Juicy Secrets Forbidden Tales of Lesbian Love

by Rachael Yukey

I couldn’t believe this was actually happening; I’d thought the time Julie and I had fooled around with her dad’s girlfriend was a one-shot deal. But now here we were climbing the stairs with Lisa following close behind.

Leading Julie into her room, I guided her to the bed, pushed her onto her back, and pinned her down, straddling her chest. Once she was helpless, I started kissing all over her face and neck, avoiding her mouth for the moment. I took each earlobe between my teeth to nibble, and she shuddered, gasping for breath.

Finally, she broke free, grabbed my head with both hands, and brought our mouths together. As we kissed, her fingers wove their way into my hair, and I began to grind myself against her. Lisa was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching us with eyes wide.

Julie’s hands traced down my back to grab the bottom of my shirt, and she yanked it up and over my head. I tugged on Julie’s arms to sit her up. Off went her shirt! I began to kiss all over her chest, paying special attention to her nipples. She pulled me back down to the bed, and as we kissed some more, she cupped my backside through my jeans and gave it a squeeze.

I lifted my head to look at Lisa. Her face was flushed, her jaw slack. I rolled off of Julie and reached up to unbutton Lisa’s blouse. She didn’t say anything, just let me undress her, and when I had her top open she shrugged it from her shoulders. Julie was right there backing me up, sliding around to unclasp Lisa’s bra. I watched those beautiful breasts spill out for the second time, then reached out for them.

Lisa let out a long sigh as I cupped those smooth, soft orbs and gently massaged them. I slid my thumbs up to her nipples, and as I flicked them she sucked in her breath.

“That feels wonderful,” she said, her eyes opening to meet mine. “But why don’t you show me more of what you and Julie learned yesterday?”

Julie slid in beside me, and we put our arms around each other and met in a passionate kiss. I trailed my hands down the sides of her legs and up the backs of her thighs then caressed her butt through her leggings. Wanting more, I slipped my right hand between her legs. As I applied pressure to Julie’s pussy from behind she shuddered and moaned. From the corner of my eye I could see Lisa caressing her boobs and pinching her nipples.

I hooked my thumbs into the sides of Julie’s leggings and panties and shoved them down to her knees. Julie was kissing my neck again, squeezing and clenching my butt, so I ran my hands up the back of her legs to her bare bottom. I looked over at Lisa, who was stroking her belly, gradually moving closer to her pussy. Julie was going lower too, now kissing my upper chest.

“Like what you see?” I asked Lisa.

“God, yes,” she murmured.

Feeling bolder than ever, I told Lisa. “Take the rest of your clothes off.” Just then Julie’s tongue brushed across one of my nipples, and that last word came out as a moan. Julie looked up at me and giggled, then went back to what she was doing. Lisa’s eyes were huge, her mouth open as she stared at us. She likes to watch, I realized.

“Get naked,” I said, “and then I’ll eat Julie’s pussy. Would you like to see that?”

“Oh, my God,” Lisa moaned. She stood up, unbuttoned the side of her skirt and let it fall to the floor. Julie raised her head from my chest as she turned to watch. Lisa pushed her panties down, then kicked them away with a flick of the foot. She was trimmed just like last time, with the rectangular patch of hair trailing down to completely shaved labia.

I lifted Julie’s head up by the chin, and we kissed. There was nothing subtle about it now. It wasn’t an ‘I love you’ kiss; it was an ‘I want you’ kiss.

I pushed Julie back down on the bed, then I was all over her, my mouth and hands everywhere. I started kissing my way down Julie’s body, loving every inch of her as I went. As I ran my tongue across her belly, my fingers were slipping up the inside of her thigh, then she grabbed my wrist and pressed it against her pussy. She was so wet!

As I slid my finger inside her juicy folds, Julie pressed upward against my hand as if she wanted me to go deeper. I heard a low moan off to the side and glanced over at Lisa. She was kneeling at the edge of the bed looking down at us, two fingers probing between her beautiful pussy lips, rubbing her clit with the other hand. I winked at her, she winked at me, and I turned back to Julie.

I flopped down on my belly between Julie’s legs and spread her lips apart with my finger and thumb, then slipped my tongue between the folds to find her clit. Meanwhile, I was using my finger to tease her entrance – and suddenly, almost on its own, it slipped inside – just the tip.

Julie gasped, and I froze. I looked up at her. “Is this okay?”

