like a sack of potatoes.
My gaze danced around the room, moving from the boyband posters hung on the walls, to the Beanie Babies I’d displayed on my dresser to, finally, the photos pinned above the headboard of my friends and me.
Nostalgia enveloped me as moments of my childhood were displayed before me, each an essential piece to the puzzle that made me who I was.
My arm thrown around Blakely’s shoulders as we tried to conquer the awkward stage of our lives called ‘the teenage years’.
Pictures of us wearing blue eye shadow and black choker necklaces, others with black clothes and heavy eyeliner.
There were plenty of photos of me with the entire gang—our poses always witty and never serious. It didn’t matter how often our parents tried to get a decent photo of us. Someone always stuck a tongue out or made bunny ears. It was how we were, and made me love my friends even more.
I once tried to get a picture with Liam, and even he made it a joke. Next to Blake, I’d been closest with him. Just another reason it was so important for me to be here and support both of them.
One other photo caught my eye, and the corners of my mouth turned up as I looked at Jade and me on stage at my school’s talent show.
Somehow, we’d convinced her mom to let her miss school and come up to Fayetteville to participate.
We sang together, belting out the lyrics to our favorite anime opening with matching cosplay.
I wasn’t sure where we’d gotten the gumption for the performance, but it happened.
Back when we believed we’d make it as singers, neither of us realizing how harsh the world was.
A crisp knock sounded on the door before my mom cracked it open and popped her head inside. “Are you decent?”
I rolled my eyes. “Even if I wasn’t, would it matter? Considering you gave birth to me and all.”
“Doesn’t hurt to ask. Didn’t want to catch you doing anything indecent.”
“Like what?”
“Oh, maybe a little self-love.”
“Ugh! Mom! Gross!”
She lacked any and all traces of embarrassment as she opened the door all the way and stepped into my room.
She set a large white box on my bed before placing her hands on her hips and looking around as I had done only minutes before.
“I couldn’t bring myself to do anything with your room when you left. ”
“What’s that?” I nodded toward the box.
Ignoring me, she said, “It will always be your room. A shrine to the little girl that grew up and made her dreams a reality.”
“Stop talking about me like I died. It’s creepy. Now, the box?”
“I tried to keep the door shut so it would still smell like you did. At least when you left for college, you had learned how to shower properly and wore perfume, so it didn’t stink like the gym sock it did when you were ten.”
I pushed her arm playfully. “You’re terrible, Mom.”
“It’s why you love me.”
“I’d still love you if you were normal.”
“I’ll never be normal, you know that.” She paused and looked down. “As for the box, it showed up on the doorstep for you.”