Chapter 326

I hid my book under my blankets before I made my way to the door. I reached for the doorknob as another knock sounded at my door. I opened it to find myself face to face with Shannon. She looked thinner. “Shannon?”

“Amy!” She smiled wide, and she pushed my door wider, exposing my mother and Toya. “I haven’t seen you in forever.” She stepped in, and instantly my back was up.

Toya scoffed. “Who the fuck is that?” She whisper-yelled and leaned closer to my mother. “That isn’t the same Shannon I met.”

I watched Shannon’s eye twitch before she smiled wider. She leaned around me. “I know I was a bit of a bitch at school.”

“A bit?” Toya interrupted, but Shannon pushed on.

“Okay, a lot,” she raised her hands. “But I can say that I was stupid. I went from being important to being at the bottom of the totem pole. It’s a hard change to take in, and our first year was a rough one for me. But,” she looked at my face, “I grew from it. I came here to apologize to you.”

I watched her skeptically. She was trying to do something, and she thought I was too stupid to realize it. “Apologize?”

She nodded. “I have always treated you like trash. Regardless of rank, which I know you outrank all of us, but as a person, I treated you horribly.” She looked at my mother. “You have always treated me kindly, like a daughter, and you used to treat me like your sister.” She looked down at the ground and sighed. “I was stupid. I thought I needed to compete with you because you were always…better.”

“Shannon.” My mother chastised her, and I looked back at her. She caught my eye, and while Shannon was still staring at the ground, she shook her head quickly. She was telling me not to believe her. It was too convenient, too practiced. “You should know you don’t have to compete with anyone. Your father and I love you for you.” Her words were soft. She stood and made her way to the door. Toya laid across the bed, positioning herself right on top of my book. Even now, she wasn’t leaving anything up to chance.

I caught her eye and smiled. She winked back at me. Shannon sighed and looked back up. I turned back to her to see an unknown emotion flash in her eyes. “I know that now, but Amy… you have always been so perfect. Strong, fierce, and perfect.” Shannon wiped a tear that magically fell. “I was jealous, and I allowed it to take over and ruin our relationship.”

I nodded as if I agreed, but I knew she was just trying to get close. The question was why. “It’s okay,” I heard myself answer before I even thought about it. But then I turned back to the room, and my mom stepped in close. She hugged Shannon.

“It’s okay,” she whispered as she rubbed the tear from Shannon’s cheek.

“No, it’s not okay.” She pulled back and smiled softly. “I really miss you.” She leaned her head against my mother’s shoulder.

My mom closed her eyes. This probably hurt more than she was willing to say. My mom always wanted a big family, and when she first got here, Shannon was a substitute daughter. Even when she was treating her like trash, my mother still loved her in her way. It was almost as if Shannon took over the spot of the pup she lost when my father pretended to cheat.

I watched my mother’s face cycle through so many emotions. I could see a flash of longing. She wished that this feeling was real. There was anger and pain in there, too. Her face settled on something close to acceptance, but her eyes… her eyes were empty. “I missed you too, baby girl,” she kissed her forehead and met my gaze. She allowed me to see the truth. Her eyes were full of fresh anger, then flashed to her wolf eyes, but then they emptied again as Shannon pulled away.

Shannon smiled at my mom and turned to face me. “I know you probably don’t believe me, but I am hoping you will give me a chance to prove to you that what I am saying is the truth.”

I smiled at her. “I mean, it is hard to believe.” I sighed as I rubbed my face.

“Amy.” My mother admonished me, and I had to fight to keep the smile from my face.

“Fine.” I shook my head. “If only for my mom’s peace, I will be willing to work on our relationship.”

Shannon smiled through her tears. “Thank you.” She turned to my mom and kissed her cheek. “Dad wanted me to—”

Before she could go any further, my mom cut in. “Shan, please.” My mom turned to face her. “Your father and my relationship isn’t something for you to fix.” She kissed her forehead. “Let’s head down. I’ll make lunch for everyone, and Amy can unpack the rest of her stuff.” Shannon flicked her eyes to me, nodded, and then they both left.