“Yeah,” said Julie, a little out of breath. “It doesn’t hurt… you just surprised me.”

I moved my fingertip in and out experimentally. Julie shivered. “Mmm,” she sighed. “I think I can get used to that.”

Lisa had moved closer, now lying on her side, head propped up on an elbow, her eyes riveted between Julie’s legs. I kept up an in-and-out motion, gradually working my way deeper as I went… I kept expecting to find some kind of resistance inside. Julie and I had read all about the hymen on the internet… but she didn’t seem to have one.

I looked over at Lisa. “Shouldn’t there be something, um, stopping me from, y’know, going all the way inside?” I asked, feeling sort of embarrassed.

“It’s not like that with everybody,” said Lisa, patting my shoulder. “Sometimes the hymen is really fragile, sometimes it’s not there in the first place, and some girls break theirs while riding their bikes or doing gymnastics.”

By then my finger was in her up to the second knuckle. She was much tighter than Megan, but still there was no resistance, and Julie was pushing back against my hand every time I went deeper.

“You like that?” I asked her.

“Uh-huh,” she panted.

“You want me to finger-fuck you while I eat your pussy, just like I did with Megan?”

“Yeah,” Julie gasped.

Suddenly I realized what had just come out of my mouth. I’ve NEVER said the F word before, and there was an adult in the room! I looked up at Lisa, wondering if I was about to get scolded. Instead, she smiled at me. “Do it, Mallory,” she whispered. “Fuck her good.”

I slid my finger in deeper—it was easier now— and slowly moved it in and out as my tongue found Julie’s clit. I picked up the pace, thrilling at the sound of her ragged breathing.

I wanted to touch her inside, that special place Megan showed me the other day. She went crazy when I did it, so I was hoping it would have the same effect on Julie. Pushing my fingers into her, I pressed them against the inside top of her vagina, and she wailed. Soon she was moaning with every breath, squirming and twisting on the bed. Finally, she came with a scream, bucking against my face like she was trying to ride me.

As her breathing slowed, I slid up alongside and held her close. She kissed me, I kissed her back with my tongue.

Then I heard a small moan. I looked over my shoulder at Lisa. She was still stretched out on her side and watching us, still rubbing between her legs. NOW, I told myself.

I rolled away from Julie and towards Lisa, who I pushed onto her back before she knew what was what. I started kissing her neck, and she didn’t stop me, so I put my hand on her arm, the one she was using to touch herself, and moved my fingers slowly towards her wrist.

The next thing I knew, Julie was kneeling on the bed just above where Lisa lay, stroking her hair and nuzzling her forehead. My hand was resting over Lisa’s, moving along with her, and I was placing soft kisses around the edge of her mouth. I wanted to give her a real kiss, but instinct told me to wait.

Suddenly Lisa’s eyes met mine, and her hand paused in its motion. “Girls… Mallory… I…” She seemed uneasy, maybe about to break away and flee the room.

That moment seemed to last forever, but I think it was just a few seconds. “Oh, fuck it,” she said. Her free hand encircled my head and she pulled me close, mashing my lips against hers. Lisa’s tongue darted into my mouth, and she began to move her hand again. I let my fingers slide right over the top of hers, moving back and forth between her slick, wet lips.

I went lower, teasing the entrance for a moment before slipping two fingers into her. She arched her back, her mouth breaking away from mine. “Oh, fuck!” she exclaimed.

Getting an idea, I pulled my fingers out, and took Lisa’s hand from between her legs. She stared at me like I’d just snatched her favorite toy away. “Mallory, what on earth…”

I laid a finger across her lips. “Wouldn’t you rather have your pussy eaten while you get finger-fucked?”

She flashed me a wicked smile. “Do you want to eat my pussy?”

“Kind of,” I said, “but l already got to do that today. I think it’s Julie’s turn.” I looked up at my friend. “Want to eat Lisa’s pussy, Julie?”

Julie spoke not a word, just slipped around behind me to nestle between Lisa’s legs. Her fingers traced the swollen outer lips as she began raining little kisses around Lisa’s belly and upper thighs. Then she slid two of her fingers into Lisa’s pussy, and buried her mouth in the juicy folds.

I knew what I wanted and went for it, exploring Lisa’s amazing boobs with my lips and tongue. When I sucked a rock-hard nipple into my mouth, that seemed to drive her over the edge. As she came her whole body shuddered, and she squeezed my butt through my jeans with both hands, so hard it almost hurt.

