Page 96 of Diem

Chapter Twenty-One

Maeve

Diem’s not in class the next day which is just as well. I’m not prepared for either personality that he seems to turn on and off at will.

I passed Matt on the way in, and he barely spared me a glance, presumably flirting with Harriet who stared at him like the messiah had come. I can only hope he’s not stringing her along for my sake.

I already feel like a dick.

All in all, the only person still talking to me is Bone. I’m guessing because I haven’t fucked that up yet though.

After school, I go straight home as per my dad’s directive and hide in my room. This morning, I waited until he left for school before following. I’m dreading the next time I have to face him and hoping he’ll be back to his normal self, even if it is a lie.

Despite the weird ass shit in the woods and Penny’s vow to figure this out before it gets worse, I haven’t heard from her. It’s foolish to ignore but I’m afraid to admit my fears to basically all the people in my world.

I don’t know what to do next but when I hear my mom rustling around in the hall, I open the door and stick my head out.

She’s arranging sheets or something in the closet and at her bowed head, I hesitate. We don’t exactly have the best relationship, but I suspect of everyone who is orbiting around this mess, she’s the most likely to give me answers.

“Mom?” Her head pops up and she grunts.

Ignoring the pang in my chest at her distance, I say quietly, “Do you know where Uncle Frank is?”

She goes rigid and grabs the shelf before sucking in a breath. “What?”

“Uncle Frank, where is he?” I ask, stepping into the hall. I know what Diem said, but I also know he’s willing to lie for whatever reason known only to him. Besides, who else would create a social media handle with the name of his damn boat?

“Why would I know?” she mumbles, and I sigh.

I mean what could possibly be so interesting about the doily my grandmother made a hundred years ago? And c’mon, a blind man would’ve recognized the panic that shook her form before she attempted to lie. Why? If it was no big deal, she would’ve said something completely stupid and went back to her useless chore.

Maybe it is something completely innocent and she doesn’t want to talk to me. However, I can’t keep listening to other people when they all have their own agendas to keep. It wasn’t any of them who was stalked in the damn woods, leaving a rabbit's foot as some sort of a sick message.

“Mom? Look, I…”

“Mae, I don’t have time for this,” she says, shaking her head. Right. What did I expect?

“Of course not,” I snarl, and she whips around, her eyes narrowed.

“I don't appreciate your tone of voice, missy.”

“Yeah, well I don’t appreciate how you and Dad seem to think if you pretend it will all go away.”

Dropping the doily to the floor, she steps into my face, and I raise my chin. Inside though I’m a quivering mass of frustration and anger.

Doesn’t she see what she’s doing to us, to me?

“If you have a problem, maybe you should speak to your father, the fucking saint.” Her blue eyes blaze with an emotion I don’t want to define and with a sad smile, I whisper, “Did you ever love me?”

“What are you talking about? Don’t be ridiculous,” she huffs.

“Then look at me,” I say. She clenches her jaw and I shake my head, screaming, “Look at me. See me.Me.”

All of a sudden, the air seems to seep from her bones, and she sighs, saying quietly, “What do you want from me, Mae?”

With a bitter laugh, I slam my palm against the wall. “I want my mom.”

Ignoring her resulting flinch, I close my bedroom door and lean against the wood. But I can’t get the defeated look out of my brain.

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