Stalked By A Serial Killer

Chapter Thirty-Two: I'm Just A Kid

Chapter Thirty-Two: "I'm Just A Kid."

MOM LOOKS very taken aback.

Her eyes are wide, and she doesn't say anything for a good minute. I glance between her and Ty, who looks just as surprised as my mom is. I begin to knit my eyebrows together. I don't see the big deal with me telling my mother to move away. It's for business, after all, and it's not like planes and cars don't exist, so I can always fly or drive over, like-wise for her.

She finally speaks after a while of me regrettably thinking over my sentence. Should I take that back and say I was kidding? "Really?"

I nod slowly, biting my lip and kind of making my eyes dance around the room. "Yeah, why not? I mean, I'll be going away to college anyway, right? You're going to pursue your dream and I'm going to pursue mine. There's transportation; we can always visit on breaks and holidays."

When I'm waiting for her pained answer, I'm the one who gets taken aback this time when Mom pounces out of her seat and races over to my side to engulf me in the biggest hug possible. "Oh, goodness, Morgan. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. So much! You have no idea how big this opportunity is for me and I'm so happy you accept."

I reluctantly hug her back. My body's a little tense at her gesture, but I loosen up once I feel her warmth radiate me. I melt into her arms with her scent. No matter how much vomit and blood and bone and organs she's dealt with today, she still smells like her signature scent: vanilla and strawberries.

"I support you and your work, Mama." I whisper in her hair.

"I love you so much, Morgan Johanna, you don't even know."

"I love you too, Mom."

She pulls away after a few long moments, after Tyler interrupts her. "Okay. Now, I don't mean any offense, but Lauren, you need to give me my woman back."

She laughs and gives Ty a playful slap on the shoulder before she pulls him in a hug as well. Man, there's a lot of hugging going around tonight. I'm not going to be surprised if my chest and arms hurt in the morning. She hugs him a lot longer than necessary, making me think it's a goodbye hug.

My stomach drops at my realization and how sincere Mom is hugging my man.

Wait a minute.

She isn't. . .

She can't be. . .

"Mom?" I ask anxiously, but she ignores me and speaks to Tyler in a whisper, but it's definitely loud enough for me to hear clearly.

"You take care of her, you hear me? Love her, care for her, be there for her. Make sure she's safe, far away from Charlie, and I swear, if that man goes near her you put his ass six feet under, understand me, Mr. Grey?"

Tyler shoots me a sad look, but nods his head nonetheless. "With my life, I promise, Mrs. Peters."

"Mom?" I repeat.

Still no response.

"Mom." I say more sternly.

She eventually pulls away from Tyler, and sighs. Her shoulders bounce lightly, and I feel like a bowling ball was just thrown at my head.

"You're leaving tonight, aren't you." I say, finally collecting all the pieces.

She didn't come home because it was sudden. She came home because she quit and got a better job out of the state. She's leaving whether I accepted her moving or not, she didn't care.

She wasn't coming home to rest, she was coming to say goodbye.

And this is probably the shittiest goodbye ever.