Dark Realms(17)

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll find plenty of things to do. Wait until you start school and meet some new friends. Or,” her face lit up, “maybe even some cute boys.”

I rolled my eyes. “Right. I doubt very much that’s going to happen.”

“Why in Heaven’s name would you say that? You’re a very pretty girl, Nikki. Don’t sell yourself short.”

The truth was, I couldn’t care less about meeting anyone at the moment. Most of the girls at my old school had been constantly stressed out because of their immature boyfriends and I wasn’t about to go down that road, especially in my last year of high school. “It doesn’t matter.”

She frowned. “Sure it does. You’ll want to go to all the dances, and then there’s the prom. You don’t want to miss out on all the fun. You’ll regret it later.”

“Didn’t you go with dad to the prom?” I asked, then immediately felt rotten when I saw the bitterness reflected in her eyes.

“I did,” she said slowly. “But, he wasn’t always so… volatile. And, really, he’s among the very few out there like that. You know, Nikki, you can’t be afraid of the world because your dad has some issues.”

Yeah, but weren’t we running because she was still very much afraid?

Of course, I didn’t dare mention that. Instead, I just changed the subject.

“So, how much farther of a drive do we have, mom?” I asked, noticing the mountains coming up in the distance.

“Oh, just a couple more hours,” she replied, plugging in her iPod. Seconds later, Adele, began to sing about Rumors.

I stretched my arms and yawned.

“Honey,” she said, lowering her sunglasses, “you look beat; why don’t you try and get some rest? I’ll wake you when we get there.”

“Okay,” I said, closing my eyes. “Maybe I’ll just take a little nap.”





~~~





“Why not, mom? I just don’t understand,” protested Nathan.

She sighed. “Can we please talk about Deanna later?”

I woke up to the sound of mom and Nathan arguing. We were parked by a small grocery store and he was standing outside of her window, pouting.

“Oh God, not now,” I mumbled. It was getting dark and we’d missed dinner and my stomach was protesting. I was cranky, and the last thing I needed was to hear any more drama about Deanna.

“Can’t she just come for a week before school starts?” said Nathan. “She’s having a rough time with her parents, and now that I’m gone, things have gotten even worse. It’s not fair for her.”

She shook her head. “No, we have too much to do with unpacking and getting ready for school. Maybe she can come and visit sometime after it starts for a weekend.”

“This is all bullshit,” he snapped, backing up from the window. He raised his hands in exasperation. “We could have stayed home. I would’ve protected you. Now we’re forced to move, and you didn’t even give me a chance.”

“Nathan!” I gasped. “You are the one not being fair. Mom’s been through so much and you’re just mad because you can’t see Deanna whenever you want. God, you’re being an asshole.”

His face turned red and he opened up his mouth to retaliate when mom quickly interrupted.

“Okay, let’s all settle down. Quit pointing fingers at each other, and Nikki, watch your mouth.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

“Listen, it isn’t either of your faults, okay? And, Nathan,” she said, smiling sadly, “I’m grateful that you want to protect me, but you can’t possibly follow me around twenty-four hours a day, nor do I expect you to be my personal bodyguard. Now, as far as Deanna goes, we’ll talk about it later. Comprende?”

He nodded but was still sulking and I could tell that this conversation was far from over.

She noticed it as well and rubbed her forehead in frustration. “Okay, let’s get the things we need in the grocery store before it gets dark. I don’t want to get lost while searching for this cabin.”

“Let’s go,” I said, opening my door.

Nathan followed us into the store, still moping.

“Nathan, would you please cheer up?” she pleaded when we were in the frozen pizza section and he refused to pick out food.

“Yeah,” I said. “Don’t ruin our first night here because of a girl who’s probably lining up her next soul-mate as we speak.”

“Would you just shut-up?” he snapped. “You’re just jealous because you didn’t leave anyone behind that mattered.”