Holly Dalvin is tired of her suffocating life, and decides to leave her dysfunctional family, failing grades and bullying peers behind. For good. While laying on Purslane Station's rundown train tracks, Holly comes face to face with the notorious He...
"Holly? Can you list the different types of attachments?"
I blinked a couple of times, waking my mind from the fog of sleep and blushed. Falling asleep during class, this was a first for me. No matter how tired I was, I never actually nodded off. Miss Lorna raised an eyebrow but listed the answers in her monotonous voice without further comment. I heaved a sigh of relief and made a conscious effort to take notes. Hopefully if I paid more attention she wouldn't question me further and find out that I hadn't done the reading.
As soon as the bell rang, I sped out of the classroom before Miss Lorna could get a hold of me. That, and I really wanted to and see Mum. I re-read Dad's message and smiled. We were going to get Mum out of the hospital today. But I still didn't know if Josh was okay and it was sucking the relief out of my heart. I'd ask Dad about it in the car, I had to know, I was ready for the answer.
I saw Clara standing in the hallway with Larissa and groaned inwardly. It was never a good time to see them, but today was definitely a bad time. I didn't make eye contact with either of them, rigidly walking past them and staring at my ever-stained boots. By some miracle, they didn't say anything and I escaped unharmed without having to run.
Dad waved from backseat and got out to hug me as I jogged over to the car.
"Hey honey, how was school?"
I smiled so tearfully that I laughed at the paradox of my emotions. It felt like the first day of school, and I let both my tears and smile shine. Dad's face cracked and he pulled me into a hug again, his unspoken words ringing clearly in my mind.
"Let's go and see Mum," he said finally.
I wiped my nose and followed him into the car.
"Good afternoon Holly, are you all set to go?" Adrian asked warmly.
Boyce gave me the slightest nod in greeting and I nodded back before replying to Adrian as impersonally as I could. He didn't seem to react as he restarted the engine and put the car into gear.
As we drove away, I thought I saw Larissa standing by the school gates, watching us silently.
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"You've lost weight Holly, haven't you been eating properly?" Mum frowned as she stroked my cheek lightly. She still hadn't let go of my hand and I was grateful. I had cried so much on her shoulder that I think she was afraid I'd never stop. Mum didn't cry though, she hadn't let a single tear slip, but her sighs were heavy. Instead of being sad, she seemed more relieved. I guess she'd had all those years to accept the situation, so it didn't drive her to tears anymore. I remembered her worried expressions and guilt prodded my heart. With a barely concealed sob I wiped my eyes to keep the tears in my eyes. Mum put her arm around me firmly, but didn't reassure me like she did when I first came in. Dad stroked my head gently and I looked at my parents with new eyes.
