Sadie and I sat in her car, heading for a shopping mall, country music on the radio playing softly in the background. I had told her everything about Iva's abrupt visit to my house, my parents' reaction, and my follow-up phone call to Wyatt.

"But what are you going to do now?"

I turned to her, my depression so great that I felt lethargic. Sadie was dragging me out for some retail therapy, as she called it. It was distracting, being out of the house, where that horrible cloud of disappointment and dismay hovered, but it didn't make me feel better. Neither one of my parents had spoken to me since Iva Cross had strode from our house, closing the door softly behind her, other than polite if stilted exchanges as I helped mom fix supper. I wasn't hungry though, the thought of eating curdling my stomach.

"What do you mean?" I asked, turning toward her. For a second, I felt envious of Sadie, for always looking so perky, always being so cheerful, no matter what. Then again, she didn't have to live in my world. She didn't have a mother in a wheelchair who counted on her income, nor a father who was facing an upcoming trial, so many uncertainties… but that wasn't fair. It wasn't Sadie's fault. None of this was. It was mine, all of it, from the very beginning. All I had wanted to do was help my parents and yet…

"I mean what you can do about Wyatt?"

I stared at her. "Sadie, I just told you I broke up with him, didn't I?"

"You broke up with him to please your parents, right?"

I cringed as Wyatt's words about me not having to live under my parents' shadow replayed over and over in my head. "Well, I guess that's the bottom of it," I said, misery once again rising up inside me.

"You like him, don't you?"

Sadie glanced at me as we stopped at a traffic light. I don't know what she saw, but seconds later, her eyes widened. "No, don't answer that. You don't just like him, do you, Riley? You've fallen for him, haven't you?"

Had I? Was that why I felt so heartbroken and miserable? So sick to my stomach that I doubted I would ever be able to eat again? Was this why I felt myself trembling, on the verge of tears, my world turned upside down?

"Impossible," I said, trying to convince myself. "I haven’t known him long. You can't fall in love with someone in just a few weeks… can you?" Could I? I shook my head. Even if it was the truth, there was nothing to be done about it now. I had broken it off with him. The last thing I needed was more trouble. We had enough trouble at home without adding to it.

"Riley, I know you don't want to hear this right now, but you've got to face it. Your parents can't tell you who to date. You're an adult, and just because you're living under their roof doesn't give them the right to tell you how to live your life."

"It's more complicated than that."

"Oh? How so?" The light turned green and she pressed her foot down on the accelerator.

"Sadie, you've known my parents as long as you've known me. You know how close we are, right?" My best friend nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but I lifted a hand. "Just hear me out." I thought about my words before I spoke. "Do I agree with them for telling me who I can or cannot see? No, of course not. But at the same time, we've always been there for each other. I don't… I don't want to rock the boat. I don't want to damage the close relationship I've enjoyed with my family. They're very disappointed in me, and I'm telling you, that disappointment is killing me." I turned toward the window, blinking back tears, swallowing against the hard lump rising in my throat.

"And how did you really feel about your father's arrest? Didn't that disappoint you? And the upcoming trial? And yet you still love him. Look what you did for him!"

"It's not the same."

Sadie sighed with frustration. We drove in silence for a while and as we neared the shopping center, my phone rang. I pulled it from my back pocket, glanced at the screen, and frowned. "It's my mom."

"Well, answer it!" Sadie urged, pulling into a parking space.

I did. "Hi Mom," I said without any enthusiasm, waiting for the next shoe to drop. What now? Would she tell me that I had to leave, that they were kicking me out of the house? That they were so disappointed and disgusted with me they could no longer bear the thought of—"

My mother's sudden, abrupt laugh startled me, but it wasn't happy laugh, you know, one of those chortles that almost comes out like a sound of… disgust? I felt cold and hollow inside, the sound prompting me to wonder if I had irrevocably damaged our relationship, our camaraderie, and our very friendship.

"What is it, Mom?" I waited several seconds but she didn't say anything. Then, finally, she spoke, but they weren't the words I expected.

"The charges against your dad have been dropped."

Just like that. I didn't understand and needed clarification. "What? The criminal charges against Dad have been dropped? How? I mean, what changed?"

"After discovery, your father's defense attorney and the prosecutor both agreed there wasn't enough evidence to proceed to trial. Your father will be going back to work tomorrow."

To say I was stunned would be an understatement. I glanced at Sadie, who looked at me in curiosity. I watched people come and go from the mall, my mouth dry. "Insufficient evidence? I don't understand? What—"

"We were told by his attorney in the beginning that the evidence against your father was circumstantial, and that it would be tough for the prosecutor to win such a case in court. So you see, you didn't have to sell your virginity after all. If you had just waited—"

"Wait a minute, Mom," I said, trying not to cringe at the stab of pain in my heart from her words. "What do you mean you had a feeling this was going to happen?"

"Your dad's lawyer told him to sit tight, that it wasn't an airtight case, and the investigation was ongoing. So you see, if you'd just waited—"

Could one's blood really run cold? I'd heard the phrase often enough and read it in books, but I never realized how true it was. I felt chilled to the bone. "But… but why didn't you tell me that? I wasn't aware that the investigation wasn't over. My God, Mom, the trial date was set for next week!"

"I don't want to talk about this over the phone."

My blood ran colder. The tone of her voice was close to matching the chill racing through my body. "Mom, I need you to understand that what I did, I did for you and dad!"

