Chapter 24
850 Words
Rossalyn suddenly threw the photo forcefully on the floor. The glass frame shattered and I let out a shocked gasp. Rossayln's head flew up and her eyes widened in surprise. We smile sheepishly.
"Surprise?" James says. I rolled my eyes at him and approached Ross to hug her. I don’t know. I just feel like she needed it.
"What're you guys doing here?" She asks. She turns away from us, trying to hide her tears as she wipes them away.
"Well, you called to tell us you were off for Brazil," James says with indifference in his voice. "What'd you think we'd do? Party?"
Rossalyn stands up and picks the glass on the floor to throw it out in the trash bin near the door. "It's not like I had a choice." She angrily replies.
My eyes turned soft at the situation Rossalyn was in. Of course, we couldn’t blame her. Charles plops himself on the bed while James sits by her dresser. Bea looks uncomfortable and slowly takes a seat beside Charles. I tried to approach Rossalyn gently because she seemed so fragile at that moment.
"You always have a choice, Ross. You have a choice of staying with your mom here and with us." James huffs. I could tell that he was feeling very blunt and straightforward with how he felt, but his words cut sharply.
"And what? Watch her go home late every night with a different man taking her home? Hell no, James." Rossalyn shouts while holding a piece of shattered glass in her fingers. Her grip on the glass tightens, causing it to pierce through her skin. She lets go of it, pained, and curls on the floor.
I instantly flew to Ross' side and gently took her wounded hand. Bea hands me a first aid kit that she found under her bed, where it usually was. James huffs louder behind me. His frustration was clear in the air and it made me feel like stepping on sheer ice. Cold and fragile.
"Bullshirt, Ross. You're leaving and you're not even thinking of us? Did you even plan on calling us, or was it a last-minute decision to tell us? Maybe you prefer calling us when you’re in Brazil," He shot back. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're just trying to run away from your situation! It’s not ideal, but it’s not like none of us is dealing with something."
A tear dropped from Ross' eye as I cleaned her wound. She sobs back tears and curls on herself.
"Just shut up, James. Shut up. It's not always about you guys and sometimes, I think about myself and my family, too. Quit being impractical, okay. This is what's best for me. So just, stop your yapping, James." She says slowly but surely. It rang clear in our heads. She didn't want to leave. She needed to leave.
"Wh—"
"James, just stop, okay. We've talked about this. If we can't make her stay, we'll support her on her going." I glared at him, trying to stop him from spurting more nonsense. I know he was just hurt and trying to convince Ross, but it was just starting to tear the group apart. I only want to make her stay, not to hurt her feelings and make her want to run away from us more. The last thing we’d wanted was for Ross to go halfway around the globe and never try to reach us again, thinking we were mad at her for leaving.
"I refuse to accept this," James spit out as he walked out the door. I stared, shocked at his action. I don't think this is how we should spend our last night together.
"James!" Charles calls out to him, but James doesn't listen.
"Lottie, we'll be in the car. Girls, go cry. We'll just, umm, wait 'till this is over." Charles instructs. I sighed at the boys. Boys will be boys. Act like they don't have feelings.
"Rossalyn," I whispered. She slowly gets up and I do the same. She walks over to her bed and lies down.
"What's happening?" I asked.
She sighs. "They're sick and tired. I am, too."
"Why are you moving away?" Bea bits her lower lip, something she does when she's afraid. Afraid to provoke her. Afraid of not being able to handle the truth from her lips.
"Dad thinks it's not healthy for me to keep seeing my mom sleep around. He doesn’t want me getting the habit."
"Well," I sighed. "That's true. What your mom is doing is also dangerous, too."
"It is, and it honestly sounds like a good idea. I need a breather."
"We understand," I told her, frowning.
"But why so sudden? Can't you move next week or even next month? Tonight of all nights!" Bea exclaimed from beside her.
"And the holidays are coming up fast—"
"The formal! Oh my god, Rossalyn are you not coming to the dance?" I wasn't able to finish my sentence as Bea screamed like mad.
"I'm sorry, girls. I can't."
- Writer
