Broken Hill Halo (Broken Hill High #2)

by Sheridan Anne

  “What?” I grunt. “And you didn’t tell me? What kind of BS is that?”

  “The kind of BS that I wanted you to realize on your own.”

  “Huh? I grunt

  “If I had told you, you might have held yourself back and closed off your heart to him out of your sheer stubbornness, but this way it happened naturally, the way it was intended.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” I grumble. “I still would have preferred a heads up.”

  “Well, tough luck,” she says with a proud smile. “Now, give me all the details. I’ve been dying to know how it all happened.”

  A permanent smile sets itself over my face as I launch into my recap, giving only the details which any regular parents should know, you know, leaving out the details about how he took my virginity and has screwed me up against every available wall and surface in their house.

  It takes me all the way until the end of my story to realize that the house is too quiet. No whir of the coffee machine. No light music playing in the study. No thumping footsteps from the second story. “Where’s dad?” I ask as all the options start going through my mind. I mean, it’s possible he went over to the police station to talk to Officer Holden about the break in.

  Mom cringes and I see a strange hurt in her eyes. She lets out a breath as sorrow washes over her features. “Oh, honey,” she sighs as she turns to face me straight on. “I’ve been trying to avoid saying anything. I should have known you’d ask about it.”

  “About what?” I ask, slightly confused. “Where is he?”

  “He’s not coming,” mom says as she reaches out and takes my hand in hers.

  “What do you mean?” I question. “He’s not coming home? He’s still in Australia?” Mom nods her head and presses her lips into a firm line as her eyes grow watery. “So, what?” I question. “Is he staying to finish up with the sale of Nanna’s house?”

  She scrunches her face up. “Well… no.”

  “Huh?” I grunt as I search mom’s eyes for some kind of answers. “What are you talking about? I’m confused.”

  She lets out another sigh as a tear drops from her eye. Mom squeezes my hand. “I’m sorry, baby,” she coos. “He’s not coming back. His firm had an emergency in their London offices. He’s been reassigned there for a little while.”

  “What?” I whisper as I search my mother’s face, waiting for her to tell me this is some kind of sick joke. “But…”

  “I know, baby,” she soothes as my heart shatters. “It’s surprising for me too.”

  My eyes begin to water and the second mom pulls me in, the tears turn into great big sobs. I crush my face into her chest and let her hold me as the tears roll down my face. “How can,” sob, “they do this?” sniffle, “Don’t they know he hasn’t been home?”

  Mom runs her fingers through my hair, the same way she used to when I was a kid. “I’ve been asking myself the same question for the past forty-eight hours, but you know your father. He’ll come back as soon as he can.”

  “And when’s that going to be?” I cry.

  She lets out a heavy sigh. “I’ll let you know when I know.”

  A few hours later, I lay awake in my bed with my eyes red raw and sore. My chest aches and my sobs are still coming in heavy. All I’ve done since the words came out of mom’s mouth is ask myself over and over again what it is that I’ve done wrong? Did I say something wrong? Did I not make him feel wanted here? Because I do, I want my daddy so bad. I need him. He’s my dad. Why didn’t he fight harder to stay? The last time there was an ‘emergency’ they took him away for ten months. What’s it going to be this time? A year? Two?

  He’s the guy who taught me to ride a bike. He was there every time I needed him and now he’s not? How could he just turn his back on that? And my mom? She just buried her mother and now she’s lost her husband to his job… again.

  The thought of not seeing him kills me. I love him so much, but right now, I hate him. I hate him more than when Nate would make me feel small and humiliated. I hate him more than Josh Henderson and Jackson Millington combined. I know things have never been great with dad, but in the end, he’s still my dad.

  Rattling sounds at my window and I sit up with a gasp to find two brown eyes staring in. I clamber out of my bed and cross the room in a matter of seconds, desperate to get him inside and have his arms wrap securely around me.

