Love, After Dark

Chapter 32

SIRI

I sat in my car for a full minute before I could breathe. My hands shook as I started the engine. The road home blurred, my thoughts circling one question over and over. What was he? Not who. What. Because men didn’t move like that. Didn’t hit like that. Didn’t vanish like smoke. The tires crunched softly against the gravel as I pulled into the driveway. By this time, the adrenaline crashed hard, leaving me hollow and aching. The engine ticked as it cooled. The house loomed in front of me, porch light glowing warm and familiar, but my chest felt tight anyway. I sat there for a moment longer than necessary, hands resting on the steering wheel, bracing myself.

Inside, the smell of dinner hung in the air. Something baked, something green. Home. Normal. Except the silence was too thick. My mom stood at the counter, her back to me, shoulders stiff. “Wash up for dinner,” she said without turning around. I opened my mouth to respond, then thought better of it. “Okay,” I muttered. I didn’t miss the way her jaw was set, the tight pull at the corners of her mouth. She wasn’t angry. Not yet. That was worse.

When I came back from the bathroom, Mom and Sia were already seated at the table. Plates in front of them. Silverware neatly placed. Sia wouldn’t meet my eyes. Her shoulders were hunched, her face pinched with something between guilt and dread. Mom clasped her hands together and said grace, her voice calm, controlled. Too controlled. We began filling our plates. The scrape of the serving spoon against the dish sounded impossibly loud.

“So,” Mom said casually, taking a bite of broccoli and chewing slowly, eyes lifting to lock onto mine. “You gonna tell me why you allowed your thirteen-year-old sister to go to school dressed like a cheap hooker?” The words landed flat. Deadly calm. Like she’d just asked me about the weather. I froze. Sia sucked in a sharp breath. “Mom—” “I wasn’t talking to you,” Mom said without looking away from me. “I didn’t allow anything,” I said carefully. “It’s not like I picked out her outfit.” “I’m not a baby!” Sia snapped, finally finding her voice. “Everyone dresses like that!” Mom slammed her fork down on the plate. “You are thirteen, Sia.” The room went still. “And you,” she said, turning back to me, “are her older sister. Which means you are supposed to be looking out for her.”

“I can’t control what she wears every second of the day,” I shot back, my pulse spiking. “She got dressed on her own.” “That’s not the point,” Mom yelled, her voice finally cracking through that calm. “Part of being the older sister is making sure she’s not doing something stupid or making this family look bad! Especially when we’re already strangers in this town!” Sia’s eyes were glossy now. “That’s not fair—” “Enough,” Mom barked. She turned to me again, anger sharp and unmistakable. “You’re an adult now, Siri. Act like it.”

The words hit harder than I expected. “You’re grounded for a month,” she continued, voice firm. “You can drive to and from school and nowhere else.” “What?” I blurted. “That’s—” “And you,” she said to Sia, cutting me off, “are grounded until further notice. I’ll be going through your closet and removing anything inappropriate.” Sia pushed back from the table. “That’s such an invasion of privacy!” Mom extended her hand. “Your phone.” Sia stared at her, eyes wide. “You’re not serious?!” Mom said nothing. She didn’t have to. Her hand stayed outstretched, unwavering. With a furious scream, Sia slapped the phone into her palm and stormed off. A second later, her bedroom door slammed so hard the walls shook.

The house fell silent again. I turned toward my mom, heart pounding. “Mom, I—” “You know, Siri,” she said quietly, already stacking the plates, “I’m not mad at you.” She picked up the dishes and headed toward the kitchen. “I’m disappointed.” The words followed me up the stairs like a weight I couldn’t shake. I took a long, hot shower, letting the steam fog the mirror and the water drown out my thoughts.

The day replayed itself whether I wanted it to or not- new faces, sharp words, moments where everything could have gone very wrong. Friends. Enemies. Danger. All in one afternoon. By the time I crawled into bed, I felt hollowed out. I checked my phone, replying to a couple of texts from Keisha. Goodnight. She answered back almost immediately. Goodnight. See you tomorrow. I set the phone down and stared at the ceiling. The weight of it all pressed down on my chest until it was hard to breathe. If this was day one, I was terrified of what day two had in store for me.