Ophelia Drowned

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

I couldn't quite seem to register the idea. For the past weeks I had lived in a reality where Ellie and I were mutually disinterested in each other, where my sister liked to hide in her room and listen to loud music for hours into the night, where Hex had been a hero. A friend. Those had been solid facts in my mind not long ago. Now they were completely obliterated, or exposed as the lies that they were.

Mostly lies. Some uncertainties.

Dad interrupted our conversation before I could get any more answers out of Ellie. He gave his closing statement on the matter and suddenly things seemed forgiven. We were back to board games and terrible jokes, as if nothing had happened. My sister was better at playing along than I was. She even offered baby names and cooed over the flamboyantly shaded Bastion.

I stuck to doing what I did best; sulking in corners and waiting for it to end.

When Mom came, she was quiet. It only lasted as we got our stuff and she was forced to make small talk with Veronica. She made it look easy, like she might enjoy speaking to the woman that had taken her husband away. I would never understand it.

The ride home was full of statements like: "Do you have any idea.." and "If you ever.." and ended with phone call from work that she had to take. I had half a mind to grab her phone and break it in half. I don't know why. After all, as soon as she answered it her voice lost its growl and she began to drive the car at a speed that was almost reasonable.

When we got home it was dark. Mom went straight inside but I held back. I had more questions and, with Mom preoccupied, now was as good a chance as any to talk.  I sat on the front step and waited for Ellie to catch up. She still looked a little shaken over Mom's very brief but furious lecture. I guess I had heard it enough times to tune it out.

"...is he ever coming back for it?" she asked.

I glanced up at the bike that was still leaning against the side of the garage. It was gathering a layer of snow over the handles and seat, which made it look particularly abandoned.

"I dunno," I admitted. Then, pathetically, I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check if he had called. Stupid, stupid, stupid. No missed calls. No texts. Nothing. I hated myself a little for even looking.

"I should have told you right away," Ellie mumbled as she sat beside me and leaned over her knees.

"Why didn't you?" I couldn't seem to keep the irritation out of my voice. It wasn't her fault Hex had lied, but I was finding it hard to understand why she had chosen to let me believe him.

"Because of the questions..." she muttered, miserably. "I thought that if I told people the truth they would want to know how I had gotten to the bridge, and what I had been doing and where I had been and... I didn't..."

She faltered. I almost asked how she had gotten to the bridge- a detail I hadn't even considered until now- but then it connected and I felt my heart sink.

"Mr. Baker," I said. I tried not to let the name put bile in my throat. "...why, Ellie? Why him? He's so..."

"I know what he is..." she said. "I know what I did was wrong."

What he had done was wrong. I wanted to tell her so, but the conversation was dangerous enough as it was.

"It's just that I didn't think anybody could be so nice," she continued, hopelessly. There was a small glint in her eyes, even now, that made me want to be sick. "I met him the same day Josh dumped me.."

I felt a twist of guilt in my stomach. I hadn't even known she'd had a boyfriend, no less been dumped by him.

"I was walking home from school and he saw me and pulled over. He said I looked cold and that he could give me a ride home and when I got into his car I thought he was so nice that I started to cry."