Chapter Nine
"You guys are completely insane," said Sawyer, not for the first time.
"Call me Nancy Drew," I said.
"I hate to sound like my Mother, but if your parents don't want you to know then can't you just leave it and wait till they tell you?" he suggested timidly. Jenny and I glanced at each other.
"No," we answered simultaneously.
"Huh. I can't believe I just left without telling anyone where I was going," he said.
"Live a little sweetheart," suggested Jenny.
"Yeah, I'll get right on that," he said.
"So how do we know that this is the right Nicole Turner?" questioned Jenny.
"I don't, if she isn't we'll just find the next one," I said calmly.
"How? What do we do, knock on her door and tell her that she's someone, and she knows something, she has to do with us somehow?" said Jenny.
"You got a better plan?" I said defensively.
"Nope. And I need to know," said Jenny simply.
After only a short time Sawyer took over driving and I slept in the passenger seat while Jenny reclined in the back.
Charlotte was a city big enough to seem thrilling to our small town eyes. I recalled Mom telling me of the time she's visited New York just before she'd married Daddy, how she'd felt and what it had been like. I felt as she had.
Nicole Turner lived in an area of town that reeked of 'bad'. I saw teenagers smoking pot and prostitutes loitering on street corners. I shivered and turned away. Sawyer put a comforting hand on my knee.
"We're looking for Nicole Turner," I said into an intercom. An impatient voice came back to me.
"This is she. What do you want?"
"Um, we're just friends of a friend," I lied. She buzzed, and the door opened. We climbed three flights of graffitied stairs and stopped in a front of a white door with peeling paint. I took Sawyer's hand and he squeezed it before I knocked.
"Who are you?" she demanded. I looked at her-she looked like she was the kind of person who'd always been pretty but not beautiful, who'd had looks that hadn't stayed. She was wearing an inappropriate outfit for someone in her late thirties, a cigarette was in her hand. I grimaced in disgust as she smiled at Sawyer. Something about her eyes was familiar.
"Callie," I stuttered.
"Well, Callie, what can I do for you?" she asked sarcastically.
"And I'm Sawyer Scott."
"Scott. As in Lucas?"
"Scott, as in Nathan, his brother. You knew him?"
"Rather well," she said, giggling. Gross. I'd deal with that later.
"And this is Jenny," I managed to say. Nikki's eyes immediately swiveled to her and took in her height, her hair and lastly her eyes. She turned back to me and pointed an accusing finger.
"You're her daughter."
"My mother's name is Peyton Jagielski," I said.
"Ah, so that's why they got married. So you're blondie's daughter."
"We both are," said Jenny.
"Peyton said you were her daughter?" asked Nikki in disbelief.
"Well yeah," said Jenny. I could almost feel her begin to grow tense.
"Bitch. Come on in," she said, and we followed her into her small apartment.
"Who are you?" I asked finally.
"Jenny's mother," she answered softly. My hand, still in Jenny's, was gripped. My knuckles turned white but I didn't notice. The world stopped turning and I turned a deaf ear.
Not my sister.
"That's not true," said Jenny. I could see her stare in disbelief at the woman who claimed to be her mother, and saw her recoil. Suddenly I placed Nikki's eyes.
They were also Jenny's.
"It is true," she insisted.
"How?"
"Jake wouldn't let me near you. Over a year after you were born, he married her, and the judge gave all rights to them because apparently they had a better home environment. So I wasn't allowed to visit and eventually I came here," she said.
"Why wouldn't Daddy let you see her?" I asked.
"Because he thought I'd hurt you, I guess," she said, leaking a tear. For an instant my heart went out to her.
"Why wouldn't my parents tell me about this?" asked Jenny. I could see doubt behind her eyes.
"I guess to avoid this," she said, laughing. "How's Jake doing?"
"They're great. He a pediatrician, we bought a bigger house after Lauren was born," said Jenny.
"Lauren?"
"My littlest sister," explained Jenny.
"So you, this one and Lauren. They've been pretty busy I guess," she said, slightly crudely. I felt Jenny stiffen. This was so incredibly surreal.
"My sister's name is Callie," reminded Jenny.
"Your half-sister. You don't look a thing like Jake," she said suggestively.
"He's my father," I countered angrily.
"No. But you know who you remind me of? His friend, the blonde one…" she began. The door burst open. Suddenly Daddy stood in it, looking taller than ever and more furious than I'd ever seen him. Uncle Nathan appeared behind him.
"Jake," said Nikki politely.
"What the hell, Nikki. Callie, Jenny, we're going," he ordered.
"Sawyer, what the hell are you doing here?" demanded Nathan angrily. Slowly, hesitantly I walked toward my father. When I reached him, he clamped a hand around my forearm and refused to look at me. Jenny remained still.
"Jennifer Jagielski…" he started angrily.
"You think I'm going with you? You've been lying to me my entire life," she spat out.
"And you think she tells the truth? Come one," he said.
"So she's not my mother?" she said, hopefully. Nikki laughed.
"Tell her Jake."
"As far as I'm concerned, Peyton is, if not biologically," he said. What did he mean, about Nikki lying? Jenny began to cry, and Nikki moved to comfort her.
"Jenny, come on," I begged. I moved toward me, but Daddy pulled me back to him.
"Like hell. I'm going to stay here, and I don't care if I ever see you again," she cried.
"Nikki, remember what the judge said? That you're not allowed in the same room as our child? That still holds," he said. He let go of my arm, and walked across the room. She screamed as he took her arm as he'd taken mine and pulled her back towards the door, though I knew it was not because he'd been hurting her.
