Page 85 of Shifted

“No, no, Hope. Don't say that, and don’t blame me for rushing the inevitable.” Her hands flail in the air in anger, but I could see it. The process of guilt slipping in, she destroyed us all on her own. "Get out!" I snap, and she steps closer to me, causing me to raise my hand to stop her further, "Don't touch me, don't come near me, get out and go home."

"Hope, come on." Her voice quivers as she speaks, wanting forgiveness for the greatest crime in our friendship she's ever committed. I couldn't even look at her in the eye; I didn’t know who this person in front of me was. It wasn’t the girl who offered me a home when I’d lost mine or gave me a family I never had. The girl who protected me from others at school and listened tentatively to everything. She wasn’t Bella; she was a liar.

"Leave Arabella, just go," I warn.

"I'm not-"

"I think you should leave." His voice cuts her off, and as I look up, he's leaning against the wall, crossed arms, staring at his sister in disappointment. He heard it all.

"Theo..." she pleads.

"I don't want you to talk to me; I don't want you to think about me. I don't want you to know me, Arabella," I felt the bullet of his words bruise me as they hit her. He stepped aside in the doorway, signaling for her to leave. There wasn’t a single tear in his eye. Instead, he looked furious and disappointed.

"You don't mean that…" she mutters, shaking her head. She reaches for Theo, and he quickly pulls away.

"Leave before I make you leave," she glanced at me in hopes of any solidarity. She was only left in disappointment as I shared the same expression with Theo. But I couldn’t continue, so I turned away, leaving the two of them in the kitchen. Walking past the leather couch, I stood by the window gazing out at the Boston sky.

Tears rolled down my puffed face and dripped down to my tear-stained shirt. My wound hurt, and as I clutched it, I saw her staring at me in the reflection of the window.

But soon, her figure fades away. The sound of a door shutting is heard, and I'm left alone again. But then, in the reflection, he appears. His arms wrap around my waist, avoiding my stitches. He pressed my body against his back.

"It's okay." He soothes my quiet sobs. I always thought the greatest betrayal was my biological family. But at this moment, when my real family hurt me, the pain was numbing. It was like some nightmare I was trapped in. I knew it was wrong to keep the truth from her for years. But this was bigger than that.

?

Time didn’t seem to be passing as we stood there. He didn’t say anything as I cried; he just tried to soothe me and calm my body down. But eventually, the door clicked open, and small footsteps followed.

"Mummy!" She squeals. I turn around to see her rushing towards me, a ray of sunshine in the darkest storm. Suddenly, every bit of anger disappears as her arms wrap around my legs.

"Hi, baby girl." I bent down slowly, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. I knew I couldn't pick her up, but I desperately wanted to. I pulled back, placing a kiss on her forehead, and as I looked up, Maria stared at me, concerned.

"Teo!" she says excitedly, recognizing his presence. Theo smiles at her and bumps her tiny hand with his fist.

"Mom, can we talk for a minute?" Theo asks and begins to lead Maria out of the room as I sit with Joely on the floor. I feel more grateful than ever at this moment because I am with her right now.

"Did you and Maria have fun?" she nods rapidly. " Have you had dinner yet?"

"No," she says in a small voice, "But hungry." She points to her stomach, causing me to laugh. I hitch my breath as the ache from my wound creeps in. I couldn't believe that in April, she'd be three, something that broke her mommy's little heart. I ran my fingers through her soft curls, taking in the moment of just us.

"Are you okay, Mummy?" she asks, staring at my hand pressed against my torso. I nod, tucking her hair back in reassurance. "Mommy just had a bad accident, but she'll be okay." I took my hand away, pressing it against her cheek.

"Like Uncle Luke's tummy aches," I mentally laugh at the memory of Lucas whining at my doorstep like a baby not knowing what to do over a simple stomach ache. I turned his entire world around when I explained period cramps to the boy.

"Not exactly." I stood, taking her little, and went into the kitchen. "I'm stealing Theo's food; what would you like?" I knew her answers would be fruit snacks and Dino nuggets most likely. But maybe I’d get a reasonable request.

"A kitchen that's not burned down by the end of the night?" Theo says, walking through the doorway, making his way over to me as I scoffed. “One thing about your mother, Joely, never trust her near a flame." She giggles, and before I know it, he pulls me into another kiss, causing Joely's giggles to grow louder.

"Hey, watch it, Mister." I pulled back from him and looked to see Maria watching us. Her cheeks were puffy red with lasting tears. She looked to Joely and then to Theo.

"Mom, what would you like for dinner?" Maria steps into the room, slapping a smile on her face and taking a seat beside Joely.

"I think your homemade pasta sounds good?" she mused.

"Any allergies?" He looks at me, and I smirk.

"Yes, lemons," I say. Theo looks at Joely, who has a pout on her face, and walks over to her, leaning beside her.

"Lemons are overrated. You're cool if you're allergic to them, trust me." The pout disappeared as he nodded at her in reassurance, and she smiled in agreement.

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