Vindicated Read Online Free Page B

the counter when she spoke.
    “No, thanks,” Karly replied, restraining a smile. She was just so darn cute. “And don’t talk with your mouth full. It’s gross.” Emma opened her mouth and stuck out her cookie-covered tongue, eliciting a grimace from Karly. “Seriously. Don’t.”
    Emma rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the hot chocolate.
    “So how was school today?” At Emma’s insistence, Karly broke off a piece of one of the cookies and nibbled on the edge while she waited for an answer.
    “Fine,” Emma said, avoiding her gaze.
    “What did you do?”
    “Nothing. Stuff,” Emma replied. She swiveled on her barstool to face Karly. “Can we go to the arcade across the street?”
    “Not today,” Karly said. Emma scowled. “Don’t change the subject. What happened at school today?”
    The pert nose scrunched in irritation, an expression Karly recognized as one of her own. Emma swung her legs through the air, kicking the bar with pink and purple tennis shoes, until Karly placed a hand on her shoulder and frowned. Emma sighed dramatically, her shoulders drooping.
    “Nothing happened. It was boring.” She returned to her hot chocolate, took a long drink, and smacked her lips in satisfaction. “Yummy-yum.”
    “I saw Mrs. Pettigrew in the parking lot at the school while I was waiting for you. She said you’ve been late to school every day this week.” Karly squeezed Emma’s shoulder with enough pressure to cause the girl to scowl. “Look at me, Emma. What’s going on?”
    Outside the store window, large snowflakes meandered through the air but couldn’t muster enough strength to coat the sidewalks. Emma stared out the window, brows furrowed, avoiding Karly’s gaze.
    “Mom sleeps all the time, and she always forgets to wake me up in the morning,” Emma said with an apathetic shrug. The maturity in the gesture stabbed Karly in the heart. “I set the alarm on the phone like you showed me, but sometimes I forget to plug it into the charger.”
    “She said you haven’t had any lunch all week either.” Despite the pink glow of Emma’s cheeks, the bones of her face showed through the milky skin. “What’s up with that?”
    “Mom said there wasn’t any money.”
    “What about Dad?” Karly swallowed hard, pushing back the anger erupting inside her.
    “Uh, haven’t seen him all week,” Emma said. She took another sip of hot chocolate and smacked her lips together. “Can I have some more of this?”
    “When’s the last time you ate, baby girl?” At the endearment, Emma stopped fidgeting and turned to face Karly. The embarrassment and hesitation in Emma’s eyes made Karly draw in a sharp breath. “It’s alright, Emma. You can tell me anything. You know that, right? I’m the one person in the world who will always, always be here for you.”
    Emma rocketed off the barstool and into Karly’s arms with a force that nearly knocked them both onto the floor. Karly wrapped her arms tight around the thin body and squeezed with all her might, wishing she could pull the child inside her where nothing could ever hurt her. She buried her nose in the red ringlets and savored the scent of Emma’s strawberry shampoo while Emma clung to her.
    “It’s okay, sweetie,” Karly crooned, determined to hide her panic at this outburst. “Please tell me.”
    “Dad never comes home anymore,” Emma said, her high-pitched voice muffled in Karly’s shoulder. “And Mom takes her medicine all the time. She said I’m a big girl now, and I’m not to bother her. That I can fix my own food if I’m hungry, but she never goes to the store. Sometimes the lady next door invites me to eat with her, though. She’s got a poodle named Tipsy.”
    Oh, God. Karly hugged Emma closer while guilt and anger warred within her. The only person who could put a stop to this was her. She had to find a way to get Emma out of there, even if it meant quitting school and working minimum wage jobs for the rest of her