When They See Us (Book 1.0)

Chapter Twelve

I scoot her forward and tuck my arms under hers from behind to help lift her off the ground. "Come on. Let's get you up." She struggles for a moment before shifting her weight properly and standing up semi-straight. I wrap her arm around my shoulder, and she limps the rest of the way to my car. Sitting her in the passenger seat, I reach over and buckle her seatbelt.

"You smell good." She whispers.

"And you reek." She chuckles and pokes my temple.

"I missed your silly remarks." I can't help but smile when I hear her say that. I get in, start the car, and begin to drive. "Where are we going?" Macy says with her eyes closed and her head resting back against the seat.

"I'm taking you home."

She begins to giggle. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Yeah, why's that?"

"He's home tonight."

"He who?" I ask, trying to get some answers out of her. She wipes the red smear off her nose.

"My adopted dad."

"And that is?" I turn down the road to her house and park in front of her rundown house.

"He doesn't like people to know about our addiction. He's going to be sooooo maddddd." She starts laughing again, and I shut the car off and turn to face her. I've never seen someone this messed up. I reach over the center counsel and search her hood pocket for her keys. "Wooo now girl, you trying to get frisky in the car?" I groan to myself when I can't find them.

"Where are your house keys?"

"Don't have... any. It's never... locked."

"Well that's unsafe," I mumble under my breath. I get out of the car and walk around to assist her in getting out. We make it to her front door in one piece, and I turn the handle to test if she was telling the truth earlier. She was, and I forced the door open so we could get in. A man sitting on the couch drinking a beer and watching tv jumps up, terrified, and grabs a bat when he sees me.

"Who are you?" For a split second, I don't know who he is but memories from when I was younger emerge in my mind. It's Daniel, Macy's mother's boyfriend. I remember seeing him sometime when I came over to their house. I didn't see him much. Macy used to tell me, he was always off busy at work. The man in front of me looks just as bad as Macy. He has long, messy brown hair and a wild, untamed goatee.

"Daniel?"

"Ding ding ding," Macy says for effect, lifting her head and glancing around the untidy home. Her head quickly falls back over in exhaustion.

"Shut up Macy," I mutter.

"You still haven't answered my question. Who are you?"

"Adelaide. I used to come over to your house when Macy and I were friends in middle school." He wipes his nose on his wrist and puts the bat back down.

"What happened to her? Here let me help." I yank Macy in the opposite direction.

"No. You've helped enough." He stands there in silence. "I got it." I begin to take off my heels with her still attached to my shoulder. As I look around, I realize this is the first time I've been in her house. Well, this one at least. Her other house when we were younger didn't look like this at all. That was around the same time her mom was around a lot. I haven't heard about or seen her mom in three years. Right around the same time Macy and I stopped being friends. I refrain from asking the questions that probed my mind right now and focus on getting a better grasp on her.

"Where's her room?"

"Up the stairs to the left." I follow the directions he gives and struggle to get her up the stairs. When I eventually make it, I gently set her down on the edge of her bed. I look down the hall for the bathroom and go through the cabinets until I find a clean cloth, rubbing alcohol, and bandaids. Kneeling in front of her, I begin to clean her wounds.

"Macy, you aren't staying here anymore." She grunts and pushes my hand away, but I quickly grab her chin and force her to look at me. "I'm serious. This shit that is going on with you is an addiction. It has to stop."

"We talked about this already."

"Yeah, and we're talking about it again. Actually, there is no talking. You do not have a say. You are coming to live with me. Out of this... this drug house."

She shakes her head and falls over, pulling the blanket over her. She turns her back to me, and I sit where she just was on the bed. Somehow the jumbled memory of what my dad told me after the labor day party comes back to the forefront of my mind. I lean over the tired blonde, resting my chin on her arm and looking down at her.

My finger brushes a strand of hair from her face as her doe brown eyes look back at me. "You are not a lost cause Macy Tanner." She holds my gaze before looking away. I stand and look around her room for a pen and paper. I find them on her desk and write down 'I will be back tomorrow to pick you up', with an exact time in the morning when she should be ready. My hope is that she remembers our conversation when she wakes up, but if not, this note I'm leaving on her nightstand should jog her memory.

I lean over her once more and press my lips against the side of her forehead. "Please make the right decision." It's all I say before walking back downstairs.

I pick up my heels and walk towards the door but turn around to face Daniel. "You should be ashamed of yourself." I grab the door and slam it on my way out.