"Do you think you'll want to come over and bake?" She squeals. "Like we used to do?"
This is not worth it. "That was an Easy Bake oven, Molly." I huff.
"Well, I learned how to bake with the big oven, I'll teach you, too." She claps. Fucking stab me, someone.
I pull into her driveway and sure enough, there's a moving van. Molly once again deflates and I watch as large tear drops run down her cheeks.
"Hey," I say to her. "I'll come with you inside."
"Okay." She nods.
As soon as we step out of the car, I can hear the shouts. It's a wonder neighbours aren't out watching the drama unfold. We step around the van and I see Mrs. Van Dyke rolling a suitcase behind her.
"I will see you in Hell, Adam!" She screeches and then stops short when she sees Molly and me.
"Ivy Greene?"
"Hi, Mrs. Van Dyke." I give a little wave.
"Molly sweetie, I will be by on the weekend and we will go out for Froyo." Then she pushes past us and towards the van.
"Sandra!" Adam steps to the porch, "if you leave now, don't you ever come back."
His eyes land on me and I watch as the fucker pales. I toss him a grin and then run to Sandra, helping her lift the suitcase to the van. She smiles at me appreciatively.
"Don't ever get married, Ivy. Men are pigs."
"Apparently, so are cops." I retort and she bursts out laughing.
"What are you two talking about?" Adam demands suddenly behind us.
"Daddy, leave Ivy alone." Molly whines.
"Talking about how men are pigs." I tell him and Sandra snorts. "It's a shame you ruined a perfectly good family." I tsk and Sandra hums behind me.
"You don't know what's going on." Adam snarls.
"Oh no?" I bat my eyes and watch as he pales further. "I'm sure I could figure it out."
He takes a menacing step towards me, a growl escaping his lips.
"Adam!" Sandra steps between us, "what are you doing?"
"Nothing." He begins to look shameful.
"Yikes," I heavy my tone with sarcasm. "I better get out of here." I walk towards my car and look back at Molly, "see you at school."
She nods but she's too engrossed in yet another screaming match her parents are having. This just made my day.
"I love you, Ivy." She sobs as her tears drip off her chin and soak her shirt. "I fucking love you!" Her fist hits the steering wheel.
"Listen," I touch her arm and she shrugs me off. "Can we talk about this another time?" My fucking Grandma just died!
"No!" She screams and the shrill noise startles me.
"Charlotte, this shit is crazy." I breathe.
"Crazy?" Her voice becomes deathly calm and I can feel my heart thrumming in my chest.
We fly around a narrow corner, the tires squealing, and she doesn't let up on the gas. What the fuck did I do? Why would I ask her to take me for a drive during this time and right after Grandma Jenna died?
"Charlotte," I keep my voice steady. "Please pull over."
She doesn't listen to me and makes a sharp right hand turn down a small residential street. I don't know where we are right now but it's no longer in Whitsborough. We fly down the street at an alarming speed and I begin to sweat, my sobriety fully intact now.
"I have loved you for a year, did you know that?" She sounds crazy. I drove my best friend crazy.
"No." I whisper and she growls, punching the steering wheel again.
"You kissed me at the wharf party last month and I thought this is it, she's finally feeling the same." Her words catch on a sob. "It wasn't fucking it, was it?"
"Charlotte, I care about you." I plead. "Please pull over."
"A week later we were making out every chance we got, is that just a friendship to you?" She grits through her teeth. "Now, you won't even hold my hand?"
"Okay," I reach for her, "I'll hold your hand."
"Don't touch me!" She screams.
"Okay, fine." I hold my hands in the air like a criminal. "No touching."
"Just last week you had your mouth on me, your fingers inside of me and what, you don't love me?"
"I do love you, Charlotte." I try to placate her, because I really do, just not how she wants me to.
"Not like I love you!" She screams and the car swerves. She rights us but keeps going at her breakneck speed.
I try to envision Mother and Dad, Saxon, and my Little Flower because I feel like I may never see them again. This moment feels like an ending and instead of being terrified, I am almost serene.
"You need to pull over before you get us killed." I tell her, keeping my eye on the road as it rushes past us.
"Then you will have to be with me, won't you?" She looks at me, her eyes off the road, "if I can't have you, I guess no one can."
I wake up with a scream lodged in my throat and I swear I can still smell the gasoline fumes. I can't help but think I’m dreaming about Charlotte because of Neil. She promised me I would have no other and she has kept her end of the promise. I haven't had any other and I can't keep another as well. The night she died, so did I.
I think she took my soul right along with hers and left me here to roam the Earth an empty carcass. She made sure that the rest of my days were filled with misery and that each painful
