Splinters: Part One

Part One | 24

"Does Collie know?"

I looked at him. "Y-yeah, Collie knows."

"For how long?"

"Since the sophie dance."

Andrew blinked and turned off the game. "Why have you kept it a secret for so long? How long have you been with the Piersons? How did you even get here?"

I rubbed the back of my neck and set the paddle down. "I, um, I came from New York. Last summer, Melissa found me at St. Anne's Orphanage about an hour away and... She adopted me. I don't really know why, honestly."

"You were an orphan?"

I shrugged. "Sort of. My parents aren't dead - at least I don't think they are. My dad was arrested when I was seven and my mom left a little bit before that."

"He was arrested?"

"I think he was a drug dealer," I admitted quietly, playing with my fingers. "My mom was a prostitute."

"No way..."

I knew it was a huge shock to him. He probably didn't even believe me, but it was out in the open now. He knew.

"So the cops took me out of our one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn and took me to my grandma's. Two years later, she had a heart attack and died and the nuns at St. Anne's took me in."

"Holy shit."

"You can't tell anyone, Andrew."

"I won't," he promised, shaking his head. "I would never."

"I just thought you should know," I said. "You're... you know... like my best friend."

Andrew put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Bray. I had no idea."

"Brayden?" We turned at the sound of Melissa's voice. She stood in the doorway looking very confused. "Is Collie outside with Ursanne?"

"Um, yeah. Why?"

Melissa blinked. "W-"

"Mrs. Pierson, Brayden and I thought it'd be a good idea to force them to talk so that they could be civil with each other and solve their issues."

"Open the door!"

All three of our heads jerked towards the end of the hall. I could hear the back door slide open and Ursanne, or who I assumed, stomp up the stairs. We all ran down the hall to see what was going on. Melissa went upstairs while I searched for Collie.

"Collie's not in the back," Andrew said when he looked out the back doors.

The sound of the front door shutting was the one clue that led me to where she was. I raced down the hall and opened it. Sighing in relief, I caught sight of Collie walking down the driveway towards her car.

"Collie!" I shouted.

But she didn't turn. She just went to her side and opened the door. I hopped down the steps and jogged to her car.

"Hey."

She sat in, not even glancing at me. I ran to her side and knocked on the window just as she started the car.

"Collie, c'mon."

She didn't even look up when she rolled it down.

"What happened?"

"She hates me, Brayden. She hates me, and I can't do anything about it." Her voice broke which ultimately did the same to my heart.

I frowned. "Hey, c'mon."