He had said it only a few weeks after her funeral and it had just been... too much. If Nicky hadn't of taken me in that night, I had no idea what I would have done with myself.

It hurt to repeat the words but I managed to stutter them out to Joel. His lips thinned and his eyes hardened, but he nodded, telling me what a big, brave boy I was and how my dad was a liar.

My mom died after being hit by a drunk driver. Joel promised it wasn't my fault; I didn't realize how much I needed to hear that, even if it wasn't exactly...