At that point I was so turned on I couldn’t wait another second! I reached around behind and put my hand over Lisa’s, trying to push it further between my legs. I sucked on one of her nipples and then the other, dimly aware that I was making little animal noises.

“Mmm, I guess somebody really likes my tits.” Lisa teased, still a little out of breath.

Me, I couldn’t talk. I was too busy working my butt back and forth against her hand. I guess Lisa got impatient with rubbing me through my clothes, because she suddenly pushed me back so I was on my knees, then deftly unbuttoned my jeans. Julie helped, tugging them down with my panties. I laid down on my side and finished taking them off. Lisa knelt before me, putting those awesome breasts of hers right in my face.

I buried my face in them. Lisa reached around me again to grope and squeeze my butt. I guess that’s the part of my body she likes the best. It felt amazing, but I wanted to feel that hand between my legs.

Turned out that Lisa had an even better idea. “Spread your knees apart,” she said. I scooched them out a little.

“Now, Julie,” said Lisa, “can you lie on your back with your head between Mallory’s legs, and…”

“Got it!” Julie exclaimed in that excited squeal I love so much. She disappeared behind me, and the next thing I knew her head slid between my legs, and she was grinning up at me. “Mal, can you come down a little? Let me lick you.”

I slowly lowered my hips until my pussy was almost touching her lips. She dug in, going totally wild on me with her mouth. I moaned, “Oh, wow,” gripping Lisa’s shoulders as the sensations raced through my body, pressing my face against her chest. Holy crow, I love her tits! That’s what she calls them, and I decided that it’s a much sexier word than “breasts,” or “boobs.” Anyhow, I kissed and sucked them, taking one nipple into my mouth, then the other.

It didn’t take me long to come, and with a blissful sigh I collapsed into Lisa’s arms.

Afterwards, we lay together for a while in a cozy three-way tangle, swapping kisses and caresses every now and then.

I finally sat up and had a good long stretch. “Omigosh, that was SO good.”

“Yeah, it totally was,” Julie agreed. “Mal, you just about drowned me when you came!”

“I thought you guys might like that,” Lisa said. “It’s what we call sitting on someone’s face. Do you like getting licked that way, Mallory?”

“Mmm-hmm,” I replied. “I like your tits, too.”

Lisa chuckled. “Maybe you two should grab a shower, then get to bed,” she advised. “School tomorrow, y’know. Me, I’m going to get into a sexy nightie, slip into bed and wait for Jason. Maybe I won’t even bother with the nightie.”

“Uh, don’t you wanna take a shower?” asked Julie.

“Oh, heavens, no! I’ll tell Jason I got so horny thinking about him that I couldn’t wait to get off. Men love that kind of thing. It’ll give him a little ego boost, and I’ll get better sex out of the deal.”

“Urghhh! Too much information!” Julie exclaimed, briefly covering her ears. “Have fun, I guess.” She reached out to Lisa. “G’night. Thanks for joining us.”

“Oh, it was my pleasure, believe me. Goodnight, girls.”

She kissed Julie on the mouth… a long, juicy, passionate kiss. Then she did the same with me. Without another word she gathered her clothes up from the floor and disappeared from the room.

Julie and I made our way to the bathroom and took a shower. We got ourselves cleaned off, then started making out. We didn’t do anything major, just kissed and held each other, trading smug little smiles. Without even talking about it, we’d worked together to get Lisa into bed with us, and I realized we’d done the exact same thing with Megan the day before. Did it have to stop there? Was there anyone else we’d like to have sex with? I wondered if Julie was thinking the same thing, then decided it was a question for another day.

We got into our pajamas and slipped into bed, where we shared a goodnight kiss before settling down. Julie fell asleep almost the moment her head hit the pillow. I wanted to stay up and see if I could hear Jason and Lisa having sex, but passed out before he got home. Oh, well… maybe next time.

***

Somebody was shaking me awake. “Mal… hey! C’mon, Mal. Mallory!”

A blurry face—Julie’s. I rubbed my eyes, looked again, and she was a little less blurry. I glanced over at the clock on her dresser—6:02. “Jeez,” I muttered, pushing myself into a sitting position, “do you always get up this early on school mornings?”

“Nope,” she said, “just exciting ones! It’s Halloween, and when I woke up, I realized you don’t have your costume. We’d better go talk to Dad.”

