The General Store: Where Innocence Goes to Die by A.L. Moore

Author:A.L. Moore [Moore, A.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-10-22T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11. Letting Go

Mom and Dad got back late on Sunday. I was still sitting on the couch with the remote and the sandwich I’d made for lunch. Hunger hadn’t found me yet, at least not for food. I couldn’t take my mind off that kiss. I only made the sandwich because I hadn’t eaten all day. There was nothing on TV worth watching. Not that it mattered. I wouldn’t have seen the screen anyway, unless the reflection happened to catch in the window. Jayson had dropped Robyn off before dark, but since then, the house had been quiet.

I called Anna, but Mason was there; I didn’t bother telling her about the kiss. She said he stopped by to bring her a movie she'd asked about, but I knew Mason, and I found that hard to believe. His movie collection was nothing short of a tribute to comic books, and Anna hated those movies. Besides, most of his movies were digital. I wasn’t sure if I liked him being over there, but with Liam’s tire tracks fresh in the drive, I had no right to say anything. He wasn’t my Mason anymore, but I didn’t want him to be hers either. I was relieved when Mom made me get off the phone. It saved me from having to fake an excuse.

Mom droned on and on about what a bad driver Dad was, about how he needed glasses, and would one day kill us all. At least I think that’s what she said. I was only half listening, afraid I’d miss an engine outside.

My mind reeled on overload by the time I dropped into bed. I needed an anvil to drop on my head to stop the onslaught of images. I kept seeing Mason’s truck in front of Anna’s house, and the two of them holding hands at school next year. I saw Tyler, angry because I’d left. Then, there were the drugs. The drugs at the warehouse. The drugs in the box Liam delivered. I was hanging out with drug dealers, possibly addicts. My thoughts finally started to blur around the edges some time before daylight, but then Liam’s face surfaced.

Liam was the reason I was looking at the clock when the birds started chirping. I hadn’t seen him yesterday, but I would today. He always rode by the store on his way to the alley and I was on the schedule until eight. The thought alone had my adrenaline in overdrive.

I spent extra time getting ready, blow-drying my hair instead of pulling it up and putting on enough make-up to be noticeable. Mom dropped me off at the front door, Mr. Smith spot cleaning the windows. Mom needed the car to run errands since Dad’s was at the dealership. I assured her Robyn would bring me home. I’d been dropping hints for days about how responsible Robyn was, telling Mom how many hours Robyn worked, and that she planned to go back to school in the fall. Mom still didn’t like Robyn, but she agreed that if I went straight home, it was okay.

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