Page 68 of The Drop

"It's not worth the argument." Gunnar shakes his head, and I feel we are all holding our tongues, not to say anything.

"By the way, I don't need an intervention about Sasha," he says as we walk out of the apartment, "I'm aware of how it looks to you guys, but I'm not just giving a five-year relationship up over a rough patch."

With that, he walks into his apartment, and we all look at Adam, waiting for him to say something. "Not this time," he mutters, walking down the stairs. "My opinions have got me in enough trouble tonight."

"Well, that is a first," Cami whispers to me, linking arms as we walk toward campus.

"Tell me about it,"

Chapter Thirty

Brooke

Adam was right.

A sentence I never want to utter again, but as I cry in Grant's Jeep, driving away from my mom's house for the last time, I feel like I have learnt my lesson this time.

2 hours earlier

I left the apartment after everyone else had left. Grant had given me his jeep to drive as Adam was driving him to Cami's house.

Gunnar's mom had asked if I wanted to join them for breakfast, and I politely declined, not wanting to step on Sasha's toes. However, she made me promise that we would have coffee before they left.

The whole drive, I listened to Bear's hype playlist, which he swore would help me feel better, but if anything, the thumping music put me even more on edge. As I drive through my old neighbourhood, my nerves have set in, and they get worse as I approach my mom's house.

I slow down as I pull up the bottom of the driveway, noticing it's full of cars; I furrow my brows as I have to reverse and park on the street. Getting out, I pause, feeling uneasy, looking at all the cars and the house. She had said it would just be the two of us. I grab my bag out of the passenger side of the jeep, and head towards the front door, but the closer I get, I replay our conversation in my head and realise she never actually said just us two. She just said we can talk.

I don't bother knocking and walk straight into the foyer of the house, as it is still technically my home.

People are milling about everywhere with servers walking around with trays of drinks and canapes.

"Brooke, sweetheart," a lady comes up as I walk through the foyer, leaning in for an air kiss, which I return to be polite, but I have no clue who she is. "Your mom said you were coming. It's so good to see you."

"Uh, yeah," I reply on autopilot, craning my neck around her, looking for my mom amongst the people in the room, but not seeing her. "Could you point me in her direction?"

"Of course, honey. I saw her in the dining room a few minutes ago." She points toward it like I don't know where my dining room is. "She's so happy you could come home. I told Dale he should speak to the dean; he golfs with him, you know? Imagine giving you so much school work you can't even take one weekend off, but your mom wouldn't hear it; she just said she's proud you're working hard."

I blink at her, stunned. My mom's been telling people I haven't been able to make it home because I've had too much schoolwork. I know she would want to save face about us notspeaking, so I shouldn't be surprised, but I don't know how to reply.

"I'll let Mom know you said hi." I smile tightly, ending the conversation and heading to the dining room.

I walk in, and I immediately want to walk back out. She's talking to Josh's mom, and they are laughing together.

"Mom!" I say as I step forward, interrupting their conversation; I'm getting more annoyed every minute I'm here. How did I have the patience to spend hours on these things?

"Brooke!" My mom opens her arms for a hug, which I step into. The embrace is stiff. She gives me a little pat on my back as she lets go. "Wasn't I just saying I can't wait for her to get here?"

She turns me towards Josh's mom, holding me by my upper arms. Josh's mom nods, smiling, which confirms she doesn't know the real reason we broke up or is brushing it under the carpet like my mom is.

"So good to see you, Brooke," she says, stepping forward and hugging me. "Josh is always saying how he's trying to catch up with you, but you're so busy."

I nod, confused again. The only thing Josh had done was approach me on nights out to beg me to let him explain.

"It's so good to have you home, honey, but maybe we should go put on that dress I laid out for you." My mom nudges me toward the stairs. "Can you believe she forgot to pack her dress? Rang me from the car in a panic."

Another easily told lie. I'm wearing jeans and a green cardigan with a pair of black heels, so I'm not exactly under-dressed, but not by my mom's standards.

I had been here less than five minutes and discovered two of my mom's lies straight away. Letting her guide me up the stairs and towards my old bedroom, where there is a black dress already laid out on the bed with ruffled sleeves and a drop waist.

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