I was rinsing my bowl out in the sink when my phone rang. Thinking it was Jesse, I answered without looking at the screen to see who it was.

“Hello?”

“I’m surprised you answered,” my mother’s cold voice replied.

It took me a moment to get over the shock of hearing her voice.

“Mom?”

“Who else would it be?”

“What do you want? I mean, why are you calling?” I asked as I sat down at the kitchen table.

“To see if you’ve wised up yet.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Don’t play stupid, Emma. You know exactly what I’m talking about. I want to know if you’re bored with that school yet.” The way she’d said school made it sound like it was a dirty word.

“No, I’m not bored with it yet. I’m actually really happy here.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Why do you always do that? Anytime I’m happy, you always act like I shouldn’t be. Why can’t you just be happy for me?”

“You don’t belong there, Emma. You need to come home where you’re supposed to be.”

“So you can control my life again? No, thank you.”

“Where did I go wrong with you? I made sure you had everything you ever wanted, and you do this to me.”

I ground my teeth together to keep from yelling. I hated how she always tried to make me out to be the bad guy. She’d done it to me my entire life.

“Yeah, you gave me everything I wanted—except for a mom.”

“What on earth are you talking about?” she asked angrily.

I really didn’t want to do this with her. I was finally happy, and I knew she would only try to tear me down.

“You never acted like I was your daughter. All I wanted was for you to be a mom to me.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“No, it’s not. I’m tired of pretending that we have a relationship because we don’t. We never have.”

“I’m done with this conversation, Emma, and I’m done with you. Don’t bother to call me when the world comes crashing down around you.”

With that, she hung up on me. I sighed as I put my phone down on the table in front of me. Tears slid down my cheeks as I realized that I would never have a normal relationship with my mom. Things would always be tense between us. She wasn’t capable of being the kind of mother that I wanted. I wiped my tears away as I vowed not to let it bother me any longer. I wouldn’t let her destroy whatever life I’d built for myself here.

I picked my phone back up and deleted her number from my Contacts list. She would never know about Jesse. She would never know when I graduated from college and found a job. She would never know when she was a grandma. She would know nothing about me from this day on.

I stood and started walking to the bedroom when the doorbell rang. My forehead creased in confusion. I had no idea who it could be. The only person who ever stopped by was Andy, and he never bothered to knock, let alone ring the doorbell. I walked to the door and looked through the peephole. Not seeing anyone, I opened the door, but no one was there. I stuck my head out and looked both directions, but there wasn’t a soul around.

I assumed it was just kids messing around as I closed the door and walked back into the bedroom. As soon as I made it there, the doorbell rang again. I ignored it, but whoever it was rang it again. Afraid that someone was actually out there this time, I turned and made my way back to the door.

I opened the door to see that no one was around—again. This was starting to piss me off. I walked out onto the porch and looked around the yard.

“Okay, whoever you are, you’re hilarious,” I said sarcastically.

When no one appeared, I turned and started to walk back inside. As soon as I turned toward the door, I was shoved from behind. I stumbled through the entryway and grabbed the chair to keep from falling. I spun around to see who was behind me, and I stopped dead. Ally was standing in the doorway with the most chilling smile I’d ever seen. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I stared at her.

“What? No hello?” she asked sweetly.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I told her.

I’d never liked her, but I’d never been afraid of her like I was now. Something in her eyes told me that I should be very afraid. I glanced at the clock on the wall to see that it would be another hour before Jesse came home.

“Why shouldn’t I? I live here. My name is on the lease,” she said as she continued to smile at me.

“You’re not welcome here,” I told her, refusing to show that I was afraid of her.

“No, you’re not welcome here. This is my home.”

“It’s Jesse’s.”

Her eyes lit up at the sound of his name. “Where is Jesse anyway?”

“He will be here any minute,” I lied.

“Tell the truth, Emma. I know what time he gets home. I lived here, remember?”

“So you keep saying.”

I needed to get her out of here—now. She was slowly inching her way into the house and away from the door. The farther away from the door she walked, the less chance I had of getting her out.

My eyes scanned the room, looking for something to use as a weapon if I needed one. My eyes landed on my cell phone. It was still on the kitchen table. It was so close yet so far away. I knew Jesse wouldn’t be able to answer if I called him, but Andy wasn’t working today. If I could just get to my phone, I could call him to help me.

“Why are you really here?” I asked.

“Can’t I just come to visit you guys? I mean, you’ve pretty much moved in, and Andy is here whenever he isn’t working.”

“You’ve been watching us.” It was a statement, not a question.

“I have. It’s funny how blissfully unaware you three are. I mean, I was practically part of the party on your birthday. I have to say, I liked the second movie a lot better than the first.”

“You were here?”

“Well, I wasn’t in the house, if that’s what you’re asking, but I was around.”

She was seriously starting to freak me out. It was clear that she had been stalking us. She’d never left.

“Why didn’t you leave, like Jesse told you to?” I asked.

She laughed. “Jesse is just confused. He’ll come around eventually.”

“He’s not confused, Ally. He hates you for what you did to him, to us.”

“You’re being silly. Jesse could never hate me. He loves me.”

