How Not to Fall In Love

Chapter 56

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Austin walked Jules and me to Sadie's car to make sure we were safe and that Dad wasn't lurking nearby. He kissed me, opened the passenger door, and told me he'd see me later after getting his new vehicle. I still felt horrible because he had to get rid of his car. It was my fault that my friends had to be careful. I asked Sadie if we had time to get coffee on our way home. She told me her parents wanted us home right after school because we were going shopping for some things. I looked at her for hints about what we were going shopping for, but she wouldn't give anything away. She smiled as she kept her eyes on the road. I asked her if we'd be home later in the evening because Austin would come over and show me his new vehicle. Brent was walking down the steps to the SUV when we pulled up next to the silver SUV. Sadie hopped out and greeted her dad. I reached into my purse for my phone to text Austin and realized I didn't have it anymore. 

"Rylee, are you coming?" Jules asked, opening the car door. 

"Yeah..." I opened the door and grabbed my bookbag and purse. "Sadie, can I borrow your phone for a second?" I asked. 

"Sure." She reached into her purse and handed me her phone. "Going to text Austin about us going shopping?" She smiled. 

"Yeah. Oh, your phone's locked." I handed it back to her. 

"Sorry." She used her fingerprint to open her phone. 

"After today, you won't have to borrow Sadie's phone." Brent started the SUV with his key fab. 

"What?" My head sprung up. 

"Yeah, we're getting you both phones and laptops today. This weekend, you girls can go shopping for clothes." Brent smiled. 

"That's so much money," I mumbled, staring at him in shock. 

"Rylee, don't worry about the money. That's the last thing I want you to worry about. You and your sister deserve nice things. Jennifer and I talked it over last night with Sadie, and we're all in agreement." He winked at Sadie. 

"I don't know what to say. You've done so much for us already. Thank you," I said as tears filled my eyes. 

"You're welcome," Brent asked if he could hug me. 

"Yes." I smiled. I appreciated him asking if it was all right to hug me after everything I'd been through. He respected my space and asked for permission, which meant a lot to me. I knew deep down he wasn't going to hurt me. I just didn't trust men in general right now, and I had good reason not to, thanks to my father. 

Brent walked up to me, wrapped his arms around me like a father would his daughter, and hugged me. "I'm going to make sure no one hurts you again, Rylee. I promise." 

"Are we ready to go?" Jennifer asked, walking up behind us. 

"Uh...Yeah." Brent let go of me. 

"Everything all right?" Jennifer glanced at us. We stood there with tears in our eyes. 

"Uh...Yeah..." Brent dabbed his eyes,  then turned and unlocked the vehicle. We better get going; we have a lot of shopping tonight. He motioned everyone toward the SUV. He dabbed his eyes again while we climbed up in the vehicle. 

                                                                                      *****

I borrowed Sadie's phone when we got home to let Austin know we were home if he wanted to see me. Brent and Jennifer told us to be home no later than one. I didn't know what to think about having a curfew because I was so used to Jules and me being on our own most of the time. It was nice to have an adult care about me for a change and tell me when I had to come home. I didn't know what it was like to be a normal teenager; maybe now I could finally find out what it was like to be one.