Page 5 of Bound By Secrets

I hand over the slip of paper that contains my schedule. She looks it over, groans a couple of times and then a triumphant smirk settles on her face before she hands it back to me. "I have two classes with you and two classes without you, thank the lord!" She practically shouts before turning on her heel and walking towards the exit door that Brad went out of.

When I walk through the door, I’m assaulted with a puff of white smoke. The putrid smell enters my nose and I start coughing, trying to sidestep it in the air as Kat and Brad laugh beside me.

“Dude, you really need to stop,” I choke out. “I don’t know how you enjoy that.”

Brad puts the cancerous stick between his lips, taking another long drag of it, all whilst staring directly at me. Thankfully, when he blows the smoke out, he has the decency to aim it out the side of his mouth so that it doesn’t come towards me.

“I’ve cut down to three a day, give it another week or two and I should be able to stop. Quit complaining,” he grumbles, crushing the cigarette against the wall and then flicking the butt away.

My eyes follow its motion as it flies through the air until it lands in the grass beside us, and I fight against the urge to go and pick it up so that I can throw it in the bin.

Brad whistles to gain my attention and lifts his head in the direction of his Jeep.

“You want to go home anytime soon, or are we just gonna stand here staring at the grass?” I glower at him and purposefully knock into his shoulder as I pass him on the way to the car.

“Can you two hurry up? Mum’s making lasagna tonight,” Kat whines, sticking her head out the window.

“Mum, we’re home!” I sling my bag onto the sofa and kick off my shoes as I hear my mother’s rushed footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Hey, darling,” she coos, wrapping her arms around my waist and pulling me in for a tight squeeze. “Where’s Kat and Brad?” She’s already stepping back and peeking out the front door as she asks the question.

“Sophie, have you missed me?” Brad asks cockily.

Mum squeals when he walks through the door and she wraps him in her arms, maybe even tighter than when she held me.

“Of course I’ve missed you, sweetie. You haven’t been here for the past week. That’s a very rare occurrence with you.” She pulls herself away from him and pats his cheek affectionately before pulling Kat into her arms. “How’s your Mum? Is she doing okay?”

Brad bobs his head and moves further into the house so that he can shut the door.

“Yeah, she’s good. Dad and Pops are going to spoil her whilst they’re on holiday, so I’m sure she’ll gossip with you about it all when she gets home.”

“Well, I should hope so. You and Nate can watch football or something with your dads and your mother can come here and have a girl's night with Kat and me!” She says excitedly as she ushers us all into the living room so that we can sit down. “Right, I’ll go put dinner on for us all then. If the phone rings, it’ll be your father. He should hopefully be home for a few days soon.”

“I can’t believe he’s still working on that case. It’s been so long already.” My mother smiles tightly at Brad before excusing herself and walking into the kitchen.

Once she’s left the room he glances between me and Kat with a confused expression. “Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”

I shake my head and lean forward in my chair. “She’s just struggling with him being gone lately,” I whisper, glancing up to check that my Mum is still occupied in the kitchen. “After he was home for a few weeks, she’s found it hard now that he’s gone back and she can only see him for a few days every other week again.”

“Ah, okay. My bad, I won’t mention it again.”

Chapter Four

Callie

When I walk into the dining room, everyone is already sitting in their designated places. This throws me off because the twins and I are usually the first ones in here every morning.

Walking over and pulling out the chair beside Connor, I can sense the tension in the room; it’s so thick I could cut it with a knife.

I'm still in a little pain from Fraser's visit the other night, but I won’t give anyone the satisfaction of knowing that, so I keep my eyes focused on the cotton tablecloth draped over the table, sit down, and keep my face as neutral as I possibly can.

The room is noiseless and I can sense eyes on me, but I don't dare lift my gaze from the plate in front of me.

I don't move; I breathe quietly, and I wait for what seems like forever for my father, Derek, to speak up from where he's seated at the head of the table.

Finally, after another minute or two, he lets out a deep sigh before picking up his knife and fork and breaking the silence.

"You may eat," he commands sternly and loudly, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up and my shoulders tighten.

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