The Truth About Boys: A Stolen Kiss Novel by Shana Norris

Author:Shana Norris [Norris, Shana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-518-303807
Publisher: The Studio, a Paper Lantern Lit imprint
Published: 2016-02-09T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

“Where have you been?” Andrea asked when I got home later. She was, of course, at Mimi and Pop’s house once again, tossing popcorn into her mouth. She might as well have just packed up all of her stuff and moved in if she was going to spend that much time at our house.

I thought about lying, saying I was out with Ashton or even Rory, but then I decided that I didn’t have anything to hide.

“I went to Charlotte,” I said, tossing my hair over my shoulder and lifting my chin. “To see Henry.”

Andrea and Paisley had been flipping through magazines on the couch, but now Andrea’s hand froze in midair, the magazine limp on her lap. She stared up at me with wide blue eyes, her mouth hanging open for a moment before regaining her composure.

“You went where?” she asked, blinking as if she either hadn’t understood me or just couldn’t believe that I’d actually said what she thought I’d said.

“To Charlotte.” I tossed my bag on the armchair and went over to kiss Pop’s cheek. He sat in his recliner, his feet propped up and the TV turned to a golf game. But his eyes weren’t on the TV, they were moving between Andrea and me.

“And why exactly would you do that?” Andrea asked.

“Because he’s my father,” I said. “And I wanted to visit him.”

Andrea closed the magazine and slapped it on the coffee table, jumping to her feet suddenly. “You have no business seeing him,” she snapped. Her face had suddenly turned red all around her cheeks and neck, and her eyes had a wild look to them. “He’s a deadbeat who has never bothered to have any part in your life.”

I crossed my arms. “Like you’ve had a part in my life?”

“Kathryn,” Pop said warningly. “You don’t speak to her like that. She’s still your mother.”

Tears burned in my eyes and I spun around to face Pop, my nails digging into my flesh. “No, she’s not. She’s never bothered to have anything to do with me, and now that I’m eighteen, she thinks she can tell me what to do? That’s not going to happen.”

“He’s not the kind of person you need to be around, Kathryn,” Andrea said. “He’s manipulative and he lies to get what he wants.”

“Maybe you should have thought about that before you slept with him,” I snapped. I grabbed my bag and stomped toward my room, slamming the door shut behind me.

But still, the words I’d just said hung in my thoughts. Shame washed over me, and I wished I could turn around and take it back. Mimi and Pop had raised me to be a better person than that.

I listened for sounds from downstairs—yelling, crying, talking. But there was nothing.

Tears fell down my cheeks. Silence was worse than screaming.

A soft knock sounded on my door and then it opened just enough to allow Paisley to peek in. “Are you okay?” she asked quietly.

I let my head fall against the bed frame, the thought of her with Rory flitting through my mind.

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