Status: In Progress
Quell That Rebel Yell
Selfish
July 23
Port Charlotte, Florida
10:04p.m.
"Well, why don't you ask if you can finish out the school year here? I'm sure, between Nicole, Ashley, and I, we'll always have a place for you to sleep at night." Monica's suggestion falls on defeated ears.
"What's the point in even asking?" Vera wonders aloud, her tone as lifeless as the wind on the still and humid night. With a soft sigh, she leans back against the sand paper-like roofing tiles and stares up at the glittering night sky. "I already tried to get out of going," she tells her friend of twelve years, shutting her dark eyes and holding them tightly closed. "They just kept on packing, like I wasn't even in the room."
Monica scoffs, casting a peeved glance down on the smaller girl. "How childish," she says after a long pause.
"You're telling me," Vera says with another sigh. "Micah was so mad," she reflects, remembering the way he'd shaken in anger, fists clenched at his sides, ready to put up a fight. "He called them selfish and accused them of not caring about what's important to us."
"Good," Monica growls, leaning back against the roof beside her friend. "They needed to hear it."
Vera doesn't have the heart to agree. While she can easily relate to her brother's frustration, she would never say anything like that to either of her parents' faces. It was only half true, anyway.
"They care," she says. "They've never missed any of my volley ball games or Micah's soccer games..." Her defense is weak and she knows it. They would have made it to the games whether they were important to them or not. Their cheers and big congratulatory smiles could mean anything.
"Whatever you say, Vera." Monica doesn't want to argue with her, not when she knows that they only have a few hours left. "I just don't want you to go." Her clear blue eyes stay trained on the night sky above and she tries to swallow down the uncomfortable feeling in her throat. "I'm going to miss you."
Her heart weighs heavily in her chest as Vera turns to look at her best friend. So many memories and secrets have passed between them. She wants to slip her hand into Monica's so that she can squeeze it and feel like she's still a part of that, but she knows that it wouldn't be fair.
She's not a part of that world of laughter and secrets anymore. In the morning, she and her family will make the drive up to Orlando and by early afternoon, they'll be on a plane to Phoenix, Arizona. What waits for her there, she doesn't even want to know, she already knows that it won't be the same. It can never be the same again.
"No you won't," she finally says, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her bare knees. "You, Nicole, and Ashley will be fine without me. Two weeks from now, you'll wonder why you ever hung out with me in the first place." She knows that it's not true. The girls have been friends since they were in Kindergarten. They love her and she loves them.
Monica frowns, her blond eyebrows furrowing as she sits up as well, to get a better look at her friend. "You'll come visit, won't you?" she asks.
Vera shakes her head and shrugs. "When we asked about that, Mom said it would be fine if we came out for a few weeks during the summer, but I'm not so sure. She's been acting weird, I think she's hiding something from us."
"I wouldn't be surprised," her friend tells her evenly. "Your father's a politician, remember? They're always hiding something."
Standing up, Vera decides to change the subject. Her friends don't like her dad, none of them ever have, they don't trust many politicians at all. "Why don't we go inside and try to get some sleep?" she asks, changing the subject as she walks across the roof to the window that leads into the bedroom that her mother decorated in a 'Princess' theme for her years ago.
Monica follows with a defeated sigh.
Nora is seated at the window seat in her own bedroom, staring out past the palm trees in their yard and on to the horizon. She may as well have been up on the roof with the girls earlier, every word they'd said floated down to where she could hear.
She cringes to think about how her son and daughter will treat her once she realizes what she and Jeffrey have done to them. "They'll never forgive us for this," she whispers aloud, glancing over at the lump in the queen-sized bed that is her husband.
Though he does not reply, Jeffrey is far from sleep. He doesn't want to think about that now, there are more important things on his mind.
In the morning, they'll all be on the flight to Phoenix, safe from the storm.
Port Charlotte, Florida
10:04p.m.
"Well, why don't you ask if you can finish out the school year here? I'm sure, between Nicole, Ashley, and I, we'll always have a place for you to sleep at night." Monica's suggestion falls on defeated ears.
"What's the point in even asking?" Vera wonders aloud, her tone as lifeless as the wind on the still and humid night. With a soft sigh, she leans back against the sand paper-like roofing tiles and stares up at the glittering night sky. "I already tried to get out of going," she tells her friend of twelve years, shutting her dark eyes and holding them tightly closed. "They just kept on packing, like I wasn't even in the room."
Monica scoffs, casting a peeved glance down on the smaller girl. "How childish," she says after a long pause.
"You're telling me," Vera says with another sigh. "Micah was so mad," she reflects, remembering the way he'd shaken in anger, fists clenched at his sides, ready to put up a fight. "He called them selfish and accused them of not caring about what's important to us."
"Good," Monica growls, leaning back against the roof beside her friend. "They needed to hear it."
Vera doesn't have the heart to agree. While she can easily relate to her brother's frustration, she would never say anything like that to either of her parents' faces. It was only half true, anyway.
"They care," she says. "They've never missed any of my volley ball games or Micah's soccer games..." Her defense is weak and she knows it. They would have made it to the games whether they were important to them or not. Their cheers and big congratulatory smiles could mean anything.
"Whatever you say, Vera." Monica doesn't want to argue with her, not when she knows that they only have a few hours left. "I just don't want you to go." Her clear blue eyes stay trained on the night sky above and she tries to swallow down the uncomfortable feeling in her throat. "I'm going to miss you."
Her heart weighs heavily in her chest as Vera turns to look at her best friend. So many memories and secrets have passed between them. She wants to slip her hand into Monica's so that she can squeeze it and feel like she's still a part of that, but she knows that it wouldn't be fair.
She's not a part of that world of laughter and secrets anymore. In the morning, she and her family will make the drive up to Orlando and by early afternoon, they'll be on a plane to Phoenix, Arizona. What waits for her there, she doesn't even want to know, she already knows that it won't be the same. It can never be the same again.
"No you won't," she finally says, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her bare knees. "You, Nicole, and Ashley will be fine without me. Two weeks from now, you'll wonder why you ever hung out with me in the first place." She knows that it's not true. The girls have been friends since they were in Kindergarten. They love her and she loves them.
Monica frowns, her blond eyebrows furrowing as she sits up as well, to get a better look at her friend. "You'll come visit, won't you?" she asks.
Vera shakes her head and shrugs. "When we asked about that, Mom said it would be fine if we came out for a few weeks during the summer, but I'm not so sure. She's been acting weird, I think she's hiding something from us."
"I wouldn't be surprised," her friend tells her evenly. "Your father's a politician, remember? They're always hiding something."
Standing up, Vera decides to change the subject. Her friends don't like her dad, none of them ever have, they don't trust many politicians at all. "Why don't we go inside and try to get some sleep?" she asks, changing the subject as she walks across the roof to the window that leads into the bedroom that her mother decorated in a 'Princess' theme for her years ago.
Monica follows with a defeated sigh.
Nora is seated at the window seat in her own bedroom, staring out past the palm trees in their yard and on to the horizon. She may as well have been up on the roof with the girls earlier, every word they'd said floated down to where she could hear.
She cringes to think about how her son and daughter will treat her once she realizes what she and Jeffrey have done to them. "They'll never forgive us for this," she whispers aloud, glancing over at the lump in the queen-sized bed that is her husband.
Though he does not reply, Jeffrey is far from sleep. He doesn't want to think about that now, there are more important things on his mind.
In the morning, they'll all be on the flight to Phoenix, safe from the storm.