CHAPTER NINETEEN.   I can't hide from my family line

      The ride back to Nevermore was silent. Kennedy was too angry to speak. The betrayal she was feeling was too big to explain. She loved living with her grandmother. She was her best friend. Practically her mother. She took her in when she didn't have a place to go and now she wanted to send her back to the woman who hurt her in the first place

Her phone dinged. Kennedy flipped her phone and saw it was a text from Xavier.

Zay
are you okay?

Kenny
i'm okay
why?

Zay
I just got a sad feeling
and felt the need to ask.

Kenny
are we like connected
at the mind now or something?

Zay
possibly

Kenny
i'll tell you when I
get back
it's a doozy.

Zay
i'll be waiting

"Will you please say something, sweetheart?" Her mom asked.

Kennedy continued to ignore her.

"Don't ignore your mother, Kennedy." Said her grandmother, just still remained calm.

"She's not my mom," Kennedy mumbled to herself and shook her head. The tension in the car grew. Her eyes started to water. "She's not my mom. She's not my mom." Her voice broke as she said it over and over again.

When she arrived back at the school, Kennedy instantly went to the buffet. Presley scurried away from her parents and quickly grabbed a plate. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked, noticing her stress.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Presley pointed to her forehead. "You're getting that vein in your forehead that comes out when you're angry."

Kennedy rolled her eyes half way. "It's a really long story."

"Well, mom and dad are going hunting around the school for blood, so, I've got time." The vampire insisted.

"Really, Pres, it's—"

As she talked, Presley looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened. "Uh, Ken,"

"What?"

She pointed behind her. Kennedy turned around and saw her mom stumble through the crowd with a bottle of liquor in her hand. Her eyes were rimmed red from crying. Her grandmother tried taking the bottle from her.

Presley looked at her friend again and immediately grew concerned when she saw her expression. "Ken?"

Kennedy put the plate of food down and walked around the table. Her mom's outbursts caused the people in the quad to look at her. The closer she got, the angrier Kennedy became. "Sweetheart—"

She ignored her grandmother. "You couldn't give me one weekend?" She said to her mom.

Stumbling side to side, Dara reached for her daughter.  "Kenny—"

"You show up unannounced thinking I would be okay with it, then you tell me you want me to move back in with you after all the shit you've put me through, and now you do this?" She counted on her fingers, her voice gradually getting louder. "You've been here for a day!"

"Okay, Kennedy, why don't we—"

"And you!" Kennedy almost shouted and pushed her grandma off of her. "I trusted you! I moved in with you because I couldn't trust anybody else and now you want to send me back to her? The woman who hurt me in the first place?" Her eyes filled with tears.

Presley stood close by and hugged herself, feeling scared at the interaction. Xavier stood with Ajax and his family. They caught each other's eye from across the quad, both of them feeling terrified. They knew exactly how Kennedy got when it came to her mom.

Kennedy continued to glare at her mother. "I've tried so hard to forgive you for all the shit you've put me through. Every hit, every name, every bruise. . . I've tried so hard to forgive you for it all." Her jaw wavered as she felt like she was going to start crying. "He wasn't just your husband, mom. He was my father. I miss him just as much as you do and you put all the blame on me! I was a kid!"

By now, everybody was watching. Nia's hand covered her mouth.

"I actually thought you loved me enough to stop but you don't. You only care about yourself." Kennedy shook her head. "No, I'm not moving back in with you. I never want to see you again!"

She ignored her mother calling her name and she pushed past everybody. Kennedy ran into the school and up the stairs to her room. She felt like water was filling her ears but fire was in her chest. Like she didn't know whether to drown or to burn.

Her whole life, Kennedy felt like a burden. Like she was weighing everyone around her down. She blamed herself for her father, for her mother hurting her, for Xavier breaking up with her, and she blamed herself for being so fucked up. But none of it was her fault. It was her mother's. Her mom was the cause of all her pain.

A pair of long arms wrapped around her shoulders. Kennedy inhaled the familiar scent and it made her cry more. "It's okay. It's okay." Xavier whispered.

"You're not supposed to be in here." She cried out and covered her eyes.

He shook his head. "I don't care."

When her legs felt weak, Kennedy fell to the floor and Xavier went down with her. She cried harder and he held her tighter. "She doesn't deserve you. You're the best person I know, Kennedy.nYou're not a waste of space or a burden. You're not fucked up. You're so great."

She opened her eyes and looked at him over her shoulder. Another shaky cry left her lips. Xavier kissed her cheek and Kennedy laid her head on his shoulder.

Wednesday's parents went to Nevermore with Kennedy's mom and dad. They graduated together. Morticia always told her how Dara and Martin were just like them, only less strange. So in a way, a bizarre way, Wednesday felt somehow connected to Kennedy. Like they were supposed to meet. When she walked into her room, she saw Kennedy curled into a ball on her bed, quietly crying. "Kennedy."

Kennedy didn't raise her head. "What do you want, Wednesday?"

Wednesday stood at the edge of her bed. "I saw what happened." She blankly stated.

"Everyone did, Wednesday. You don't have to remind me. I know my family is fucked up."

She didn't respond. She looked around the room. Everyone was still in the quad. Wednesday realized she was the only person Kennedy had. She slowly sat on the bed. I'm not judging you."

Kennedy turned her head. "You're not?"

"My father was arrested."

In shock, she lifted the upper part of her body off the bed. "What?"