I rubbed my eyes again. Leave it to Julie to be all bouncy at six in the morning! I tried to piece together what she was telling me. Halloween. Hmmm, okay. Party at school. Costume. Supposed to wear one. Now I was getting it. Not that it mattered; I don’t have a Halloween costume. My parents are Evangelicals and as far as they’re concerned Halloween is a celebration of evil. There’s a little party at the church on the evening of October 31st to give the kids something to do while their friends from school are out trick or treating.

“It’s okay,” I told her, “I don’t have a costume. We don’t celebrate Halloween.”

“Well that’s no fun! You’ll be the only kid in the class without one! I’ve got to do something about this. You’d better get up!” She ran out of the room before I could point out that I’m the only kid without a costume EVERY year, and I’ve kind of got used to it.

I rolled out of bed and got into some clothes, thinking that if I was gonna be there another night, I’d have to go home for more stuff. I got myself downstairs. I could hear Jason and Julie’s voices from the kitchen, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Someone was in the shower—must be Lisa, I thought. I pictured water cascading down her naked body and dripping off of those wonderful boobs—no, tits, I corrected myself. I pushed that thought away and headed for the kitchen.

Jason was pouring batter into a waffle iron, and Julie was talking to him so fast the words were tumbling one over the other. Putting the batter cup down, he turned to her and held up his hands. “Whoa, easy!” he said in a mild tone. Julie didn’t even break stride. “Julie!” He said, louder this time, “Stop talking. Good morning, Mallory.”

Julie fixed me with a sour gaze. “What’d you get dressed for?” she wanted to know. “We’re going to find you a costume.”

“Now hang on,” said Jason. “First off—Mallory, do you want to wear a costume?” I realized suddenly that I did, so I nodded. “All right, that’s step one,” said Jason. “Okay. Now, Julie, you are going to finish these waffles and I am going to step out into the garage for a second. And try not to hyperventilate, huh?” He handed Julie the cup he was using to pour batter into the waffle iron and left the kitchen. Julie started chattering again, going on about Halloween and the party and how she just knew her dad would come up with something. I sat down blearily in a kitchen chair and let her talk.

Just as Julie was getting the last waffle out of the iron, Jason came back into the kitchen. “Bring that plate of cakes into the living room,” he said, “and we’ll see what we’ve got.”

I helped Julie get all the breakfast stuff carried into the living room. By this time Lisa was out of the shower, dressed, and curled up on the couch. She gave me a bright smile as I entered the room with a gallon of milk in one hand and the plates in the other.

A couple of minutes later, we were all seated at the table with full plates. As we dug in, Jason started unloading the contents of a plastic storage tote onto the floor between bites.

“Here we go,” he said. “Some of Julie’s old Halloween stuff. It’s from a year ago, but you’re shorter than she is, so it might be all right.” He’d laid out stuff for two separate costumes on the floor; one for a witch and another I wasn’t sure of.

“Julie had one costume for school and another for trick or treating last year,” he was saying, “so you have options. And since she wore these when we were still in St. Paul, no one at your school has seen them yet.”

“What’s that one?” I asked, pointing to the mystery pile.

“Oh, that was my undead mermaid!” Julie exclaimed. “It was SO cool! I’d wear it again if the dress still fit. Wanna be an undead mermaid, Mal?”

“Sure,” I replied, figuring the witch costume would most likely get me in bigger trouble with my parents.

It’s a good thing Julie got me up so early; the mermaid costume took forever to put together. The dress was designed to make me look like a fish, billowing out around my feet in a pretty good imitation of a tail—that was simple enough. But then there was this woven material that went over my shoulders like it was supposed to be a fishnet. Julie ran out across the street by the railroad tracks to get a big bunch of long grass to weave through it. That took a long time, but it actually did look a little like seaweed.

There was supposed to be a fishhook stuck in my hair to look like it was lodged in my head, but the hook was missing. Jason went back to the garage and came back with a hook he’d been using to hang stuff from the ceiling. It turned out to be too heavy to put on top of my head, so Jason tied some rope on it to look like fish line, and it went around my neck instead.

Then Lisa went to work on my hair. She got it all wild and tangly, then put makeup on my face to make me look gaunt and pale. She used red and black makeup to add some cuts and bruises, and finally a big gouge in my neck right at the tip of the fishhook.

Looking at myself in the full-length mirror, I had to admit it was convincing. By then, Julie’s enthusiasm had rubbed off on me. This was fun!

