Please Don't Tell My Parents I Have A Nemesis by Roberts Richard

Author:Roberts, Richard [Roberts, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781620076651
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Published: 2017-05-26T04:00:00+00:00

f course, that all assumed I wouldn’t have to confess tonight. I stood in front of my kitchen door, trying to figure out how I would say it if I had to.

It was way after dark. No way my Mom would miss that I’d been in a fight.

Okay, Penny. Let them make the first move, but if it looks like they know, or even are getting close, spit it out. Damage control, right? Maybe this was the best way, after all.

I opened the door and stepped inside.

Mom waited in the kitchen. Dad sat a few feet away, in his padded swivel chair in his office.

After a couple of heartbeats of silence, Dad leaned forward and whispered, “Oh, thank Tesla.”

Sitting in a chair at the kitchen table with a cup of tea, Mom sounded completely calm. Too calm. “I admit, you pushed the limits of my timetables. In another fifteen minutes, I would have called you, no matter what I was interrupting.”

Oh, criminy. Mom had a schedule. This was falling apart already. What would they do? What would they say?

I stared at her, like approaching doom, as she stood and walked around the table to me.

“I know what happened, and what you’ve been hiding, Penny,” she said, in the Audit’s even, emotionless tone.

Confession time. I had to. I had to. My mouth fumbled. If she already knew, how could I start? An apology? No, just say―

Mom placed her hand on my shoulder, squeezing tight enough to reassure, and leaned down to say softly,. “I know Bad Penny has been harassing you.”

Relief hit me so hard, I had to grab a chair and sit before my knees fell out from under me. The part of me that had known my mother for fourteen years noticed that this was exactly how I would react if she was correct.

Dad made no attempt to hide the warmth, affection, and worry in his own voice. “We’ve heard reports of Bad Penny’s activities, Princess. I know she followed you into the hospital.”

Mom stood behind me, hands rubbing both my shoulders with expert gentleness. “It’s been hard to decide what to do about this. Bad Penny isn’t technically getting personal, since your identity is public knowledge, but it’s bad form. If you want, the community will stop her, or your father and I will do it ourselves, except it’s clear to us that you don’t want that.”

Adrift in this unexpected conversation, I tried to find new words. “No. Let me. Please.”

“Is it really that important to you that you handle this yourself?” Mom asked, concerned, the Audit’s robotic tone abandoned.

I nodded. “Yes.” Boy, was that an honest answer.

“You should at least let me check your injuries,” Mom suggested.

I shook my head, pulled against her hands. “I’m fine.” I definitely did not want her seeing the weird bruises riding Vera would have left. I didn’t know what those would look like, but not a battle against Bad Penny.

And again, the voice of experience with my mother told me: It’s okay that you’re obvious.

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