Love Stamps

2 ~ Phone Call

"How did it go?" my brunette, hare-brained sister demands the second I enter the apartment. She is sat on one of the stools by the small breakfast bar to the right of our cosy apartment, her chocolate eyes intent on me.

I notice she is hurrying to hide some unhealthy food she must've been eating as a courtesy to me - that's against the rules too.

"No eating junk food or any food that will cause you to gain weight."

I slide into the seat next to Mandy, and she silently hands me an apple she plucked from the fruit bowl.

"I don't want to talk about it." I say quietly, remembering my slip-up back in Atwell's office.

The TV is turned up loud, and the laughing of the crowd is painfully familiar. I recognise it to be the show, 'Friends'.

"Sorry." Mandy apologizes before quickly snatching the remote to turn it off.

"What the fucking hell are you watching? Rude jokes are the last thing that should be in your fucking head."

Mandy's soft hands covers mine; I didn't even realise that I was squeezing the apple to within an inch of its life. I instantly release it as if it burned me.

Her hand recoils back onto the counter, her gaze sympathetic.

"It's okay, when your ready." I can see the hurt in Mandy's eyes, presumably because I can open up about my past to Atwell, a stranger, but I can't talk to her, my sister.

I want to tell her it's because she would feel guilty for not seeing Flynn for who he really was sooner.

I need to tell her it's not her fault.

Seeing my family was against the rules.

"They ask too many personal questions and they are annoying and clingy as fuck. We don't want anything to do with them from now on."

I just don't know how to say anything to her. I stared blankly out of the floor-to-ceiling window which is a beautiful view of New York city, the place as far away from Seattle as I could possibly go while staying on the American continent.

Mandy had forced me to let her come along - but in the process she had to give her cat Lilac to our mother.

Guilt is a funny and unrelentless thing.

It was because of me she had to give up Lilac, who wod remind me too much of Tiffany thatk I would break down every time I saw Mandy's cat.
Tiffany has been my white purebred ragdoll kitten, who I loved and adored.

She was murdered. Flynn believed he was allergic to her since he kept sneezing all the time, and one day he came home with her body wrapped up in a blanket. He confessed he ran her over by accident, but I knew that was a lie.

I think that was the day that the sliver of love I had been harbouring for him had died with my poor kitten.

"Yes." Mandy says into the phone.

A snap in front of my face brings me out of my thoughts.

"Ava?" Mandy says, and I look in her direction.

She is prodding me with the landline.
"It's for you." I give her a puzzled look. Nobody knows this phone number except Atwell our mom.
Mandy shoves the phone into my hands and I reluctantly put it up to my ear.

"Hello?" I say into the receiver.

"Hello Ava."

My face pales and I slam the phone back down onto the machine in fear, making Mandy jump in surprise.
My throat is suddenly dry. Mandy realises her mistake and rushes over to take my shaky hands in hers.