Nikki yelled something inaudible as Nathan closed the door behind us. Daddy ushered me in front of him as he dragged a protesting Jenny down the hall, her screams giving away to sobs.
She sat between Sawyer and me in the backseat of Uncle Nathan's SUV, leaning on his shoulder and crying. As the silent ride progressed she gave into exhaustion and slept, as I tried my hardest to stop myself from thinking.
Both mothers were on the front looking, looking haggard. As I climbed out of the car on unsteady legs. Mom ran forward to embrace me and I let her-I was furious but entirely glad she was my mother. Jake carried the still sleeping Jenny in his arms.
"Come on, we're going home," said Haley in distress, meeting eyes with her son. He nodded and the three of them got in the car to drive down the block.
Lauren was in my room, questions in her eyes, as I walked in and Daddy set her on her bed. But neither of us said a word to her-I merely embraced her, tears escaping my eyes, before I fell into bed and sleep riddled with dreams.
The three of us walked down to breakfast together early the next morning. The five of us faced each other like two sides in a war. At last Daddy broke the silence.
"Do you want to know the truth?"
"How am I supposed to believe it?" spat out Jenny.
"Jenny, we only did this because…" began Mom gently.
"Because why? Tell me, because I'd really like to know. It'd be a good laugh. To protect me? From life? From love? From pain? That sure as hell worked out, didn't it?" she demanded.
"Don't blame your Mother, this was my choice," said Daddy.
"My Mother? I don't have a Mother! You won't let me near the one who gave birth to me, and the one who raised me is dead to me now. How could you do that?"
"Do you know what she's like?" asked Daddy. I gripped my sister's hands.
"NO! AND I DON'T CARE, BECAUSE I KNOW SHE'S GOT TO BE BETTER THAN THE TWO OF YOU FOR PARENTS, BECAUSE AT LEAST SHE'S NEVER LIED TO ME!" yelled Jenny.
"I'll bet she has. What did she tell you?" asked Daddy.
"That you wouldn't let me near her," said Jenny.
"Did she say why?"
"Because you groundlessly thought she'd hurt me."
"Groundlessly? Sweetie…" said Mom.
"No! I don't want to hear it! In fact, I don't care if I never hear you say anything again. I hate you! I'm never going to forgive you! You're the one that stopped my parents from being together. You've ruined my life!" Mom burst into tears-something she seldom did. I wanted to comfort her, but I knew I couldn't.
"Jenny I love you more than she ever could," she promised.
"Like hell," she said, storming out of the room. Lauren, after shooting them an evil look, fled with her. I stood my ground and shakily turned back to them.
"Why did you get married?"
"To put the trial in our favour," admitted Mom.
"Why was there a trial?"
"Because she was suing for full custody of your sister," said Dad.
"Why?"
"Because we wouldn't let her near her."
"Why?"
"Because she abandoned her when she was one month old," said Mom.
"Why couldn't you just tell us?" I asked, crying again.
"That was my decision. Your mother never fully agreed with me. It's just that Peyton has cared for Jenny from the time she was six months old to now. She got married at eighteen to keep her from Jenny. Some would say she gave her life away for her, when she was in love with somebody else. Peyton is Jenny's mother, whatever Nikki wants to believe. And neither of us love any of you more or less because of that," said Dad.
"I want to believe you," I sobbed. I truly did-I didn't want conflict to tear us apart.
"Then do! I love you, and I love your sisters," said Mom. I threw myself at her and she hugged me back.
"I love you too. Nikki was horrible. I wish I had never found out anything. How did you follow us?"
"You left your computer on, and after that it was pretty easy to track you down," admitted Daddy. A giggled interrupted my sobs.
"I hate that you lied to us," I said.
"Me too. We should never have done this. And I know it might seem like we've been lying to you about everything your entire life, but it's not the truth," said Mom.
"But there is one thing we haven't told you. Our marriage wasn't the only thing that put the trial in our favour," began Daddy. I sighed.
"What did?"
"Your Father and I had been arguing, so I went out in my car. It was about midnight. I went downtown, and I came to a bad area. Nikki was you know, soliciting. So I got out and told her about Jake and me and she reacted rather badly. She pulled a knife on me, Luke came along, some cops came along and she was arrested," finished Mom.
"Jenny's mom was a hooker?" Somehow this disturbed me more than most of the night's events.
"Yes. She may still be. Why didn't Jenny want to leave?"
"She just swallowed all the crap she said, like I did. It was creepy, like Nikki was seducing her or something," I said.
"She's never going to forgive me," sighed Mom.
"And it's more my fault then yours," said Dad, kissing the top of her curly head.
"They have the same eyes," I pointed out.
"I've noticed before," said Mom. Her voice sent a shiver down my spine as I turned to go.
Jenny was still crying when I got upstairs and Lauren was speaking to her in a low, comforting voice while she rubbed her shoulder.
"Hey," I said into the darkness.
"Where were you?" demanded Lauren in a whisper.
"They explained everything. It's better than you think," I comforted.
"I can't believe you're siding against me," said Jenny.
"What? I'm not," I said quickly. We were always on the same team against them.
"Doesn't look that way," she said. She was right-it didn't look that way.
"It doesn't matter, Jen," I said.
"Yes it does. Because if you're not with me, you're with them. And if you're with them, I don't particularly want to talk to you." The two of them stood and walked out of the room, presumably to go to Lauren's room. Leaving me completely in the dark in all senses of the word.
