Page 9 of Shattered

“I’m surprised you know anything going on outside of yourself,” I murmur, walking over to the pantry to look for something to eat.

“I heard he’s being charged as a pedophile.”

I whip around, abandoning my search to give her my full attention. “What? Where’d you hear that?”

“Kinda hard to miss the gossip,” she answers easily.

Mom stands off to the side, not saying anything as she continues with the dishes. It’s hard to know what she thinks of the whole situation since we haven’t really talked about it properly—she hasn’t had the time. But a few comments have me believing she thinks it was some sort of misunderstanding.

“She’s seventeen, not a child.”

Deanna shrugs like she couldn’t care less that we’re talking about one of my best friends.

I scoff at myself. What am I thinking? She doesn’t care.

“Not according to the law. And since she’s a minor, it makes them want to see if he’s done anything to younger girls. Groomed them or something.”

“What?” That familiar feeling tugs at my gut, pulling it in different directions. This is getting blown way out of proportion. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?” She trails her eyes up and down my body as if judging me, then turns back to Mom. “Anyway, can I borrow fifty bucks?”

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

Only she would happily stir up shit, twisting up my insides more than they were, and then ask for money in the following sentence. My chin drops to my chest as I try to rein in the anxiety and anger she always seems to bring out, breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. I need to get out of here before I lose it on her. That will only end up stressing Mom out more.

Deanna could simply return the clothes she just bought and have money, but she won’t. There will always be an excuse like, “Mom, I need them for a job interview. If I get it, then I can pay you back.”

“I’m going to Jason’s,” I mumble, heading for the door and pulling out my phone.

“Okay, honey,” my mom calls out distractedly before I close the door behind me.

There’s already a message waiting for me as I start walking to Jason’s place, so I quickly open it up to read.

Sunflower: I hope your afternoon has been a little better than school was.

I had texted earlier about Jason’s fight, but as usual, she had already heard about it, further confirming my thoughts that she goes to my school.

Me: I can’t stand my sister.

Even just typing that out makes me feel a little better, knowing I can tell her these things, and she’ll reply fairly quickly.

Sunflower: Uh-oh :( What happened?

A sigh passes through my lips, and the sides begin to tug upward. Just seeing her name on my screen can make me feel like I was hit with a shot of dopamine.

Me: She was just at the house. Pulling her usual crap. I had to get out of there.

Sunflower: Just what you needed after that stuff with Jason today. I’m sorry.

I look up as I cross the street, then immediately return my eyes to my phone once I’m on the other side.

Me: Never mind. Tell me something no one else knows.

Sunflower: I'm running out of things to tell you since you know pretty much everything by now.

Except what you look like, I want to say, but I know she’ll simply tell me she’s not ready again.

Sunflower: Okay. I peed my pants in first grade. Except I wasn’t wearing pants, it was a skirt, so it went all over the carpet in the reading corner. I quickly got up and moved away from the spot, and everyone just thought a drink had been spilled there.

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