Clementine

chapter 43

43

She knew she had to get home. It was time. In the taxi, she nearly, instinctively said her home address, but remembered that to keep up her front she had to be at Mina's because she was 'at a sleepover'. Even though now it was the evening.

It was exhausting, trying to remember all these lies. Didn't she make herself a promise, after New York, to stop lying.

But it seemed that in a matter of no time, she has manage to spin a web of lies so intricate that she was afraid she was going to get lost in it herself.

She thought about their goodbye. Like it still wasn't enough.

She finally had the thought to check her phone and she saw a few texts from Mina.

'Hope you're coming here soon C. Your mom thinks you're still here..'

Checking the time stamp, 42 mins ago, she thought she still had time.

When she finally pulled up into Mina's driveway and quietly paid the driver, she went around the house quickly and texted her that she was outside.

Mina peeked out on the balcony, and then ran downstairs to meet her.

Giving her a hug, she looked her up and down.

"Girl, you better prepare yourself," Mina said somewhat sombrely.

Before Clementine had a chance to ask her what she meat, they both walked into the living room to find Clementine's mother already there, sitting with Mina's.

And also, before she had a chance to say anything like 'hi mom', her mother said:

"Go with Mina, we'll talk when soon. You have a lot of explaining to do."

Mina quickly led Clementine out of the room and back to the bedroom.

"What happened?" Clementine whispered in pursed lips as soon as they got in the room.

"Come on, C. It's not like our plan was bulletproof. I covered for you as long as I could, but then your mother decide to pay mine a little visit. And what was I supposed to do? When she saw you weren't here it was like a switch flipped and she got very calm all of a sudden, and has been on that couch with my mother since." Mina was gathering a pile of swimsuits, trying to find an appropriate one.

She gave up ion trying to organize it and dropped it all on her bed. Then she looked at Clementine, who was already instinctively trying to calculate in her head how she would get out of this and what it would mean.

"You look a little rough. Have you been up all night?" She asked, coming closer to get a better look at her. "Also look like you got a good banging, if you excuse my language.

Clementine couldn't be joking right now with the gravity of the situation weighing her down.

"I'll explain later. Thank you for covering for me," Clementine said sarcastically. Quickly changed into the regular clothes that she left at Mina's house.

"Um, actually," Mina said, "we're going suntanning," seemingly oblivious to Clementine's tone. But when she saw she was serious., she tried to back track. "Look, I know you said you were grounded...I didn't think it was that serious."

Clementine looked at Mina, and realizing it wasn't anyone's fault but her own, she relaxed a little bit.

"Shit," she said, a bit resolved.

Mina handed her a bikini and said, "here, some vitamin D would do you good."

As they tiptoed quietly into the backyard, and as they passed the living room, Clementine could hear Mina's mother speaking to her's: "Maria, you must calm down. Remember us at her age?"

Clementine was shocked to think that her parents could ever have been her age, or anything like her. She always felt so different.

In the backyard, on a slight balcony, they lay down on tanning chairs. Everything seemed a little better in the light, and Clementine felt that no matter what was going to happen next, it was totally worth it.

If she had to come clean, maybe that would be a good thing. It felt a bit like some weight was taken off her chest and she could breathe a little easier this time.

"How bad do you think it's gonna get this time?" Mina asked her.

"If they could ship me off to boarding school, they would," Clementine said. Then adding with a little giggle, "too bad I'm suspended.