“Ally, something is seriously wrong with you. You need help.”

She just laughed as she stepped closer to me. If she came much closer, I wouldn’t be able to make it to my phone. I needed to distract her, so I could either make a run for it out the door or get to my phone. Right now, she was still between the door and me, so I needed to make a move toward my phone.

“So, why do you think Jesse loves you?” I asked, trying to distract her.

She smiled. “You wouldn’t want to hear why.”

“Of course I do. If something happened between you two, I should know about it. That would mean he lied to me.”

She studied me for a minute. I tried to look like I was genuinely worried about what she would tell me. I knew she would probably say the most horrible thing she could think of just to hurt me. I wouldn’t believe anything she might say.

“He told me he did,” she said quietly.

That wasn’t what I’d expected at all. I’d assumed that she would make up some story.

“When?”

“The first time was when we were just little. There was a boy at school who liked to pick on me. It was before I started taking up for myself. Jesse saw me crying on the playground, and he tried to make me feel better. He told me that he loved me and that he would always protect me, no matter what. Besides Andy, he was the first person to tell me that he loved me.”

My heart broke for her. It was obvious that her childhood hadn’t been that great. I knew I shouldn’t feel sorry for her, but I did.

“Ally, I think he meant that he loved you in a different way than you think. He loved you like a sister.”

She glared at me. “You have no idea what you’re talking about! Jesse loves me! He loves me, not you!”

I shrank back as she screamed. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Yes, you did. You always try to hurt me, but you can’t. Jesse loves me, and he is mine!”

I crept closer to the kitchen and to my phone. “Ally, he loves you. I know he does. It just isn’t the way you want. He loves me. I know it hurts to hear that, but you need to understand. You’re obsessed with him, and it isn’t healthy.”

“He loved me until you came around. I knew as soon as I saw you on the beach with him that day that you would be trouble.”

“On the beach?” I asked.

“When he was teaching you how to surf. He was so caught up in you that he didn’t even notice me, but I was there. I’m always there.”

I felt a chill go down my spine. Ally’s obsession with Jesse wasn’t new. It wasn’t due to the fact that he’d left her in California. No, it was much older than that. If she had watched us that day, then she had been watching him before that, before I even knew him.

“I saw the way he touched you that day. I wanted to drown you in the ocean. Then, he started bringing you around. I tried to warn him about you, but he wouldn’t listen. I only wanted to protect him.”

“Ally, I would never hurt him.”

“You destroyed us.”

She closed her eyes, and I scooted closer to the kitchen. I was almost close enough to sprint to my phone.

“If you left, he would come back to me.”

“You can’t really believe that. You hurt him when you lied about being pregnant.”

“I know now that it was stupid to lie to him like that. Once I apologize to him, he’ll forgive me.”

“I don’t think so, Ally. You really hurt him.”

“I wouldn’t have had to do that if you hadn’t screwed everything up. Once you’re gone, he’ll need someone to help him get over you again, and I’ll be there. I’m always there when he needs me.”

“When I’m gone? I’m not going anywhere, Ally.”

She smiled. “Yes, you are.”

I was as close as I could get to the kitchen without tipping her off to what I was about to do. It was now or never.

“Oh, thank God! You’re home!” I said as I looked over her shoulder.

She spun around, thinking Jesse was behind her. As soon as she turned, I shot across the kitchen and grabbed my phone. I unlocked it and started to push Andy’s speed dial number when she plowed into me. I dropped to the floor, and my phone went flying across the room.

“No!” I shouted as I watched it land several feet away from where I was.

“You sneaky little bitch!” She climbed on top of me.

I thrashed around as I tried to push her off of me. I managed to grab her hair, and I yanked as hard as I could, making her scream in pain. It gave me the opportunity I needed to shove her away from me. As soon as I was free, I scrambled to my feet and ran for the door.

I almost made it. Just before I reached it, she tackled me from behind. My forehead slammed against the floor as I went down. Black dots danced in front of my eyes as I tried to crawl toward the door. I had to get away from her. If I didn’t—well, I didn’t want to think about what she might do.

“You’re not going anywhere!” She grabbed me and flipped me onto my back.

Her fist connected with my face, and the black dots became larger. I could barely see past them. I reached out blindly and tried to push her away.

She laughed as she slapped me across the face. “Come on, you can do better than that.”

“Please let me go, Ally. Please,” I begged.

“Why? So you can go running to Jesse to tell him what a mean, horrible person I am? I don’t think so.”

I felt like the world was spinning off its axis. My stomach lurched, and I fought to keep myself from throwing up. Ally’s fist connected with my face again, and I raised my hands to try to protect myself. She laughed at my feeble attempts as she delivered another blow. My eyes closed, and darkness took over.

I welcomed it. I’d do anything to escape the pain.

Chapter Twenty: Emma

My head felt as if it was going to explode. I refused to open my eyes as pain shot through my forehead to the base of my skull. Everything was fuzzy. I took a deep breath as I tried not to cry out. I’d never felt such pain in my life.

I cracked one eye open to look around me. There was very little light in the room, but it still hurt to open my eye. I was in a room with no windows. Nothing was in the room, except for the floor lamp across from me.