The Least Favorite Cameron

Chapter 25

I sat on my bed in my old room, or my current room, I didn't even know anymore. For the past week I've slept here staring up at the same star decals I hung up when I was 13. Only now there's fewer of them and they barely glow in the dark anymore. Dad had made Rafe help put them up since I wasn't tall enough. The funeral we had for him was closed to the public, just the family. It was short and depressing. The empty casket that we lowered into the ground filled the whole that once contained my empty casket. The irony of it is not lost on me. I haven't spoken to any of the Pogues since that day on the dock. I've gotten several messages on the old phone Rose had given me, from all of them, but I hadn't answered a single one. I didn't want to hear what I assumed would be rehearsed and fake condolences. Rafe deserved to pay for what he did, he didn't deserve what he got though. Dad has been in holding at the station this whole time while Shoupe and the higher up agents brought in figure out the real story. Shoupe didn't believe that Rafe killed Big John, especially not after that day on the dock when I repeatedly hit my father in the face.

I stand up on my bed and try to reach the stars above me but I'm still not tall enough. I feel like I'm being mocked, or worse haunted. When I hear a knock on the door I almost jump out of my skin.

"Hey," Sarah says as she shuffles into the room with two mugs in her hands. The wonderful smell of coffee filled the room as she sat next to me on the edge of the bed. I bring the cup up to my mouth and take a small sip of the hot addictive liquid.

"You know I used to sleep in here," Sarah starts to say and I give her a confused look.

"Those few weeks when we thought you were gone. I slept in here and would flip through your pictures and sometimes I'd even steal a shirt or something from your drawer," She finishes with a small but defeated giggle.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry to have put you through that," I say as the tears well in my eyes. We've had a similar conversation twice before because everytime she tells me about what she was going through or Wheezie was going through while we were gone, it tears me apart inside.

"Gracie, you don't have to keep saying that. No one blames you," She says as she wipes a tear from my face with her thumb.

"I don't tell you that stuff so you feel bad, I tell you because I want you to know how much I missed you. When we thought you died, I felt so guilty for never having told you so much. I just wanted to tell you I loved you," Sarah says as she places her mug on the floor next to her and reaches over and encompasses me in a hug. We stay like that for a minute and then I hear another knock on the door and our little sister peers in at us.

"You know if you guys were going to plan a hug and cry session, you at least could have invited me," Wheezie says as she comes into the room.

"Oh shut up," Sarah and I say in unison and then laugh.

"Girls!" Our nice moment is evaporated by Rose's yell.

"What?" We all respond in similar annoyed tones. Rose asks for us to come downstairs and when we do, Shoupe is seated at the kitchen table.

"Hey there," He says as he shifts awkwardly in his seat.

"What's going on?" Sarah asks.

"Where's Dad?" Wheezie asks. Wheezie, still so confused and unsure of what to believe, still has hope that our dad didn't do anything.

"Well that's what we're going to talk about. I need you girls to come in and give a statement regarding everything that's happened," Shoupe says and I can see the bags under his eyes from across the room.

"Don't they need a lawyer for that?" Rose says innocently.

"No. I'll go right now," I say to Shoupe and in return get a furious look from Rose.

"Well not today, Gracie, tomorrow. Right now I am here to collect the bail money from Rose for your dad to be released," And as he says that Rose hands him a check with a proud smile on her face. Last night Rose told us about the bail. Sarah and I didn't want to be under the same roof as him but we felt bad leaving Wheezie behind. As Shoupe leaves he tells us he'll be in touch about coming in tomorrow.

"Wheezie why don't you head upstairs I need to talk to the twins for a second," Rose says followed with a lot of objection from Wheezie but she eventually gives in.

"So, let me get this straight, you expect us to all live under the same roof like we're some big happy family," I say to Rose once I hear Wheezie shut her door even though I know she'll be eavesdropping regardless.

"That's exactly what we are going to do," Rose says as she pours herself a glass of wine.

"You're insane," Sarah says to her and leaves the room without another word. I stand there for a moment staring at Rose as she sips her wine like she doesn't have a care in the world. She raises her eyebrows like she's asking me what I'm doing.

"I just don't understand how you can just sit there and drink wine and pretend like everything is okay," I say.

"Because everything is okay. Your father is determined to keep this family together and that's what we're going to do," And with that she takes her wine glass and saunters off to the patio leaving me in the kitchen alone. Or at least I was alone until I heard a knock at the front door. When I peek through the window Shoupe is standing there.

"I -uh I forgot these in the car. Wasn't sure how exactly to do this but we found these during our search of the house," Shoupe says as he hands me a manilla folder.

"Its letters from Rafe, saying goodbye, or his version of a goodbye," I nearly drop the folder as Shoupe gets back into his car and drives off. I feel like everytime I find some sort of footing again, life just kicks me back down. I open the folder and pull out the notes. Each envelope is labeled with our names. One for each of us...except Rose. I have to chuckle slightly at seeing that. When I go back upstairs both Wheezie and Sarah's doors are shut and I can hear some sort of Disney music coming from Wheezie's. I put the folder in the top drawer of my desk, making the executive decision that we've already been through enough for the day and it was only noon. I sit down on the windowsill, the same one from weeks ago in which I thought of how happy I was to have been with John B. and how annoyed I was with Rafe. Life was so simple. My phone then rings and I see its John B.

"Hey," I say and I can hear the surprise in his voice that I actually answered.

"Hey! I know this is bad timing but you gotta come to Heyward's now! Limbrey, well not Limbrey herself, but Heyward got attacked!" He says urgently and in the background I can hear Pope yelling at John B. to hurry up.

"I'll be there as fast as possible!" I say and hang up the phone.