Free Crushed by Amity Hope

idea of where she lived. She had found out from Emma, who had found out from her mom. Being Cleo’s best friend, Emma hadn’t wanted to keep it from her once she’d found out. Cleo kept to her self that i t was one piece of information she could’ve lived without.
    She’d never had a desire to meet her, or eve n see her. A part of her hated this woman. Hated her for the part Cleo was sure that she played
     in her mom’s death. And yet now, as much as she despised admitting it, now she was grateful for her.
    Because when Paul wa s with her …It mean t he was not with them . And she prefer red to have him gone. Fortunately, he wa s. Much of the time. Just not tonight.
    “You got something on your mind, Cleo?” he asked as he dropped his fork onto his plate.
     The sound seemed much louder than it should be. His voice was cutting as it boomed
     through the room and Luci cringed.
    “Dad, you should see the library at the middle school,” Luci said in an effort to pull the attention away from her sister. “It’s huge. It’s so awesome! Cleo isn’t even going to need to take me to the public library anymore. They have
     almost every book on my reading list.”
    Paul, of course, ignored her. Hi s gaze wa s on Cleo . “I asked you a question.”
    “No,” she finally replied, just wishing he would leave. “Nothing on my mind.”
    Only that she wish ed he would leave and n ever come back. Or better yet, she wish ed she could take Luci and just go. Somew here, anywhere. Just the two of them. But that wasn’t going to happen. Besides, Cleo knew Luci would miss her dad. Even though he was a lousy one, he was still her dad . A nd the on ly parent she had left.
    He stared at her for longer than necessary, trying to intimidate her. It worked though she tried not to show it. Then he pushed back from the table so hard the chair went flying . She didn’t mean to flinch but she did as she flew back in her own seat. In that same amount of time, Luci darted in front of her .
    Paul just stood there glaring as Cleo scooted Luci out of the way.
    “Sit down and eat,” Cleo whispered in her ear.
    Luci sat back down, hesitantly, not taking her wary eyes off of her dad. Cleo did n’t k now if he meant to hit her and he stopped because Luci was in the way . O r if he was just getting ready to storm out again.
    “You just think about where you would be Cleo. If it weren’t for me, you think about
     where you would be right now,” he said coldly.
    She knew what he was threatening. He thought she owe d him the world because he let her stay t here. Never mind that she did more of the housework than her mom ev er ha d because even back then, Cleo always helped her out.
    She want ed to ask him where he would be if it weren’t for h e r . Who would keep the house picked up? Who would do the laundry? The grocery shopping?
     The cooking, no matter how inadequate? Wh o would take care of Luci? But she kn e w better.
    He ha d n’t been drinking. Yet. But he was still on edge. He hadn’t hit her for a while, though the summer had been bad.
     Cleo’s anger had spiraled out of control and keeping her mouth shut had become too
     hard. Her hatred of him ran too deep and it was hard not to antagonize him. He had
     never hit her when he was sober , though . She knew there was a first time for everything . She was smart enough not to provoke him into making that first time be tonight.

She was also sma rt enough not to tell him that she would be fine without him. She had worked hard—litera lly—to make sure of that. He had no idea how much money she had managed to put away
     into her savings account. It was an account her mom helped her to set up right after
     she turned sixteen. Right after she got her first job.
    At first , she had started putting away just a little bit . Then this past year, she had put away every dollar she could. Paul had no idea just how
     much Cleo worked the past summer because a lot of her hours overlapped his. If he