Free In Too Deep by Valerie Sherrard Page A

from now on I’m not to disturb them three evenings during the school week or anytime on Saturday. So I ask him how I’m supposed to give them all this privacy and he says I can just stay in my room!
    â€œWell, I was furious and told him there was
no way
I was going to be sent to my room like a little kid, that it was my house too and I had rights. And he says I’m spoiled rotten and I have no consideration for anyone else and if I don’t like it I can get out.”
    She’d been crying hard by this point in her story and had to stop and get herself pulled together before she could go on.
    â€œJust like that — if I don’t like it I can leave. My way or the highway, he says. So I turned to Mom and asked her if she was going to let him talk to me like that, but she had her head down and wouldn’t look at me. Then after a few minutes she says that since I’m always causing trouble with Pete and won’t listen to him, maybe it would be better for everyone if I lived somewhere else. Better for everyone all right. It sure didn’t sound like it would be better for me.
    â€œI couldn’t believe what I’d just heard! My
mother
, telling me
I
was the one creating all the problems. The worst part was that she seemed perfectly willing to throw me out of my own house just to make him happy.”
    It was impossible for me to imagine what it would be like to have my mom choose some man over me.
    â€œWell, the three of us had the biggest fight ever, and at the end of it they tell me I’m going to be sent here. Just think of it! They’d already arranged the whole thing and were just waiting for some big blow-up so they’d have an excuse.”
    â€œThat’s horrible, Amber,” was all I could think to say.
    â€œI hope they’re happy now, with all that privacy and doing everything that Pete thinks is suitable.” There was bitterness in her voice, and I couldn’t blame her a bit. “When I was leaving Mom started crying and saying she was sorry it had to be that way. I didn’t evenbother pointing out that it didn’t
have
to be that way at all, there had been a choice and she’d made it. I just walked away from her and got on the plane and never looked back.”
    â€œDoes your mom phone or write or anything?”
    â€œShe called a couple of times, but I wouldn’t talk to her. The Brodericks were pretty understanding about that, too, and didn’t try to persuade me to take her calls. They’re nice people, but even though they’re relatives and all I barely know them. I only met them a couple of times before all this happened. She hasn’t written, but if she did I’d just send the letters back.”
    â€œWhat about your dad?”
    â€œHe phones and sends me things, and he’s coming to see me before the end of the school year, but it will only be for a couple of weeks. I guess his job is more important to him than me.”
    It was no wonder that Amber had come to Little River with the attitude she had. I don’t think I’d want to trust anyone or get close to people if something like that had happened to me.
    And now she had to deal with the kids at school thinking she was a thief on top of everything else. I felt so ashamed when I thought of what I’d done and how I’d been so willing to think the worst of her.
    Now the most important thing I could do was to help clear her name. I was determined to do just that.

C HAPTER T HIRTEEN
    Greg was working on Saturday, which was probably just as well since when I got up that morning there was a zit growing right in the middle of my nose. It was bright red and sore to touch, like some angry volcano that couldn’t quite decide to erupt. I didn’t care that it hurt, but I sure cared that it was there.
    When I went down to breakfast Mom and Dad were in the kitchen talking about what colour to paint the living room. Mom was discussing it as