Chevelle's Story

chapter 21

When she entered the house, Chevelle ran upstairs, not stopping to speak to her parents that were in the living room watching the evening news.

Nadègine heard her come in, but by the time she had turned around to look, Chevelle was already on the stairs. She watched Chevelle's retreating figure with a frown, upset that her daughter had the nerve to come home almost two days later without even bothering to greet her parents, but still, too proud to make the first move. And so, Nadègine said nothing as Chevelle disappeared up the stairs.

Chevelle went to the bathroom first, gathering her things so she could begin packing.

In her haste, she bumped into Josephe as she was exiting the bathroom, and all her toiletries clattered to the floor. Taking a deep breath, Chevelle tried to calm her nerves. She was holding on by a thread, and she knew that any little thing could be the one to break her. She still hadn't cried about Abel's departure, and the dam holding back her tears was getting weaker by the second.

Chevelle didn't want any of her family members to see her crying—especially her parents—because then she'd have to start answering their invasive questions and listening to 'I told you so's that she didn't have the heart for.

Dropping to the ground, Chevelle began to gather her belongings. Josephe bent down to help her.

"What are you doing with all of this?" he asked.

"I'm packing my things."

Josephe was about to hand Chevelle her facewash, but he stopped, pulling his hand away. "You're leaving?" he asked.

Chevelle glared up at him. "Give," she demanded, holding out her hand.

Josephe shook his head. "Answer me," he insisted. "Are you leaving?"

She groaned. "Yes, Jesus Christ. Now give it to me."

He handed her the bottle and folded his arms across his chest as he eyed her. "I thought you were staying till New Year's," he said. "What happened?"

"Plans change, Josephe," she snapped. "Jis ki te'm 'pou." Leave me be.

And with that, she pushed past him, nearly stumbling into her room as she tried not to drop any more of her things on the way there. Once the door was securely closed behind her, Chevelle finally, finally let herself do the one thing she'd been trying not to do all night: she cried.

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After crying for what felt like hours, Chevelle finally began her packing. She didn't come with much, and so it was an easy task. The only thing that caused difficulty was the realization that she may not come back here for a long, long time. It made Chevelle want to take the entire room with her. To fold it into her pocket and carry it away.

Truth be told, Chevelle loved her room. She loved this whole house. She hated being in it nowadays, but she still loved the house itself, and it was sometimes hard to separate the two.

She didn't want to have to say goodbye to this place, but if this holiday had taught her anything, it was that this house wasn't big enough for both her and Jared. As long as her parents insisted on welcoming him here, she would not feel welcome, and in this new year, she wanted to make a habit of not going where she was not welcome. Not even seeing her family was worth that pain.

It was almost midnight when Chevelle heard a light knock on her door.

"Kiyès sa?"

"It's me," came Farah's muffled voice.

Chevelle sighed. She didn't really want to talk to Farah right now, but she knew that whether or not she invited her in, Farah would enter.

Chevelle stayed silent for a few seconds, and sure enough, the door creaked open.