"I said I don't want to talk about it over the phone, Riley. We'll talk later."

She disconnected the call. Tears filled my eyes as I looked at Sadie, my voice soft with disbelief as I gave her the news. "The charges against my dad have been dropped."

It should've been the happiest moment of my life. Instead, I felt increasingly nauseated. I slowly shook my head, my dismay causing my head to spin. My limbs felt rubbery and lethargic. I don't think I could've reached to open the door at this moment if my life depended on it.

"They're so angry with me," I continued, my voice barely above a whisper. "She said that if I'd only waited, but I didn't know. I didn't know!"

"Riley, no use crying over spilled milk," Sadie said. "I don't mean to sound trite, but it's done. You can't go back and undo it. You did what you felt was the only thing you could do to help your parents. Let them get over their shock. They'll come to understand someday."

Someday. How long? A week from now? A year? What if things were never the same between my parents and I ever again? "Damn her!" I snapped, stomping my foot against the floorboard. "Why did Wyatt's mom have to do that? How can anyone be so cruel?"

"That's something that neither one of us can answer."

Sadie reached across the console to grab my hand.

"You're very brave woman, Riley, and I admire you for your courage. I don't know if I could've done what you did. But it's done. Sure, we all wish there could have been another way, but you accomplished what you set out to do, right?"

I turned to my friend, blinking back tears blurring my vision. "Yes, but at what price?"

At what price? No one was ever supposed to find out about my proposition. Why hadn't Wyatt destroyed the agreement? Who had gotten their hands on it? The air suddenly left my lungs, making me feel as if I had just been punched in the gut. Would it get out to the public? Would Twitter and Instagram go berserk if the news got out? Oh my God, the humiliation!

"Riley, you look sick. Are you all right?"

I told her of my fear. Her eyes widened but then she shook her head. "No, I don't think she’d do that. To what point? Misguided as she may be, she's not out to destroy her son. She probably thinks that she's saving him. No, Riley, she's not going to make it public."

I wasn't so sure. "But what if someone else found it and told her? What if…" I didn't want to believe it, but what if Wyatt had said something to someone? I was pretty sure he wouldn't have said anything to his mother, but there could be a friend, an associate? Had he boasted about it? I didn't want to think it of him, but it was a possibility. I resisted the urge to call him right now and ask. I had already ended the relationship. What good would it do to dredge up all the humiliation again?

"Riley, hang in there. I know this is tough, and certainly not what any of us were expecting, but your dad has been cleared, your parents have a little bit of breathing room in regard to the mortgage, and—"

“And I got laid by one of the richest playboys in the city. Good for me."

"Riley—"

I reached for the car door handle and opened the door. "Let's just go do some shopping, okay? I need to be distracted, desperately. Let me process this, let my feelings just… I just need to feel them. I'll figure out what to do about them later."

She smiled at me.

"Sure thing, Riley. Let's go shopping."

The retail therapy might've worked for Sadie, but it didn't work for me. I was just window shopping anyway, no surplus cash to spend. I walked through the mall with her, offering nods, exclaiming over her purchases, smiling as she tried on one top after another, but I felt empty inside. The news about the case against my dad being dropped had figuratively pulled the rug from out from under my feet. When I got home this evening, would things be different? Could they ever be the same?

I felt miserable. No, more than miserable. I felt horrible. And yet… and yet I didn't regret what I had done. I didn't regret getting to know Wyatt and I certainly didn't regret my… my falling in love with him. That's what made all of this so much harder, so much more unbelievable. If it hadn't been for his mother, none of this would have happened. Maybe, in time, I would've felt comfortable introducing Wyatt to my parents. I shook my head, almost laughing. Wasn't that a turnaround? I should be the one who felt uncomfortable meeting his mom, but I hadn't been. So why would I feel hesitant to introduce Wyatt to my parents? Because he might see me as a poor, needy person?

I frowned. Wyatt had never treated me like he felt sorry for me, that I was beneath his station in life. I wanted to believe that he enjoyed spending time with me as much as I enjoyed spending time with him. I didn't give a damn about his money. Sure, I couldn't deny a bit of envy, who wouldn't? But I had really enjoyed my time with him. He was a lot more down-to-earth than I would've thought.

Unfortunately, it was all over now. I couldn't undo anything I had done, but maybe Wyatt was right about one thing. Maybe it was time for me to think about moving out on my own. But how? I didn't make enough money to afford a place of my own. And even though we had gotten a brief reprieve from the bank on the mortgage, we were still in the same boat as we were in the beginning. Well, except for the fact that my dad could now go back to work. We didn't have to worry about an indefinite loss of his income. I knew it would take a couple of months to get back up to speed with the bills, but maybe over the next five months, pulling every extra shift and working as much overtime as possible, Dad and I could at least stay afloat.

Sadie drove me back home, though I couldn't help but grow increasingly anxious the closer we got to my house. What if my parents never forgave me? What would I do then? Once more, warm tears filled my eyes. Would I be able to close this rift that had opened between us or would it only grow larger? Maybe my parents would resent me for not having enough trust or confidence in them to weather this rough spot on their own - without their daughter feeling that she needed to sell her virginity to make ends meet.

Sadie pulled up to the curb. I looked at my house, not sure what to think, to say, or do. I turned to her with a lifted eyebrow and a small shrug. "Well, let's see what happens, shall we?" She clasped my hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Everything will turn out all right, Riley."

I didn't know how, but I hung onto those words, hoping against hope that she was right.