if by chance | ✓

27 | sweater weather

[ 27 ]

C O R A

✦

"Wait a sec . . . Are you really out of your mind, Rhys? I don't get a single word you're saying" I exhale, running a hand through my tangled knot of hairs I had managed to put up in a ponytail this morning ─ no matter how hard I tried, the moment I stepped out the frizzes would return and at this point in my life, I'm close to giving up on hair solutions.

"No I'm not ─ you need to trust me, Cora, I'm not making up some bullshit story" Rhys Crawford pleads, grabbing me by the arms. He was frantically begging me to believe the stuff he had just said. Stuff that had entirely travelled over my head like a tangent. For a moment, I even considered if I was having a weird dream.

"Oh but it is bullshit" I retort, crossing my arms across my chest in defense. He lets out a frustrated breath.

Fortunately, he had remembered to close the doors before we came into his room because if anyone heard us right now, and the kind of topic we were arguing over, it would create World War III.

"Why would I just say stuff like that if it wasn't true?" He raises his voice, caging me in his arms as my back hits the wall. Rhys might have the appearance of a soft boy, but I very well knew its always the quiet ones who were the eye of the storm.

"Well, maybe Officer Fiona isn't saying the entire truth ─ or maybe she mixed up information. Cops do that all the time" I cry, pushing him away.

He doesn't speak for a while, almost taken aback. The silky white curtains lining the windows flutter in the abrupt gush of cold breeze. The sun had set about ten minutes ago and the faint light of dusk played like ghosts on the foam white walls.

"Jesus, Coraline, you're even more stubborn that I thought" He quietly mutters under his breath, causing me to shoot another death glare in his direction.

"Rhys, you're the one being stubborn here ─ you seriously want me to believe that ─" I gulp, walking two steps forward, "that your dad had killed my dad in an accident before we were even born and that he's now in prison but you never knew? It doesn't make sense, Rhys, nothing makes sense."

"Which part doesn't make sense? Can you please elaborate?" He huffs, tossing an old candy wrap into the dustbin adjacent to his desk.

"Oh my God, you're not dumb ─ my dad is alive for Christ's sake, and he's perfectly fine. You cannot just believe some shit story the cops have fed you and lose sleep over it ─ yeah, maybe your dad's in prison for the accident he caused" I pinch the bridge of my nose, my chest feeling like its going to explode any moment, "and for the drugs found in his car ─ but how does any of that related to me? And my family? It's been over eighteen years."

"Yeah, you probably think I'm an arsehole right now, I get it" He mumbles and I blink back tears.

A minute later, he silently walks over to the door, opening it wide for me to leave. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined Thanksgiving night to end up like this. Hell, I hadn't even had dinner yet and the worst part was we were having Uncle Ian and Aunt Vanessa over at our place.