Mending Heart |18+|

Chapter 13

Everything's Gonna be Okay

"I like to think that I've got determination, and I'm fiercely protective of the people I love." – Andrew Lincoln

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Zoey POV

"Hey babe," Colette, my best friend since kindergarten, said as she fell into step with me after eight period. "Some of us are going out for ice cream after the game today, you wanna come?"

I'd love to come, but I have to go home and make sure my sister hasn't resorted to more drastic measures of coping other than weed and alcohol.

Instead, what I said is, "I can't. I have to finish my history paper."

Lie. I finished it Saturday night after Kenzie went to bed.

Colette cocked a questioning eyebrow, staring up at me. Despite being significantly shorter than me, her piercing blue eyes and fiery curly red hair made her quite intimidating. "Didn't you say you were going to finish it this weekend?"

"I was." I nodded, continuing to lie through my teeth. "But I got into it with my mom so I ended up spending the weekend at my sister's."

Well – technically the last part was true.

"Matt is going to be there." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"And?" I tried to sound as unbothered as possible. "All we did was make out at a party once when we both had a little too much to drink – it didn't mean anything."

"Oh please! You haven't stopped texting each other since!" Colette snorted. "And don't think I don't see the way you try to not-so-discretely look at him in class."

Oh god! Was I that obvious?

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I said, closing my locker and avoiding her curious gaze.

.......

When I unlocked the apartment door, it was dead silent and everything appeared to be in the same exact place as when I had left this morning. Throwing my backpack on the couch, I walked over to Kenzie's bedroom door.

Dead silent.

"Kenzie?" I knocked gently.

"Go away!" Her muffled voice cracked through the door. "I'm trying to nap."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, even though I know she couldn't see me through the door. "It's 4 PM! Don't you think you've napped enough?"

"No!"

I let out a frustrated sigh as I made my way into the kitchen. There was some frozen Trader Joe's pasta in the freezer I've had my eye on for a while.

Over the past three years, I watched the life slowly get sucked out of my sister. Of course, it didn't register with me until it was a little too late, and by then Kenzie had already become a whole new person.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

I thought her leaving Justin would help her come back from this state she's dug herself it, but no such luck.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

"Kenzie!" I shouted. "Your phone is ringing – again!"

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

For fucks sake!

"Hello?" I snapped. At this point, I didn't care if it was the fucking Queen of England, as long as they stopped calling.