idea how many sleepless nights I’ve spent worrying about you? And you couldn’t call? Not even a text to let me know you’re okay?”
“I’m sorry. At first I was mad. You were mad, too. And then I wanted to call, but the battery ran out on my cell phone and—”
“So many excuses, Shandell. I’m fed up with your excuses, blaming other people for everything that goes wrong.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’ve had time to do some thinking, and I know I need to step up. Right now, I just want to come home.”
“Fine. Come home, then. We didn’t change the locks.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Shandell sat back in the chair, relieved to be heading home soon. “Can you come get me? I’m in a little town called Halfway. It’s in Lancaster County.”
“That is hours away!” Chelsea Darby let out a sigh of frustration. “I just got home, and I have to work a double shift tomorrow at the laundry. Do you realize what you’re asking? I can’t blow off work or stay up all night driving just because you decided to go on a wild spree with your boyfriend.”
Shandell swallowed hard over the knot in her throat. She had thought her mother would come, but of course, she hadn’t considered the reality of Mom needing to work. With Phil out of ajob, Mom was the only one making money now. She understood that Mom’s jobs were a priority. But still, her heart ached. How could Mom abandon her like this?
“Gary got you out there,” Chelsea was saying. “Tell him to bring you home.”
“We’re just friends, Mom. And I’m not with Gary anymore.” Shandell winced. “He was … acting weird.” She didn’t want to announce right in the police station that her friend had been stealing from locals. “I had to get away from him.”
“Oh, Shandell.” Her name came out in a long sigh of disappointment. “What are we going to do with you?”
For a second Shandell was going to suggest that her stepfather come for her in the morning, before he’d had a chance to start with the heavy drinking, but she knew that wouldn’t work. Phil didn’t have the desire or focus to make the trip to Lancaster County.
Shandell eyed the tissue box on the desk as her eyes began to sting. No. She wouldn’t cry here. She had to hold herself together. She didn’t want Mel and the deputy, who was watching from across the room, to know just how much trouble she’d gotten herself into.
“How are you going to get home?” her mother asked.
“I don’t know. There’s a bus out of Lancaster and one out of Philly. But Halfway is pretty far from both of those cities, and there’s no bus service here.”
“Fine. Get yourself to the city and take the bus, then.”
“But, Mom?” Shandell turned away and lowered her voice, mindful that Mel was watching. “I need you to send me some money. Like through a wire service or something.”
“You don’t have money with you? What about your savings?”
“I brought some cash, but we used it. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. We were planning to stay with Gary’s sister.”
“And how did that work out for you?” Mom asked.
“You know it didn’t.”
“I don’t know what to do.” Chelsea Darby sounded exhausted, her voice cracking with stress. “I don’t have the spare cash to wire money to you, and I don’t even know if I trust you anymore. How can I be sure Gary didn’t put you up to this? You know I never trusted him or any of those kids who hang out in Ryan’s garage.”
“This isn’t a trick.” Her mother’s suspicion stung, but Shandell knew she deserved it. “I just want to come home.”
“And honestly, I don’t know how to make that happen. My next day off is Friday. Thursday night is the soonest I can come for you. But what would you do until then?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just hitchhike home.”
Across the room, Mel was shaking her head vigorously. “Bad plan. Hitchhiking is too dangerous for a young woman.”
“The police here don’t think
“I’m sorry. At first I was mad. You were mad, too. And then I wanted to call, but the battery ran out on my cell phone and—”
“So many excuses, Shandell. I’m fed up with your excuses, blaming other people for everything that goes wrong.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’ve had time to do some thinking, and I know I need to step up. Right now, I just want to come home.”
“Fine. Come home, then. We didn’t change the locks.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Shandell sat back in the chair, relieved to be heading home soon. “Can you come get me? I’m in a little town called Halfway. It’s in Lancaster County.”
“That is hours away!” Chelsea Darby let out a sigh of frustration. “I just got home, and I have to work a double shift tomorrow at the laundry. Do you realize what you’re asking? I can’t blow off work or stay up all night driving just because you decided to go on a wild spree with your boyfriend.”
Shandell swallowed hard over the knot in her throat. She had thought her mother would come, but of course, she hadn’t considered the reality of Mom needing to work. With Phil out of ajob, Mom was the only one making money now. She understood that Mom’s jobs were a priority. But still, her heart ached. How could Mom abandon her like this?
“Gary got you out there,” Chelsea was saying. “Tell him to bring you home.”
“We’re just friends, Mom. And I’m not with Gary anymore.” Shandell winced. “He was … acting weird.” She didn’t want to announce right in the police station that her friend had been stealing from locals. “I had to get away from him.”
“Oh, Shandell.” Her name came out in a long sigh of disappointment. “What are we going to do with you?”
For a second Shandell was going to suggest that her stepfather come for her in the morning, before he’d had a chance to start with the heavy drinking, but she knew that wouldn’t work. Phil didn’t have the desire or focus to make the trip to Lancaster County.
Shandell eyed the tissue box on the desk as her eyes began to sting. No. She wouldn’t cry here. She had to hold herself together. She didn’t want Mel and the deputy, who was watching from across the room, to know just how much trouble she’d gotten herself into.
“How are you going to get home?” her mother asked.
“I don’t know. There’s a bus out of Lancaster and one out of Philly. But Halfway is pretty far from both of those cities, and there’s no bus service here.”
“Fine. Get yourself to the city and take the bus, then.”
“But, Mom?” Shandell turned away and lowered her voice, mindful that Mel was watching. “I need you to send me some money. Like through a wire service or something.”
“You don’t have money with you? What about your savings?”
“I brought some cash, but we used it. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. We were planning to stay with Gary’s sister.”
“And how did that work out for you?” Mom asked.
“You know it didn’t.”
“I don’t know what to do.” Chelsea Darby sounded exhausted, her voice cracking with stress. “I don’t have the spare cash to wire money to you, and I don’t even know if I trust you anymore. How can I be sure Gary didn’t put you up to this? You know I never trusted him or any of those kids who hang out in Ryan’s garage.”
“This isn’t a trick.” Her mother’s suspicion stung, but Shandell knew she deserved it. “I just want to come home.”
“And honestly, I don’t know how to make that happen. My next day off is Friday. Thursday night is the soonest I can come for you. But what would you do until then?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just hitchhike home.”
Across the room, Mel was shaking her head vigorously. “Bad plan. Hitchhiking is too dangerous for a young woman.”
“The police here don’t think
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