Fractured from the Fall

EXstasy

Lily was fuming as she climbed into the passenger side of Ford's truck.

"Ahh!" she yelled aloud. "I can't believe Violet. I'm selfish?! Me?! Yeah right! I gave up everything to take care of her. She has no idea what that was like."

Ford remained silent, letting Lily work her way through her feelings. He knew Lily well enough to know that anything he said would be met with opposition until she had come to terms, on her own, with what had just transpired.

"And in front of all those people. That's so not Violet. I've actually never seen her speak that way to me, or anyone really."

She was starting to wind down.

"I mean, I know she's probably not herself right now," Lily paused, recognizing that she was also not herself right now, although, ironically, she was feeling more like herself now that she was home than she had in a very long time. It was nice to be free of the pretentious OC crowd where everyone had an ulterior motive. Lily never knew if someone was her true friend or just pretending to like her because of her money. In Oakley, what you see is what you get. The people are real, for better or worse.

"Still though," she continued, as she de-escalated and began to become aware of Ford's silence. "How can she say those things to me? Those were horrible things to say," she paused this time, waiting for his response.

"Well you weren't exactly kind with your comments either," Ford finally chimed in.

"Oh, of course you would take her side!" Her anger rose again at his comment. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It sounds like you've been practically attached at the hip to Violet and Grant over the years. Maybe if you had spent less time with them then you would have settled down and had a family of your own."

The comment was cruel and Lily didn't know why she said it. She was angry with Ford for humiliating her and abruptly leaving yesterday. She had finally let her guard down and he walked away.

She waited for a response but Ford's silence told her everything she needed to know. She had crossed a line and her punishment was him leaving her wondering whether he hated her or not for it.

They rode in silence as the truck rocked up and down over a long bumpy dirt road. Lily stared out the window, unable to look at Ford. She knew his facial expressions would reflect the pain of her words and right now she didn't want to face Ford, or her sister, or the town. She wanted to run away again, but there was nowhere left to go. So maybe Ford was right, running away from the truth and facing her feelings was something Lily definitely was an expert on.

"Where are we going?" She finally spoke up as they drove down the winding road.

"You'll see," Ford responded cryptically. But he didn't have to tell her. The closer they got, the more Lily began to recognize her surroundings. She knew exactly where he was taking her. She just didn't know why.

The truck slowed down and came to a stop as they approached the large farm house. Acres upon acres of untouched rolling hills sprawled across all sides of the property.

"Your parents' house?" Lily asked, as Ford came to a stop at the end of the road and she jumped out of the truck.

Ford came around the vehicle and stood next to her as they both took in the immense entrance. It was old and in desperate need of a remodel, but Lily had always adored this home and the surrounding acreage. It just needed some TLC. The views from the property were unreal and that made the property priceless.

Ford headed towards the front door and Lily hustled to keep up.

"Are they home?" she asked, as she stepped inside and stood next to Ford in the foyer, wondering why on earth he would bring her to visit his parents after what had just transpired, not to mention the awkwardness between the two of them.