Strings Attached

Chapter Eight

I bit my bottom lip. "He hasn't called." I lowered my face and allowed a couple tears to leave my eyes.

"What?" she asked, surprised. "I though you said--"

"I lied, Mom," I told her. "He hasn't called in months. I'd only tell you he did so that you wouldn't..." I turned to see her, and she was doing just what I thought she was. She was giving me that pitiful look again. "So that you wouldn't give me that look."

She raised her eyebrows in concern. "I'm sorry, baby. I really am."

"Don't be." I sighed and wiped away my tears. Then, I faked a smile and turned to see Mom once again. "I don't even miss him anymore. I guess I'm used to only being around you and Brianna."

Mom sighed. "If I could change anything... If I could do anything to get you and your sister out of this mess... I would do it, Tina. I love you two more than I love anyone in the entire world. I would do anything for you. You know that, don't you?"

I nodded. "I know," I said.

"You're not alone, baby. We will always be here for you. Your dad left, I know, but Brianna and I would never leave you," she said.

Mom started crying, and I tried my best not to cry, which was hard because whenever my mom cried, I felt like crying, too.

"I love you, Mom. I would never leave you, either," I told her.

Mom wrapped her arms around me. "You've always been the strongest one out of the three," she whispered.

I could not help smiling. At least she did not see me as a weak and scared little girl. That was all I wanted. I wanted her to see how hard I was trying not to fall apart every day.

I still had not forgiven Theodore for having told Mom, but maybe he had done it because he thought it was what was best for me.

I could not help smiling. That boy never ceased to amaze me.

***

As soon as I got upstairs, I knocked on Theodore's door. He opened almost immediately, and I noticed he looked ready to sleep. He was wearing SpongeBob pajamas, which made me raise one of my eyebrows in surprise. As I said before, that boy never ceased to amaze me.

I crossed my arms over my chest and cleared my throat, waiting for Theodore to explain why he had told my mom about my crying.

Of course, Theodore simply stared at me with an amused expression on his face, probably wondering what I was doing.

"You know, Chris. I don't read minds," he said playfully. "Not yet. I'm afraid it is not one of my many superpowers."

I smiled. "Oh, really? That's too bad, considering you must already possess many SpongeBob superpowers," I joked.

Theodore blushed and turned to see his pajamas self-consciously.

"Oh, don't worry. I think they're cute," I said, amused.

Theodore grinned. "They're cool, aren't they?"

"Yeah, so badass," I said, pretending to be impressed.

"So," Theodore said as he smiled. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

I frowned. "Oh, right. About that..." I turned to see the ground and sighed. "You shouldn't have told her."

Theodore stared at me, confused. "Tell whom what?" he asked.

"My mom," I said, grimacing. "You shouldn't have told her that you saw me crying."