"The sheriff came and took him away. He's accused of murdering Garrett Gates when he and my mom were teenagers. He didn't do it, Kennedy. I know he didn't."  Wednesday explained.

Kennedy sat up full and wiped her face. "Wednesday,  I'm sorry."

"I went and saw him. He confessed to what happened that night but I know him. He has tells."

Kennedy stared at her in shock. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to the sheriff's office to confront Sheriff Galpin. I didn't know if you wanted to attended considering. .  ." Wednesday trailed, not finishing the sentence.

Kennedy nodded. "Of course I'll go, Wednesday. That asshole needs to be out in his place anyway."

She almost smiled.

When they arrived at the police station, Sheriff Gallin was the only one there. "We need to talk."  Wednesday started when they stood outside his office.

Sheriff Galpin turned around. "How the hell did you two get in? Bernice? Bernice!"

"Bernice may or may not have received a call that her tabby cat, Swifty, is being held for random." She glared at the man. "My father did not kill Garrett Gates."

"Well, I have his signed confession, and he identified the sword he used to do it," he responded smugly.  "Both of which I'm about to deliver to the district attorney."

"What's that thing they call you cops say? Innocent until proven guilty? Or is that only a thing when you don't feel like being an asshole?" Said Kennedy with hostility.

The sheriff pointed at Wednesday. "Now, I know why she's here but what on earth are you doing here, Miss Eden?"

She just shrugged. "Moral support."

"Don't you find the timing convenient?" Said Wednesday. "The coroner kills himself out of remorse for a decades old murder case the very weekend my father, your prime suspect, deigns to return to town."

"All I see is a guilty man who's finally going to pay for his crime." Galpin sneered. "And cuffing him myself,  oh, that was the icing on the cake."

"Sounds like this has more to do with just some murder." Kennedy stated.

"Sheriff, how are you risking to see that someone is desperately trying to derail my investigation? I found the monster's cave, and I have you the DNA evidence.  Did you even bother to test it."

Kennedy shook her head. "Probably not."

The sheriff threw her a look. "This may come as a shock, but the world doesn't revolve around you,  Addams." He sat down in his chair and opened his desk. "Here. DNA results. No match. Inconclusive." His eyes flickered to Kennedy. "How's that for innocent until proven guilty?"

"Do you truly believe this is all some coincidence?"  Wednesday asked in disbelief. "Whoever hurt Eugene also murdered the coroner."

"Unfortunately, someone sabotaged the security camera in the morgue, so we don't do what happened," Galpin told them. "They stuck bubblegum on the lens.  Black bubblegum." He emphasized knowingly.

Dammit, Wednesday, Kennedy thought to herself.

"Maybe I should run DNA on that."

"Someone is trying to throw me off my game. This is all a distraction."

"No, this is about justice being served!" The sheriff said loudly. "Garrett Gate's family deserves closure,  even if none of them are here to take comfort in it."

Kennedy furrowed her brows. "What happened to them?"

"His mother hung herself in the backyard. His father drank himself to an early grave. Even his little sister didn't escape. She was orphaned, sent overseas, ended up drowning. Every last one of them's gone." He looked at Wednesday. So your father doesn't just have Garrett's blood on his hands,  he's got the whole damn family's."

Hearing enough, Kennedy lightly hit Wednesday on the arm with her knuckles. "Come on. Let's go."

Just as they walked out of the office, Galpin called her name. "Kennedy." She turned back around. "I know you think I'm a bad guy and I don't blame you for that.  But what would do you wanted justice for your father's death, huh? You'd want me to go to great lengths to make sure you got it."

Her eyes trailed to the hard wood floors and then she glared at him. "Don't talk about my father." She spat and left the station with Wednesday.

Kennedy sat in front of the fireplace with her legs pulled to her chest. Everyone was still outside with their families. Her friends texted and asked her multiple times if she was okay. She said she was fine and that was all. She wasn't in the mood to have conversations.

Her grandmother entered the room, her heels clicking on the floor. "Honey. . ." She began.

Kennedy still stared at the fire. "Where's mom?" She blankly asked.

"She got a cab to go home," Nia replied and sat on the ground with her. "I'm sorry about what happened. I had no idea she was going to do that."

She scoffed. "Like you didn't know for the past, what,  five years?"

"Hey, I'm your grandma. Don't talk to me like that."

Her stern voice made Kennedy got quiet.

"I really did think she was getting better. She's my daughter. Of course I trusted her. I've been keeping a close eye on her since you came back here."

"I'm guessing she was really sneaky?"

Nia nodded. "I suppose so. Or I was just too naive to not believe her." She spoke in guilt.

Kennedy looked at her. "I'm not moving back in with her. You can't make me. If you want to kick me out then I'll find somewhere to stay." She said defensively.

Her grandmother scooted closer to her. "Don't say stuff like that, Kennedy. You're my granddaughter. I love you like my own child. I took you in because I was afraid of what would happen if I didn't." She felt her heart sink. "I should've seen it coming this time."

Kennedy frowned. "It's not your fault, grandma."

"I don't even know why I agreed." Nia shook her head.  "I knew what she did to you and I still asked her to come today. I just thought maybe she would try this time. I'm sorry, Kennedy."

She quickly scooted her body close to her and looped her arm through hers. "It's okay, grandma." She laid her head on her shoulder.

Her grandmother sniffled. "You're not going to go back. You're gonna stay with me where you belong.  You're my girl."