Snow on the Beach - S.CONKLIN

13

NOELLE
"It's sold?" My frown deepens. This can't be happening, I've told her I didn't want that money. "You sold this house in the last twelve hours?"
"Yes. To a lovely family with three children and some kind of a poodle mix." Mom answers like she didn't just completely broken us. She acts so cold, again.
"Well, it can't just be over." Jeremiah protests, his voice slightly cracking at the end. Can't she sees that she's hurting us all? She can't be that blind, that heartless.
"It is." She's prompt to answer, slashing our hearts even more. I blink the tears away, this can't turn into a pity party, we have to fight this. "I'm gonna need your keys, please."

Conrad scoffs, reaching for his set in his pockets, looking over both Jeremiah and I. "I'll bet you're really enjoying this," He says as the boys look through their sets, searching for the house's key.
"Mom, please. Don't do this." I beg her for what feels like the hundred time, maybe this is the one. I'm still trying because I know behind the stubbornness, she might see our side but she's too deep to back out now. Mom yanks the keys out of the boys' hands, scoffing at what I just said. It's clear she's as tired as us, exhausted of fighting me and her nephews.
"Really, Noelle?" She says before returning her attention on Jeremiah and Conrad. "I told you two that I was selling the house. You just refused to believe it. And I'm not enjoying it but I will admit that I'm relieved it's finally over. Come, Noelle. We're going." She passes by them, walking toward her car as I glance over my cousins, considering whether I should follow her or not. Conrad's face is numb, his jaw clenched and his eyes glued to the house's front door. As opposed to Jeremiah who's all over the place, his nostrils flaring with anger, deception and everything in between, he can't stand still. I can't give up yet, I have to talk to her. One last time. After that, I'm done fighting with her. In fact, I'm just done with her until she comes to her senses. We're a family, we should start acting like one. I finally turn around, coming near to bump into Steven's chest, he stood closer than I thought but I gently pull him out of my way and go to my mother. She's nervously searching for her own keys in her purse.

"I don't want to fight with you." She sighs without even looking up to me.
"Me neither. I'm done."
"Good. Then get in the car."
"I'm not helping you, though. I've already told you how much this house means to us, to me and you still don't listen."
"Yeah, because you want to give up college for it."
"And yet you still got what you wanted. You sold the fucking house, Mom. You won!" I say breathlessly because of the anger. My tongue is burning with words that keeps coming out as broken shouts but I try to keep a cool front, because I don't know what will happen if I entirely let myself explode, grief and anger usually don't mix very well together. "I'm not coming back with you. I'm happy here."
"And I want you to be happy, Noelle."
"Do you though? Because for the past five years, I've begged you to come back here, with them and again you didn't listened. You never fucking do and look where that's gotten us. I couldn't even say goodbye to Susannah because of you."
"You might like blaming it all on me but the truth is they didn't want us around."
"No, you didn't want to come here. You never liked it so when you noticed I was actually growing found of this place, you striped it away from me. You hated seeing me belong here when you never did. So yeah, maybe tuition money is one of your reason but it's not why you're being so pushy about it, why you sold it in less than twenty four hours, you're selling it for confirmation. That you could... that we could never belong here."
"So you think I'm jealous?" She scoffs.
I cross my arms. "I think you've always been. Over the years, I've seen it, I've seen you turn so cold, shutting anything related to Cousins or the Becks out of our lives. Look Mom," I sigh. "It's no secret that your father was a prick and maybe that Aunt Susannah was in denial about her parents' shittiness but this doesn't take away the fact that we're a family. In this time, shouldn't we cherish each other instead of fighting? This house is home. So please back out of the deal."