Problems of adults

Chapter 13 : The Yard Sale

It was the day. Constance and Jane separated all their stuff in different boxes while Axel, their father, was preparing the yard sale in front of their house. Jane didn't want to participate, especially when he decided to take their phones away to give them old ones. She could barely read her messages on this tiny screen. 

Constance was strangely quiet. Jane could see on her face that she was more than angry, but she didn't say a word about it. Jane sat on the stairs of her porch while Constance and their father were exposing all their stuff on the tables. The blonde teen joined her sister and sat next to her.

- "Why are you calm?" Jane asked.

- "Because you're not."

- "What is it supposed to mean?"

- "If we both begin to go against dad, he will feel bad—"

- "He deserves to feel bad!"

- "I know! But...he is not himself since mom."

- "Because we are ourselves!?"

- "No. Clearly not," Constance mumbled.

The two sisters stayed silent while Axel was talking with the first "customers". They were more like vultures eating their carcasses. All their neighbors were coming, smiles on their faces, to have the best things first.

- "I should keep an eye on him," Constance said.

- "Yeah, okay."

The blonde teen kissed her sister's temple before joining her father. Jane stayed on the steps, not wanting to participate to this failure. She took her flip phone and began to play at the only game which could work on it: Snake. It was a bit repetitive, but at least it was entertaining.

Near the tables, a group of teens were arriving. Jane's friends apparently learned about the yard sale, even if she did everything to keep it secret. Constance was sitting on a chair, playing on her phone too, when she noticed them. She frowned, knowing that Jane wouldn't like that.

- "Jane? Come take care of your customers!" the blonde teen said.

- "What customers!? I don't have customers!"

- "Yes, you have! Look up!"

Jane sighed with her mouth before obeying. She froze when she saw all her friends standing in front of the tables, looking at her. Jane looked down before looking at her sister who seemed sorry for her. Jane stood and went to them.

- "Your mom told you!?"

- "No, I found the paper in the bin," Will answered.

- "You go through the trash now!?"

Will pursed his lips before looking down. He was feeling ashamed, Jane didn't seem really happy to see them. Will thought it could have been a good thing to support her in this, to give her some strength and comfort, but Jane seemed to disagree with this. None of her friends dared saying something, creating an awkward situation. But that moment of silent was cut by a woman asking for the prize of a Teddy bear. Jane frowned and wide opened her eyes when she recognized Mr. Bear. She quickly grabbed him and said:

- "It's not on sale!"

Her father went quickly to her, grabbed the Teddy bear, and answered her:

- "Yes, it is!"

- "What!?" Constance exclaimed, standing of her chair. "You can't sell Mr. Bear!"

- "It's just a toy, you're too old for this!"

- "Mom bought him for her when we learnt about her sickness!"

- "Yeah, but as she said, we could stop living like if your mother was still here!"

- "I was talking about dinner time! Not memories!" Jane angrily stated. "He was in a "keep" box!"

- "I know, but I had to find more things to sell."

- "What!? What was the point to do boxes if you do what the hell you want anyway!? We can't keep things that we own now!? We're already selling everything! I'm gonna keep Mr. Bear!"

- "No!"

- "Fine! I get it! We don't have our words to say! Then sell this! (Jane takes off her jacket and throws it on the table) And this! (Jane takes off her tee-shirt and throws it on the tables) Oh, and my shoes too!"

Jane was about to take off her pants, but Constance stood and stopped her.

- "Go inside, I take care of it."

Jane angrily looked at her father and clenched her jaw before going inside the house.

- "She needs to grow up," Axel said.

- "Are you kidding me!? If we are here now, it's because of you! I don't know if you've noticed, but she is not completely accepting it, and so am I! You've lost all the savings we had in poker, you woke us up at three in the morning to tell us that we were moving, and now you're selling even the boxes we wanted to keep! And you want her to grow up!? Selling her guitars was already hard for her, she learnt to play it when she was in hospital, she loved them! We don't have anything anymore, and you really want to sell her comforter!? You don't think she needs some comfort now!?"

- "I think she will be happier to have a warm meal with the dollars I can have with this toy!"

Constance was going to answer, but she got interrupted by Max:

- "I buy it."

The father turned to her while Constance was giving him a death glare. The man took the bill she was holding out and gave her the toy.

- "Can I see her?" the redhead asked.

- "Of course," Constance answered with a calmer tone. "Bring her back her clothes too."

Constance gathered Jane's clothes while Max was going on the other side of the tables. Max took Jane's stuff and went inside the house. Max felt a pinch in her heart when she saw the place completely empty. They were doing it rapidly apparently, she could understand why Jane was struggling with accepting it. In just a few days, she had to accept to live somewhere else. 

It was so quiet. Max went cautiously upstairs, not wanting to break the silence. She went many times in this house, seeing it like that was heartbreaking. She arrived in front of her friend's bedroom. Jane was sitting against her wall, shirtless, her head down with tears falling on her cheeks. Max lightly knocked to not scare her. Jane quickly looked up and wiped her tears.

- "Don't hide your tears, you have all the reasons to cry," Max gently said.

Max approached her friend and gave her back her clothes that Jane put on. She sat next to her and began to rub her friend's wrist with her thumb. Jane avoided eye's contact with her, focusing on her breathing to calm down. She used the tissue that Max held her out and blew her nose.

- "Why didn't you tell us?" Max asked softly.

- "I didn't want to believe it was real."

- "Okay. I have something for you."

The redhead took her bag and took off the Teddy bear she just bought. Jane looked at it with a surprised expression before taking it cautiously in her hands.

- "Did you buy it?" Jane asked.

- "Yep."

- "Then, it's yours..."

- "Actually, I bought it for my best friend, you know, like a present, so...keep him."

- "I...I don't know how to thank you..."

- "You don't have to. It's my pleasure to make you happy."

- "I...Thank you."

The redhead softly smiled to her before rubbing Jane's back. Max kissed her friend's shoulder and wrapped her arm around Jane to side hug her. Jane hugged tight her Teddy bear and began to break down on Max's shoulder while the redhead was tightening as much as possible to comfort her friend.