Broken

• Chapter 166 •

The summer flies by, and there are only two weeks left until I have to move to New York. I'm still not ready. I decided to stay for the summer and go to New York only a week before the semester starts to get settled in. Mom needed me, the twins needed me. Especially mom. I've grown fond of the twins, finding a piece of my dad in them every day.

Mom doesn't feel the same way. To her, the more of my dad she sees in them, the more pain she feels. She doesn't show it, though. She just avoids the twins altogether. She hasn't even been breast-feeding them. I have to make them powdered baby milk. She seems different this past month, on edge and completely detached from everything. Sort of like when she was with Derek. She's numbing her pain and emotions somehow, I've never seen her quite this lifeless since him. It worries me. But who am I to speak? All I've been doing is blocking any pain out.

I narrow my eyes as I study her, she's staring out the window of the kitchen blankly.

"Morning," I tell her.

She remains frozen, I clear my throat. She jolts out of her universe and into reality.

"You okay..?"

She shakes her head, "Yeah. I was just thinking about your going away party tonight. Everyone's coming, apart from Fleur and Mackenzie. They're stuck in Paris, but send their apologies and promise to make it up to you in New York. Otherwise, everything's in order. Have you gotten all the coursework material you need? You need to start packing everything."

I nod, "Yeah, I just bought suitcases yesterday. I need to pick up a few more books from the library tomorrow, then I'm all set."

My phone goes off and mom nods. "I'm meeting Aya for lunch, then swinging by the market to pick up some groceries. Want me to pick up anything specific?" I ask her.

She stares through me and her eye twitches. I frown, something's off about her. She shakes her head and blinks. "No, I'm okay. How long will you take?" she turns back to the dishes.

My frown deepens, "I don't know... A couple hours, maybe?"

She freezes, then nods and goes back to the dishes, avoiding eye-contact with me. Knots form in my stomach, and I'm suddenly uncomfortable. "Okay... I'll see you later," I tell her before making my way out.

___________________

"Hey, shitface," I greet Aya.

"Clem!' she hugs me tightly, "I can't believe you're moving in two weeks! What am I going to do?"

I cock my eyebrow. "Gee, I dunno. Fly out two days after me, maybe?" I snort.

"I have separation anxiety!" she whines, "I don't understand why you would book your flight without me. That's so selfish!"

I laugh, "Why are you so damn dramatic?"

"You're going to cook for me, right? I don't even know how to use the circle thingy with the handle!"

I blink, "... A pan?"

"Potato batata. Speaking of food! The restaurant we wanted to go to stopped working. Some problem with a big word I couldn't understand. Venti-something system," she shrugs.

I frown, "Ventilation system?"

She lights up, "That's the one! Anyway. Do you wanna just go back to yours and get take out?"

I nod, "Oh, okay. Sure, I don't mind. We do need to swing by the market first, though."

___________________

I laugh as we pull up to my house, "That was the best philosophy class, ever."

Aya laughs, "Shut up!"

I clear my throat and imitate our teacher, "Does anyone know what a paradox is? You; me! I do! Our teacher; sigh, yes, Aya? You; Isn't it the box thing? Me; no, Aya. That's Pandora's box."

We both burst out laughing at the memory. Aya has had some pretty stupid moments this year, "Fuck youuuuu!"

She wipes her tears from laughing and looks behind me to my house, her eyebrows knit together, "Hey. Did your guests start coming already?"

I frown before turning, "Huh?"

I look through the window Aya's pointing at, my mom is talking to some guy in the living room. Who the hell is that?

- AURORA -

"Did anyone see you?" I ask him as I hand over some money.

The boy shakes his head, "No. Here you go."

I clench my jaw, "Speak of this to no one."

He rolls his eyes, "Yeah yeah. Give me another call when you run out."

- CLEMENTINE -

We duck behind a bush when the guy steps out of the house and slips his hoodie on. I've never seen him before. He rushes away and gets on a bike before rushing off. I don't believe my eyes. They're deceiving me, they must be. I feel the color drain from my face, my stomach flops internally.

Is mom taking drugs again?