There was a long, heavy beat of silence.
« She leaves the house every morning. I watch her walk out the door. »
« No, » Mrs. Carter said. « She hasn’t been in any of her classes since Monday. »
« Monday… okay. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll talk to her. »
I hung up the phone and sat there. My daughter had been pretending to go to school all week… where had she really been going?
When Emily came home that evening, I was waiting for her.
« How was school, Em? » I asked.
When Emily came home that evening, I was waiting for her.
« The usual, » she replied. « I got a whole ton of math homework, and History is so boring. »
« And what about your friends? »
She stiffened.
« Em? »
Emily rolled her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. « What is this? The Spanish Inquisition? »
She stomped off to her room, and I watched her go. She’d been lying for four days, so I figured a direct confrontation would just make her dig a deeper hole.
I needed a different approach.
She’d been lying for four days.
***
The next morning, I went through the motions.
I watched her walk away down the driveway. Then, I ran for the car. I parked a short distance from the bus stop and watched her get on the bus. Nothing concerning so far.
So, I followed the bus. When it hissed to a stop in front of the high school, a sea of teenagers poured out. Emily was among them.
But as the crowd flowed toward the heavy double doors of the building, she peeled off.
