"Are you seriously yelling at me because of that!?"
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Clementine woke up abruptly to the sound of a door being slammed shut. Instinctively, she leaped out of bed and raced down the hall, her heart pounding in her chest. Pressing her ear against her aunt's bedroom door, Clementine strained to catch fragments of the conversation happening inside.
"Caleb! What the hell? You got into a fight with..." Anastasia's voice was muffled, but Clementine strained to listen, her curiosity piqued.
"At my brewery! You need to stay away from..." Anastasia's words were interrupted again, frustrating Clementine's attempts to eavesdrop.
"They're bad news! I mean, there's a karate war and your daughter and my niece is involved! Her ex-boyfriend is—" Anastasia's rant continued, but Clementine's focus shifted abruptly as she heard her brother's voice.
"Clementine, what are you doing?" Tyler whispered loudly as Clementine discreetly made her way over to him, trying to avoid detection.
"She's talking with Dad on the phone. Apparently, he got into a bar fight... and she's talking about Robby, but you decided to interrupt, so now I can't hear the rest!" Clementine hissed, frustration evident in her tone as she smacked Tyler's arm in annoyance.
Rolling his eyes, Tyler brushed off her complaint. "You're so weird," he remarked casually, scratching his butt as he yawned and made his way into the kitchen, leaving Clementine to stew in her interrupted attempt at gathering information.
Clementine let out a frustrated sigh, her mind still reeling from the incomplete snippets of conversation she had overheard. As she walked over to the door, it suddenly slammed open, causing her to jump in surprise.
"Is everything okay, Auntie Anastasia?" Clementine asked softly, concern evident in her voice as she watched her aunt rush past her.
"Yeah. Just your dad being an idiot. I'm off to.. you know what, it doesn't matter. I'll see you later," Anastasia replied hastily, planting a quick kiss on Clementine's forehead before disappearing out the door.
Clementine stood there, dumbfounded by the whirlwind of events. She couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered in the air, her thoughts consumed by the cryptic conversation and her aunt's abrupt departure.
—
Clementine sat alone at a lunch table, her leg bouncing anxiously beneath the surface. With a sigh, she cracked her knuckles, her eyes fixed on the clock ticking away on the wall. Dread gnawed at her as she wished she could just stay home instead of enduring another day at school.
