Chapter 22: Part 20

I jumped in the car with puffy eyes. Not even  trying to hold back tears. It's time to call my first, best friend that never hurt me. "Mommy I want to go home. I don't want to be around these people no more."

" Baby." She rubbed my head and pulled out of the driveway.

" What happened." My mom asked. I couldn't hold it back no more.

"Analia....is .....going....she ....said I kept her hostage......and and."  I kept sobbing like a baby.

"Woah slow down breath. Just focus on your, breathing till we get home." My mom tried to soothe me.

~~~~~~~~

I walked into the house. " Thanks for getting me mom."

My mom closing the door, behind me, " honey no need to thank me. I might have worked a lot recently, but I would drop everything for you in a heartbeat."

" Mom where is Arden? "

My mom stopped digging in her purse to say," At the hotel with your dad. Go take a shower, and come tell me what happened."

I walked into my room and I saw a picture of me and Analia. On my bed stand. My heart fell into my stomach. My thoughts try, to run to sweeter places. Which only, hurts me more.

I took my clothes off and jumped in the shower, and I cried. About what happened. How I was treated,  and how I felt..

I felt the weight of my problems being washed off like a ton of bricks.

As soon as I finished my shower. I took a shoe box, put everything Analia  ever gave me in it. I did the same thing for Tolan, I put the kickboxing gloves ,and sparkle cup in the box. But I couldn't bring my self to place the heart neckless. However I couldn't  put the neckless  in the box.

So, I wrapped it, around my arm. Went down stairs. Towards the kitchen. My mom was making grill cheese sandwiches.

I pulled a chair out to sit at the table. My mom passed me grill cheese on, a plate

" You feel better?"  My mom questioned

"No." I whispered back " I feel like a joke, a badly written joke. Everyone  is laughing at me." I looked at my grill sandwich and rubbed my eye "And I know. I only have myself to blame."

"That's how life works. You  are given signs and if you keep on ignoring them. They just become bigger and bigger and bigger. Till you hit your head. And you are forced, to look around." She turned  a round to wash the dishes "But you need to understand your surroundings. And not just looking around your surroundings." My mom stopped drying the dishes.

" It's just that. I needed them. They both hurt me." I uttered to my mom.

" Oh really, You needed them funny. Tell  me how's that going for you?" My mom shot back.

"Mom you have zero sympathy for me do you?"

"I do baby, but not going to lie. You in a way better situation I was in." She started packing. "The only thing you need is Jesus, and that holy bible say what you want about it. Those principles, and stories really changed my life."

"Like stoning your child, when they stray from faith." I spoke while chewing my grill cheese sandwich.

My mom laughed while taking off her gloves, "No, I'm talking about. How he died on the cross, as the ultimate sacrifice so you can be forgiven, through a simple prayer." She pulled up a seat and sat across. " That bible taught me, what love is. And got me out of an extremely toxic relationship. Plus, a sense of direction."

I gave her a nervous look.

" I'm not forcing it  your throat. Now tell me what happened, Analia and Tolan." My mom  was sitting up right and smiling.

~~~~~~~~~~

After I told my mom everything that happen. She didn't say a word but she looked out of breath. She was slouched in her seat. With her mouth slightly opened. My mom leaned forward.

"Over a span. A span of two days?" My mom asked. I nodded my head. "Bree if you don't want to go to school. I will understand. Tell me how you are still standing."

I laughed at my mom's responds. She reached her hand across the table, and I did the same. We were holding hands across the table. " Bree, you are so strong. And a good person, who made bad choices." She bites her lip " You had zero right to delete Lydia's messages' off Tolan's phone. Plus, you should have never let go when Analia, when she was in your room......"

I jumped out of my seat, "I get it mom I get."  I rubbed my cheek. " All my friends are, moving away. Next year I don't want to be surrounded by ghosts of my past mom. I don't."

My mom looked on the floor, "If that's something you want. I was offered to be, transferred from Denver to Seattle to work on another, branch of  my pharmaceutical company." She stood up to walk towards me, " If you want. I can accept the position and we can move. You will be in the same city as your, brother and Colton." I was taken a back, at this new found information. It's one thing to wish for something, but to grab it with both hands.

"Can you let me sleep on it?" I asked her.   " Honey I'll be here waiting." She said while smiling, at me.

--------------

It was the next morning.

I was sitting on the couch, looking into my memory boxes of Tolan and Analia. No sad thoughts, angry or happy thoughts ran across my mind. I checked my phone and neither of them reached out.

click

I saw Arden, walk into the house, " Hi!" I guess he didn't see me, so I startled him.

