Since Micah and Juline wanted to go out to eat, it was Cody who insisted on taking me home. It was very different from the previous night when Micah and I walked the streets in silence and I didn't know what to say. It was easier with Cody because he talked so much that there was no time to get uncomfortable. "...and that's why Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite movies," he laughed, shaking his head slightly to shake the rain from his hair. "I don't know the movie," I admitted, smiling over at him as he laid a hand on his heart in bewilderment. "Sorry," I laughed apologetically and then felt his arm around my shoulder, which seemed intrusive but suited him. "Then we have to have a movie night! Mia, you're missing a piece of culture if you've missed this series of movies." "Culture?" I raised an eyebrow and he pulled his arm back to run his hand through his wet hair. "Movie culture," he smiled and then, like me, looked ahead to where my house was. It wasn't the white building that caught our attention, but rather the shouting of two men. I widened my eyes and thought for a moment that my father and Thomas would bang their heads behind the moving truck. Fearing my heart would stop, I took Cody's hand in my hand and walked with him to the sidewalk, but there was no sign of my father. It was Kiyan, who was being pinned against the moving truck by his father's collar. When Thomas noticed us, he let go of his son and gave me such a hateful look that I thought I would be forever unable to move. He took one of the boxes, whispered something to Kiyan and quickly disappeared into the house. I immediately ran to Kiyan and looked at him sympathetically. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked the black-haired man, who adjusted his leather jacket and looked down at me in confusion. I followed his gaze and caught my hand which was still clasped in Cody's. "Mind your shit," he hissed angrily and ran into the house after his father. In my house! "Oh man," I heard Cody and then let go of his hand. "I really don't want to trade places with you. I would even rather throw the ring into the fire myself." "Is that another reference to Lord of the Flies?" I asked him, taking a deep breath and he just rolled his eyes. "Lord of the Rings, Mia," he explained again, and then, without warning, he hugged me tightly. It felt good to me, as if he wanted to give me strength to get through what was to come and when he slowly pulled away and looked into my eyes for a moment too long and too intensely, I gasped for air and ran in without saying anything A house. I was sorry to leave him like that, but such weird situations made me too uncomfortable. I closed the front door behind me and leaned against the wall. My thoughts were still with Cody, but then I looked straight into the eyes of my mother, who was storming towards me. "There you are at last!", she stepped next to me and grinned really meanly. "Thomas and Kiyan are leaving-" "No!" I interrupted her immediately and stood right in front of her. "If they both move in here, I'll be gone! Do you know that Thomas is absolutely aggressive and his son, Kiyan, just watches others being bullied!" "My god, do you always have to be such a drama queen?" she asked me in all seriousness, even rolling her bright green eyes. "If I'm such a burden, then let me go live with dad. Then you can do whatever you want here!" She looked at me seriously again and came so close to my face that I didn't even dare to breathe. "Your oh so great father has problems with his business. Without Thomas we wouldn't have this house anymore! No court in the world would let you live with your father! So show Thomas a little more gratitude instead of just shooting everyone!" "You can fuck me," I blurted out angrily and immediately I felt a hand on my arm, which yanked me away from my mother. "Talk to your mother like that again," Thomas suddenly stood in front of me and looked deep into my eyes. My hands trembled at the sight of him and the memory of the situation with Kiyan. In disbelief at what was happening, I looked from him to my mother, who just looked away and cried. She cried ??? Wasn't I the one who just got threatened by a stranger? "See how she's getting out of control?" my mother said, sobbing and took Thomas' hand from my arm to take it in hers. "I do not know what to do." Both of them stood in front of me and stared at me like I was crazy. That's how I felt too, but inside I knew very well that I was right. He didn't have anything to say to me and the fact that he just held my arm and threatened me bordered on abuse. But that was secondary for me at the moment, because the disappointment with my own mother eclipsed everything else. How could she change so much in such a short time? It was probably his fault and she had lied too. She told my father it was a one-time thing, but you don't let a one-time thing move into your home a few days later. I wanted to say something, but I couldn't get a sound out. Their eyes were still on me, as if waiting for something to happen. Something they could send me to therapy for, but forget about that. "Sorry, Gabrielle," I turned to my mother with tears in my eyes and then quickly ran to my room before I really freaked out in front of them. Am I really freaking out? Or were my reactions still normal?