claire had always wondered if karl's parents had sold the place.
she used to cry at night thinking about it. thinking about new people inhabiting the space. new voices in the kitchen, new bodies in the bedrooms.
in a way, that did happen. but they had kept the place all along. sure, they rented it out to complete strangers, but it was still theirs.
she remembered the day when her own parents had sold their half of the place back to the jacobs'. it was extremely difficult working out the logistics of it all, since the two families weren't exactly on speaking terms anymore, but it got done eventually, and neither claire nor luke nor their parents ever went back.
it broke claire's heart.
she still believed it was her fault.
* * *
it was the day after claire had received the message. she had been texting with jess a little, who had asked for luke's number so she could create a group chat, which she did.
the troublemakers
claire had felt a strange sensation when she read the name of the chat. it was their group name; what their parents used to call them. she felt a strong sense of nostalgia just looking at it.
nostalgia was a strange feeling; so hard to tell if it's full of pain or full of joy. pain from the things that have changed, joy from the good times they had had. maybe she felt both.
the troublemakers
jess
we can chat in here if we need :)
unknown number
sounds good
this is karl btw
claire
this is claire
luke
cool
oh and this is luke
jess
i can't wait to see you guys, i'm
so glad you're able to come
feels like forever since we were last
at the cabin
karl
yeah, it does. i really missed you all :(
claire
me too
claire was excited to see them again, but nervous too. she used to have the biggest crush on karl . . . how could she not? she saw him all the time. he was funny, cute, and always kind to her. she wondered if any of that had changed.
* * *
the next day, claire brought up their plans with her mother.
she knew that her mom might react negatively to everything. but maybe she would remember the cabin like claire did. claire remembered how much more her mom used to laugh. anna jacobs, karl's mother, was her best friend. since way before claire was born, the two were always close. it's strange, though, how even the closest friends can fall apart.
"jessica and karl invited us to go to the cabin next week." claire said. "we have a break off school, remember? so luke and i are going to go."
her mother looked up, shock registering across her face. "oh . . ."
claire, of course, had been expecting this reaction. her mother had kept them from visiting the cabin for the past four years. of course she would be skeptical about all this. "is . . . that okay?"
"i'm just not very sure that's a good idea."
claire met her eyes. "why not? we haven't seen them in so long. we thought it would be nice to visit."
"okay, but what about what happened last time? i don't want luke in danger again."
claire flinched at the word. the cabin wasn't dangerous. what happened was just a freak accident. the cabin was good times. the cabin was fun and full of joy. not danger.
"mom, we're older now. luke isn't a kid anymore, and neither am i. plus, it's only for a week."
her mom sighed. "you really want to go?"
"of course. they were our best friends, mom."
her mother hesitated. "you know, there's a reason why we didn't let you back there, claire"
yeah, because you're selfish and stubborn, was claire's first thought.
she scolded herself for thinking such a thought about her mother, but deep down, she believed it fully to be true. she did believe that stubbornness was the main motivation for their decision. still, claire was sure a large part of it was out of care for her children. not all of it, but some, at least.
"i know, but that was four years ago. we can't stay apart forever just because of something that happened-"
"are you forgetting what that something is?" her mom countered. "did you forget what happened that night?"
"of course i didn't!" claire said, almost raising her voice. for her mother to even suggest she could have forgotten something like that was outrageous. "don't even say that. i didn't forget. i just miss my friends, okay?"
her mom turned around and didn't say anything for a while. claire started to think she wasn't going to, until she turned back around, tears forming in her eyes.
she sighed. "you can go. just be careful, okay? if anything happens, i'll never forgive myself . . ."
claire could see how hard this was for her. they were still her children; her babies. she wanted to protect them and keep them safe. but ever since she started working more, they were on their own most of the time. and now, to just say no? it didn't seem fair.
"thanks mom."
YOU ARE READING
autumn |KARL JACOBS X FEMALE OC|
Fanfiction"she realized something with a sudden clarity as she lay there. claire was falling for karl all over again." in which: claire had known karl jacobs and his family for as long as she could remember. they saw each other all the time, but it was at the...
