wasnât actually causing me much trouble, but I figured the pain relief might help with my still-throbbing cuts.
When I sat at the table, no one was talking. Mom stared at Dad like she was waiting for something, but Dad ignored her and readjusted his pale-blue tie. He insisted on wearing one every day. As if the tie alone could make him, make
us
, better somehow.
The silence became uncomfortable.
âWhatâs wrong?â I asked between mouthfuls of toast. Dad continued staring at the same piece of paper heâd been focused on since Iâd walked into the room. Mom squirmed in her chair.
âItâs probably just a misunderstanding, sweetie.â She gave me a reassuring nod that didnât match the concerned look in her eyes.
âWhat is?â I put down my slice of toast, my cast clanking on the edge of my plate.
Dad looked up at me from behind the sheet of paper. Something in his eyesâthe way they looked at me, but didnât
focus
on meâset off my internal alarms. âDenise called this morning. She did a random stock check before she closed up last night. On the prescription meds.â His glare intensified. âIs there something you want to tell us?â
Oh.
Shit.
I thought Iâd covered all bases. Normally inventory happened midweek, which would have given me a few days between working at the store and other casual staff taking shifts. It shouldâve been impossible for the missing drugs to be traced back to me.
Why the hell did Denise decide to . . . ?
Then I remembered how Iâd been too nervous to look around when Ethan handed me back the box of pills. Denise must have seen enough to be suspicious.
I wasnât ready for this.
âSabine?â Dad snapped.
I grabbed hold of my pendant, sliding the butterfly up and down the dainty silver chain, thinking fast.
âI donât know what you want me to say.â
âYou could start with the truth,â Dad replied.
I looked at Mom, holding her gaze as if I had nothing to hide. âAbout what?â
Think, think, think!
My mouth was so dry, my words were starting to stick.
âAbout the box of heart medication that walked out of the store yesterday. They were only delivered in the morning and were gone by the afternoon. Apart from Denise, you and your mother were the only ones in the store with access.â Dadâs neck was getting red patches. He was starting to lose it, glaring at Mom like she should be doing something.
Mom jumped in. âSabine, I donât know what you . . . Maybe you could explainââ
But it wasnât good enough for Dad and he cut her off. âItâs heart medication, Sabine!â He stood up, scraping the chair roughly across the floor. âWhat were you thinking? If you think you can get high on that stuff, youâre sorely mistaken! You wouldâve had better luck in the cough medicine aisle!â He started pacing around the table.
Eyes wide, I couldnât think, couldnât focus. Mom was reaching across the table to hold my hand, as if pleading for an explanation, something that could stop this runaway train. Problem was, my mind was drawing a blank.
âI didnâtââ
âDonât even go there! We know it was you. Even
Denise
knows it was you! How do you think that makes us look?Having staff who know that our own daughter would steal from us? Did you even think about what people would say?â
Dadâs foot snagged one of the straps of my bag and he stumbled, almost taking a nose-dive. It was the final straw. After regaining his balance, he grabbed my backpack and upended it on the table.
I leaped up to stop him, but Momâs previously comforting hand suddenly morphed into a viselike grip.
It felt as if everything happened in slow motion. The contents of my bag spilled onto the table. Amid the stash of blood-soaked bandages sat a half-emptied box of pills and a box of extra-strength