He walked towards me he, he looked so worried, " Dad's getting married."

"What!" I shot up from my seat.

" He called me last night. And I went over to his hotel. He started drinking and going on about, how he wished he had a woman. How much he misses mom..." He paused for a moment, " hey where is mom?"

I answered back, "upstairs. Don't change the subject, does he want to marry mom?"

" No, he wants to marry his girlfriend, Penny." My brother uttered while pushing his hair back.

" Well she does deserve it, she was his girlfriend for 7 years." I sat down on the couch

" How are you so calm about this?"   Arden questioned

" He is a grown man. Plus if we included, in the will he can marry, whoever he wants."

" Stop making jokes." Arden sits next to me  "we need to stop this."

I placed my hand on his shoulder, "why? He deserves to be happy. Whether you approve of their love or not."  He just sat there and didn't say a word.

"Well I'm flying down to Nevada tonight in hopes to make him change his mind."  Just chuckled, at his plan. I was genuinely happy for my dad. Just wished he would have told me, himself.

" Mom got a job offer in Seattle." I told him. His eyes grew in Suprise "This would be great. Mom and I will join you in Seattle."

He shook his head," I don't want to go to Seattle. I don't want to go to Grandview with Colton."

I opened my mouth, it is scraping the floor with this news, " but you guys planned for this since you were boys. Did you get rejected by Grandview university?"

"No, I haven't ' heard back from any university. I know we planned it, but things changed. Our minds change. I would rather go study biochemistry in Nevada." Arden uttered.

"I know things change, but what caused you to have, a change of heart." I leaned back on the couch.

" When I hurt myself on that field, I'm putting my body at risk for what?" Arden expressed.

" I see." Something was heavy on my chest. " I'm sorry, for not wearing your jersey.

He sucked in a breath in, " I was pretty annoyed. Because I thought, we were each other's number one supporters. But it happened, so let's move on."

I hugged his shoulder," I'm sorry." He just flicked.  My head and we both laughed.

" I'm really going to miss you. Can't believe school will be over within a month."

"Believe it ..." Arden bluntly stated.

I smiled at his response, and said, "Next year we will be apart."

" Yeah."

"I'll miss you so much, because you're my sanity." I leaned my head on his shoulder

" I'll miss you too , you my personal headache." I nudged his shoulder, when he said that.

" Want to play PlayStation." He suggested, we both rushed to the controller.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the next day Bowie texted me to hang out. So went out for ice-cream.

" Wow, that's crazy. I didn't even know about Analia." Bowie said

" It's fine. Even if  you knew. I 'm tired of conflict." I said as I was licking my ice-cream." Why was Analia mad at you? If she knew she was also moving away?"

"Because that's not the real reason, why we don't see eye to eye." He took a breath " I was seeing Ally. Lydia's friend." Bowie said. He was looking at me as if I were going to explode.

I was taken a back at this news. Where they talking behind my back? How long were they together? Was her and Lydia using him to get information ........ Wait why do I care they won, me and Tolan broke up.

" It's fine Bowie I don't care. I really don't want to fall out, with someone else." I said as a took, another lick of my ice-cream. " Let's just enjoy our stroll together."

"Wow you handling this news way better, than I thought you would." He nudged, " we still talk. And no she wasn't using me to get to you."

I looked back at him "I wasn't thinking that ." At this exact moment." We both laugh, at my response. Then he stopped in his tracks

" I got something to tell you about Tolan and Lydia." Bowie bites his lip. "You not going to like it."

" Look Bowie I don't care about them." I stopped walking, to look at him "but I won't stop you if you continue."

"They kissed at the party." Bowie just stood there and watched my reaction.  I just rolled my eyes at the news, "I know about that Bowie it happened right in front of me."

He drew his lips in a fine lined smile and shook his head, " that's not all. They made their relationship official that night."  My heart stung a bit.

"And Tolan and Lydia had breakfast, couple's date with Analia and Ace. Ally told me ." After Bowie said all that, I needed to sit down. I walked to the nearest yellow bench to sit down

I didn't even wait for him, to catch me up with the tea.

"I'm sorry

I pulled out my phone to go to Instagram

That's why

I went to Ace's page no photos of this breakfast  date they went on

I asked

I went to Tolan's page same thing

Earlier about

I went to Analia's page nothing

What happened

I went to Lydia's page, nothing on her  grid

Between you and Analia.

But her profile picture had a ring around it, I clicked on it, There was pictures of food and her selfies. Till I saw a picture where all four of them were cheesing together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please vote and share with a friend