  I get the window open and he climbs in with a grin. “I knew you’d forget to unl-”

  I dive into him, cutting him off and slam my head against his chest. His arms instantly curl around me, holding me tight. “Hey,” he says, pulling back so he can look down and see my face. “What’s wrong?”

  I look up and meet his eyes, and instantly he knows it’s something bad. My eyes well as I prepare myself to say it out loud for the first time. “It’s dad,” I tell him as the tears fall from my eyes. “He’s be reassigned. He’s not coming back.”

  “Fuck,” Nate curses before his arm scoops under my legs. He lifts me into his arms and carries me over to my bed before climbing in beside me. I curl around him and lay my head on his chest where he holds me until the tears finally run their course.

  Chapter 13

  Mom had been home from Australia for all of a week when an envelope from dad’s work arrived in the mail and it’s been sitting on the kitchen table for three days now, unopened and untouched. Both of us not wanting to know what horrors hide inside. Last time we got one of these envelopes, dad had no idea about it

  “You’ve got to open it,” I tell mom as we sit around the table, staring at the stupid thing.

  “No,” she says. “You open it.

  “I’m not opening it. He’s your husband.”

  “He’s your father,” she snaps back.

  I let out a groan and push myself up from the table. “Where do you think you’re going?” she says. “I told you, neither one of us are leaving this table until it’s done.”

  “I’m getting something to drink,” I tell her as I walk straight past the kitchen and to dad’s alcohol cabinet in search of the expensive stuff. “What do you think?” I call as I survey the options. “Whiskey, rum, bourbon or vodka?”

  “I am not getting wasted with my seventeen year old daughter,” she calls back.

  “Vodka it is,” I say, reaching in and grabbing the pretty bottle. I see a couple of shot glasses on top and decide to go without. I have a feeling we’ll probably go through the whole bottle, swigging from the top. I mean, I know I’ve missed three weeks of school and I’m supposed to be going back in the morning, but this seems a little more important. I can deal with the consequences tomorrow.

  I walk back out to mom and put the bottle down on the table. “Drink up,” I tell her.

  She looks horrified at the bottle I’ve put before her. “No. I don’t think so.”

  “Mom,” I say, using a scolding tone that she usually reserves for me. “Opening this letter is going to suck. For both of us,” I tell her before indicating to the bottle. “We’re going to need this. Come tomorrow, we can pretend that it never happened.”

  She narrows her eyes, deep in thought before surprising the hell out of me and launching forward before grabbing the bottle. “Fine, but not a word about this to anyone. I don’t need those bitchy Country Club mothers looking down on me for getting drunk with my teenage daughter, and besides, if you tell anyone, I’ll tell them you’re lying.”

  “Deal,” I laugh.

  She cracks open the lid and instantly takes a swig. “Ugh,” she sputters as her whole face scrunches up. “I forgot how awful this stuff is.”

  “I know,” I laugh. “Isn’t it magical?”

  She shakes her head at me before passing the bottle. I take a drink as we sit around the table, waiting for the clear goodness to take effect. Half an hour later, we stare down the stupid envelope, neither one of us willing to open it. “You do it,” I tell her as our eyes flick from one another and back to the envelope.

  “Not this shit a
gain,” she groans.

  An idea strikes and without giving it a second thought, I reach forward and ‘accidentally’ knock over the glass of water sitting between us. “Oh, shit,” I gasp. I hurry to right the cup as mom reaches for the envelope.

  “Crap,” she shrieks as the water starts soaking into the paper. She hurries to rip open the envelope as to not ruin the contents inside and before we know it, the papers are sitting before us.

  A breath slowly escapes me as I lean back into my chair and stare at the papers. Well, shit. This is actually happening.

  Unable to help my curiosity, I pick the papers up off the table and start scanning through them. “Just tell me the important things,” mom says.

  I nod my head as I continue reading. “Ahhhhh,” I say as I scan through the next section. “He’s been relocated… blah, blah, blah,” I mumble. “They’re putting him up in a fancy ass house. All expenses paid. Ooh, a raise.”

