Apart From The Truth

Chapter 14: Aggressive Phone Call

AERO's POV

I couldn't believe it. I was actually getting my hard work published. My school article had done so well that the local news wanted the story too. Not to mention I got a perfect grade on the class assignment.

Perfect grades...Holden was in prison...yet I still felt incomplete and miserable.

Watching Aurlie and Patrick do things felt like torture and I was starting to feel bad for Ben. There were 10,000+ things he could probably do with his time and instead, he was forced to hang out with me doing nothing. All for some stupid plan that I didn't even think was working.

My father hadn't been in contact with me other than the last call where he helped me. I was starting to think it wasn't helping but instead, he had somehow found another way to get the better of me. After all, I wouldn't have found/caught Holden without that address.

I think he was trying to prove a point. He thinks I need him.

I didn't need him. I didn't want him.

I want Thomas.

"Aero? Hello?" Aurelie giggled trying to get my attention.

"She's gone...back on Mars," Patrick suggested sarcastically. "Only the aliens can speak to her now."

"Shut up,'' I told him. "Sorry, I'm listening."

We sat in the dining hall eating lunch together two days before Christmas break.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Aurelie asked sounding sad.

I shook my head and poked my salad with my fork.

''I knew we shouldn't have told her that Thomas was going to London for break," Patrick sighed.

Aurelie squinted and turned her head towards him.

"Why are you saying that like you aren't the one who told her?" She asked judgmentally.

He shrugged and answered, "Oh I was the one that brought it up wasn't I?"

Aurelie lightly pinched his arm causing him to flinch in pain.

"Guys, I am fine!" I told them. "Thomas can do whatever he pleases."

The truth was that I was upset that Thomas was going to London.

I wanted to spend Christmas with him.

Instead, I was stuck at school alone with a fake boyfriend and a brother who wouldn't talk to me.

"She's not upset 'cause she has Ben, right Aero?'' Aurelie smiled lightly at me.

"Right," I mumbled before taking a bite.

Ben didn't have any family to spend the holiday with either so he gladly agreed to spend it with me whether we were fake dating or not.

Speaking of Ben, I felt my phone ring from inside of my pocket. I answered quickly to see why he would be calling me in the middle of the day. I feared it would be something bad about Parker.

A: Hello?

B: Hi, Aero! So I have some bad news...

A: Oh god what is it now?

I clutched my phone tightly afraid of what he was going to say.

B: I'm not going to be here for Christmas anymore...

A: What? Why?!

B: I'm going to London!

You're fucking joking.