Julie’s costume was simpler. She was going as a Viking warrior princess, and she’d already made the costume with Lisa’s help. She had body armor, a spear that was legit a little scary-looking, and a helmet with horns. Jason got some pictures of us together before we headed out the door.

I hadn’t seen anybody at school since my dad went to the ER, but I knew there had to be rumors going around. Fortunately all the Halloween hubbub kind of pushed it to the background, and although I noticed a few people sneaking looks at me, nobody asked any questions right away. With one exception. Megan was waiting right inside the main door when we walked in, and she ushered me and Julie down the side hall towards the utility room. She wasn’t wearing a costume.

“Hey,” she said. “Cool costumes. Listen, Mallory… there’s all kinds of stories flying around. Everyone knows the cops and the ambulance were at your place Sunday night, and that your dad went in for something, but only the EMTs and the police know what it was and they ain’t talking. Then you didn’t show up at school yesterday. You all right, girl?”

I’d thought Megan was going to ask for all the juicy dirt, but she just wanted to know that I was okay. It was a simple concern, and I was surprised to find myself about to burst into tears over it. I fought those feelings back—I didn’t want to spoil my makeup!

“Yeah,” I said after a second to pull myself together, “I’m okay. Dad will be, too. He’s still in the hospital, though.”

“You don’t have to tell me about that if you don’t want to,” she said. “I’m curious, but it’s none of my business. I just need to know you’re okay.”

“He drank too much whiskey,” I told her. “Julie’s dad called it alcohol poisoning.”

“Holy shit,” she said, shaking her head. “I didn’t know your dad drank.”

“Me neither,” I said. She hugged me, and I had to fight back tears once more. We promised to catch up with each other later, and headed off to class.

I got a lot of compliments on my costume, which I totally loved. I’m used to always being in the background, and it felt good to be noticed. We had recess in the gym because of the weather, and Cindy Moen asked me about what happened on Sunday. It was her, me, Julie, and two other girls. She didn’t ask in a mean way, but I realized I really didn’t want to tell the entire story with so many people around. I just told them my dad got so sick he fainted and had to go to the hospital, and I was relieved when they accepted that.

“Was it scary?” Emma Fronning wanted to know. “Did you have to call 911 and everything?”

“Yeah, I called 911,” I told her. “And it was pretty scary.”

We started talking about other things, and I felt satisfied with how I’d handled the situation. What I’d told the girls would get around, and hopefully put a damper on any crazy rumors.

The weirdest part of the day was gym class with Mr. Belgarde. He only had us doing easy exercises and stuff so no one would have to run or jump around in their costumes, but it was the first time I’d seen him since I found out he and my mom were having an affair. I wasn’t mad at him, exactly… it was just weird in a way I can’t explain. I noticed about halfway through class that he was avoiding looking at me. He must have known that I knew. Yikes!

After school Julie and I hoofed it back to her place. The wind was blowing, it was way chilly, and we were a little surprised Jason hadn’t come to pick us up. As we got close to the house I saw why—Grandma Paulette’s car was parked outside.

I was kinda worried. My grandmother doesn’t go to our church, but would she be upset at me for wearing a Halloween costume? There was nothing for it but to walk through the front door and hope for the best.

Grandma was sitting on Jason’s couch, and he was across from her in his recliner. They were holding cups of coffee and in the middle of laughing about something as we walked in. Grandma looked up at me, blinked, shook her head, and looked again. She burst out laughing.

“Mallory, girl,” she choked out, “that’s just frightful! I didn’t recognize you at first.”

She rose gracefully to her feet. Grandma is a short woman in her fifties, her once-blond hair now mostly gray. But she’s still slender and strong. As I shrugged off my coat she came over to hug me, then held me at shoulder length, looking me up and down. She laughed again, then took me by the hand and led me over to the couch, Julie trailing behind.

“I’ve been waiting nearly twelve years to see you dressed for Halloween,” Grandma said as we both sat down.

I had to ask. “Um, this doesn’t bother you, then?”

“Heavens, no, girl. I’m tickled. Just because your mom and dad have you going to that fool church that hates fun, it doesn’t mean I have to like it. I guess you don’t like it either, since you’re getting all gussied up the moment your folks are out of town.”

I was positively flattened. I’d never heard Grandma criticize my parents before, or our church. Guess I always assumed she worshiped the same way we did.

She turned her eyes to Julie. “You’d be Julie, then. I’m Paulette… Sharon’s mom.”