  “Damn straight,” she grunts before reaching for the vodka and taking a long, deep pull. “Come on,” she dares me. “Let me have it.”

  I let out a sigh as I glance across at her to make sure she’s alright with me still reading. I continue scanning the papers until I get to the part and find myself gasping for breath. “What is it?” mom panics as she grabs my hand.

  I toss the papers back on the chair and reach for the bottle before taking a long, deep pull of my own, feeling completely blindsided. “Minimum six month relocation with the possibility of an extension.”

  Her eyes widen as she rears forward and snatches the papers off the table. She scans through until she finds the part I’m talking about. Her face falls in devastation. “I’m so sorry, honey. I knew this was a possibility, but I never… Shit.”

  I let out a heavy sigh, willing myself not to cry again. “It’s ok,” I tell her, trying my hardest to hide the pain. “We’ll manage. He’ll call when he can.”

  “That he will,” she tells me, trying to be brave as she pries the bottle from my fingers and takes another drink. “I think we’re going to need another one of these.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  ----------

  A heavy pounding rattles my head. “Oh, shit,” I groan as I try to push myself up off the hard surface. I cringe into the beaming light shining in through the window and realize I fell asleep with my head on the dining room table. “Ugh,” I say, sitting up into the chair and rubbing the side of my face which I’m sure is probably bright red from a night of being squished into the hardwood.

  Damn it. What day is it? Am I supposed to be doing something today? I hope not.

  I clench my eyes closed wishing that the pounding will take a rest for at least a half an hour, just enough time to get some painkillers, get showered and dressed, and maybe have a little breakfast.

  I hang my head and when I open my eyes, I see my phone laying carelessly on the floor. I reach down and scoop it up while cringing at the way my head spins with the movement. I hit the home screen and find nothing but texts and missed calls from Nate, Jesse, and Brooke. I cringe once again, hating that they’re probably all worried about me, though, if Nate was that worried, he’d probably come looking.

  I scroll through all the texts with disinterest.

  Brooke – What are you doing? I’m bored.

  Jesse – Fuckkker!!!!! What’s up?

  Brooke – Hello?????

  Nate – Can you sneak out tonight?

  Jesse – Fine. Didn’t want to talk to you either.

  Brooke – You better not be ditching me for hot sex with your boyfriend!

  Brooke – Actually, I take that back, I’m ditching you for hot sex with my boyfriend!

  Nate – You alive?

  Nate – Babe, what’s going on?

  Nate – Tora?

  As I finish scrolling, I come to one last text which came through about twenty minutes ago from Nate, which has me cringing all over again, though, for completely different reasons.

  Nate – Fuck, Tora. I’m going crazy here. What’s going on? Are you alright? I haven’t heard from you all fucking night. Answer your goddamn phone before I come and bust down your door!

  I hit reply when the front door swings open.

  “Shit,” I groan when a very angry Nate comes storming through.

  “What the hell is going on?” he demands as he looks me over. “And why the fuck do you smell like a bar?”

  “Ugh,” I groan. “Shut up. You’re far too loud.”

  He rolls his eyes, clearly not impressed with my hungover state. “Get your shit together, babe. We have to be at school in twenty minutes.”

  “Damn it,” I groan as I push myself up out of the chair. “I need to shower. Can you find mom and make sure she’s not laying somewhere in a puddle of her own vomit?”

  “What?” he grunts as I walk past him, holding onto my head.

  I make my way upstairs not sure if Nate has followed me or not, but when I look down over the railing, I find Nate walking through the house with my passed out mother dangling from his arms.

  He walks up the stairs as I head into my room and strip out of yesterday’s clothes before walking into the bathroom. I turn the taps and moan out as the cool water hits my skin. Now, that’s what I’m talking about. Though, if I was smart, I would have stopped to get some pain killers for this raging headache.

  Nate appears in the bathroom doorway not a few moments later and makes himself comfortable on my vanity while he watches me shower. I mean, it sounds creepy, someone watching me shower, but with Nate. It feels right.

