I pulled the curtain to my room aside and watched Mother’s old sedan creep down the driveway.

Once it reversed out onto the road and accelerated away, carrying her and my stepfather off to their long-awaited vacation, I anxiously opened the door to my closet and slipped inside.

Standing on my tiptoes, I fumbled around the top shelf.

“I really wish I had a better hiding spot,” I thought. “Like I should have to hide it anyway. But, I don’t know what I’d do if Mom found it. She’d have a fit of rage and drag me off to church in a heartbeat.”

The object of my desire was just...