“How do you do,” said Julie in a small voice. There’s something very firm and confident about my grandma that can sometimes intimidate people till they get to know her.

Jason seemed at ease, though. “Your grandma came by to see how you’re doing and if you need anything, Mallory,” he said. “Julie, why don’t you go find something for the two of you to snack on?” Julie scampered.

Grandma put a hand on my knee. “Officer Felter told me you kept a smart head on your shoulders the other night,” she said, “and Mr. Hanson here was just telling me the same thing. Good for you. How’re you holding up?”

“I’m okay,” I assured her.

Julie came back into the room carrying a big bowl full of grapes and set it on the table. Grandma popped one into her mouth. “Mallory,” she said, “it makes sense for you to stay here till your folks get back… after all, the school bus doesn’t run by my place. But is there anything you need?”

“Just to run home and get clean clothes,” I told her. “Besides that, I’m good.”

“I’ll drive you there,” said Grandma. Jason opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand. “Yep… you’d be happy to do it,” she said. “I know. But you’re taking care of my granddaughter right now; let me do this much. And then I’ll come back after dinner and take these two young ladies trick or treating… or to the church party, if that’s what they want.”

“No, you’ll stay for dinner,” said Jason. “Although I admit it’s embarrassing to invite a beautiful woman to dinner and not have flowers…”

“Oh, stop that!” Grandma was laughing uproariously. “Don’t make me tell that young lady of yours you’re flirting with me!”

So Grandma drove me home, where I grabbed two more changes of clothes. Then we came back for dinner. Lisa was home by then, and Jason’s beef brisket was ready, so we all gathered around the table to eat.

Jason and Grandma had quickly become fast friends. They spent the meal pretending to flirt with each other, and Lisa made a big show of pretending to have her feelings hurt. We were in stitches the whole time.

After dinner, Grandma and Lisa took us trick or treating while Jason stayed home to pass out candy. It was my first real Halloween, and it was so much fun! By the end of the evening we were both freezing our butts off, but we got back to the house with huge bagfuls of candy.

After Grandma said her goodnights, hugged me and left for home, Julie and I took a shower. This time we didn’t fool around, but she did help me wash all the goop off my face.

As I emerged from the bathroom, all wrapped up in one of Julie’s bathrobes, Jason beckoned me over to the phone. “It’s your mom,” he said.

I took the receiver from him. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hello, honey,” she said.

“How’s Dad?”

“There’ll be one more night of observation,” she said. “If nothing changes overnight they’re releasing him first thing tomorrow morning.”

“So, he’s really going to be okay,” I said. My first reaction was relief… then I realized it meant I would be going home, and that bummed me out in a big way. I remember Julie telling me that she loved her mother a lot, but she’s better to visit than to live with, and it dawned on me that I feel the same way, only with me, it’s BOTH my parents. I didn’t want to go back.

“It looks that way,” Mom was saying. “So, things should be back to normal soon.”

Back to normal. Back to the way things were. I could already see it coming; they would both pretend like nothing had happened and go on exactly like before, and where was the happy ending here?

I decided to push a little. “You said we needed to talk about things.”

She sighed heavily. “We do,” she said after a long silence. “But not over the phone with other people around. I promise we’ll make time for just the two of us, very soon. I’ll explain everything to you, or at least I’ll try. Until then, it’s probably best to not talk about any of it and…”

“You mean you don’t want Dad finding out.”

Another sigh. “Yes, Mallory… that IS what I mean. I’m trying to be as honest with you as I can. Give me a chance to make you understand, and after that, if you want to tell him I won’t try to stop you.”

Now I was the one who didn’t know what to say. Mom was talking to me like I was almost an equal, and that had never happened before. Was it possible that things could be different this time? It seemed like too much to hope for.

It took a few seconds to find my voice. “O… okay, Mom,” I managed to stammer.

“All right, then… I’ll drop by the Hanson place to get your clothes and things, then pick you up when the A.L. bus pulls in.” She paused. “I love you, Mallory.”

“Love you, too,” I mumbled. We said our goodbyes, and I hung up. I stared at the phone, telling myself not to expect much from Mom and Dad. They’ve let me down so many times before.

Julie had gone upstairs to get her PJs on while I spoke to Mom, and now I was alone in the living room with Jason.

“So… good news?” he said.

“Yeah,” I replied, trying not to let my disappointment show. “Guess I’m going home tomorrow. G’night, Jason.” I retreated up the stairs.

On to Chapter Fourteen!