  “Where’d she end up?” I ask as I wash the soap from my body.

  “From what I could tell, she was heading for the couch but she didn’t quite make it that far. She was about two feet away, clocked out on the ground. She didn’t even wake when I picked her up.”

  “Shit,” I cringe. “I swear, we didn’t intend on drinking that much,” I explain. “We opened the envelope from dad’s work.”

  Understanding dawns in his eyes as he nods his head. “Is that what was torn to shreds in the blender.”

  A smirk crosses my lips. “I forgot about that,” I murmur to myself.

  Nate grows quiet and I look over at him to find his eyes piercing into mine. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asks just loud enough to be heard over the water shooting down on my body.

  I shake my head and look away, not wanting to share with him just how badly my father’s relocation is still stinging. “Not yet.”

  He pushes himself off the vanity and walks towards the shower as he plucks my towel off the back of the door. “Alright,” he tells me. “When you’re ready.” I give him a smile, hoping it manages to ease his worries, though I should know better by now. Nate Ryder won’t give in until my heart is happy and someone is bleeding for hurting me.

  He opens the shower door and I turn off the tap and spreads out the towel for me. I step out into his arms and he wraps it around me before rubbing his hand up and down my back. “Come on,” he says. “I now have only seven minutes to get you to school.”

  “I don’t want to go,” I whine.

  “I don’t care. You’ve had too many absences lately. If you want to get into a good university then that means actually attending school.”

  “Might I point out that you’re the one who had me skipping for the first time,” I remind him.

  “There’s a fine line between living a little and being careless.”

  “And you think I’m being careless?”

  “What would you call getting wasted with your mom and skipping class due to a wicked hangover?”

  I raise my eyebrow at him, clearly letting him know just how unimpressed I am right now. “I call it a necessity.”

  He shakes his head and steps back. “Come on,” he says. “Go get dressed. You can curse me out in the car.”

  I groan as I storm past him to my closet and get myself dressed before I storm back out and head down the stairs with Nate right behind me. I
grab a banana from the fruit bowl and set out some painkillers and a glass of water for mom on the table.

  Nate takes my hand and helps me out the front door before bringing out his rare gentlemanly traits and opening the passenger’s side door for me.

  I duck down and climb into his Camaro before relaxing in the seat. He gets in and starts up the engine and before I know it, we’re halfway to school.

  Strange nerves begin to settle within me the closer we get. The only time I’ve ever felt this way was my very first day here which is understandable, but right now, the reason behind these stupid nerves only serves to piss me off.

  I mean, there’s a new quarterback who’s suddenly become the new king of the school, apart from Nate and Jesse of course, no one will ever take that title away from them, no matter how hard they try. Jackson is shady as shit and I hate that he’s here in my school, weaseling his slimy way into my life.

  Nate had said that he was trying to get under his skin and I’m the perfect way to do that, which obviously, sucks for me. I hate people playing games and I hate it, even more, when I’m used as a chess piece. I know there’s some sort of ulterior motive behind this whole transfer bullshit, I just have to figure it out.

  “What’s going on in that head of yours?” Nate questions after I’ve been unusually quiet.

  “Jackson,” I grunt.

  “Wow,” Nate grins. “Way to make a guy feel good about himself.”

  I roll my eyes. “You know I don’t mean it like that,” I say. “I just don’t get why he’s here. Has he tried to start anything with you?”

  “Nope,” he says. “Though I don’t doubt that will change once you walk through the doors.” I groan, knowing exactly what he’s referring to. “I swear, Tora. If that bastard even looks at you funny, I’m going to put him down.”

  “No need for the dramatics,” I smirk as I work on downing my banana. “Any gossip I’ve missed out on?”

  He shrugs his shoulders as he pulls into the school parking lot. “Like I pay attention to that shit,” he scoffs. “Besides, I’m sure Brooke would have filled you in on all that crap.”