Page 49 of Fault Line

“I’m doing okay.” I resist the urge to wince at her phony term of endearment. “Just busy with school and everything.”

“Oh, I bet.” There’s a pause on the line, and I can almost hear her biting her nails on the other end. “So, listen, I was still thinking about coming to visit you on campus for a little while.”

I let out a sigh. “I don’t know, Sof. It’s kind of a bad time for me right now.”

“What do you mean? Are you too busy with classes?”

“Yeah, and I’ve got a lot of stuff going on outside of school too.”

“But it’s been ages since we’ve seen each other,” she whines. “I miss you, Kaia.”

“I know, and I miss you, too,” I say, the lie sitting sour in the back of my throat. “But this just isn’t a good time.”

“Well, can’t you just take a break from studying for a little while to hang out with me?”

I rub at my temples and blow out a hot breath, blood rushing to my head. “It’s not just about studying. I’ve got a lot of stuff going on in my personal life, too, and I don’t have the energy to entertain visitors right now.”

“Okay, okay,” she says, clearly hurt by my dismissal. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was such a big deal.”

“It’s not a big deal, Sof. It’s just not a good time.”

There’s an awkward silence on the line, and I can tell she’s trying to think of something else to say. “So, have you talked to Mom and Dad lately?”

My stomach clenches at the mention of our parents. Sofia knows how uncomfortable the topic makes me, but she can’t seem to help herself. “No, I haven’t talked to them in a while.”

“Oh.” There’s another pause, then, “Well, they’re doing okay, I guess. Mom’s been posting a lot of pictures of them on Facebook.”

“That’s great,” I say, pinching my lips into a flat line.

“I think they’re planning a trip to Santorini soon. Maybe you should try for a visit over winter break.”

“I don’t think that’s possible. I’m gonna be working on my dissertation even during the break.”

“But it would be good for you to spend some time with them, Kaia,” she chides in that familiar grating tone. “You never know how much time you have left with them.”

My temper flares. “I know that. But it’s not like we have some perfect Brady Bunch relationship. They could come visit me in Boyer, too. That is, if they really gave a shit.”

“Yeah, as if you’d even let them.” She scoffs. “You know, you’re letting this wedge between the four of us grow even deeper. It’s not healthy.”

“This wedge? You mean, the divide that they created, Sof?” I tug at a lock of my hair, painfully hooking it around my index finger. “They moved across the fucking ocean when I was still in high school and left me here to fend for myself.”

“That was years ago. Maybe it’s time to finally let it go.”

“It’s not that simple.” I sigh, shutting my eyes. “They’ve hurt me a lot, and I’m not ready to just forgive and forget.”

There’s a long pause on the line, and I know she’s just trying to think of another topic to shift toward. “Fine, enough about them. I’ve got some other news for you.”

“What kind of news?”

“I met someone new,” she says, her voice giddy with excitement.

“Alert the presses.”

“Oh, just be happy for me, will you?”

“I am happy for you.” I release the grip on my hair, continuing my walk through Navy Square. “So, who is he?”

“His name’s Andrew,” she continues, practically gushing over him. “He’s a lawyer, and he’s really dedicated to his work and to me. I think he might actually be the one, Kaia.”

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