❛ i don't want to go to go think i'll make it worse,
everything i know brings me back to us. ❜
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･☼
❛ cousins felt like a second home to the brooke family, year after year they would return to the same place every summer. but this year felt diff...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
chapter fifty one — till death, do us part
My eyes fluttered open as they adjusted to the dimly lit room of the motel. I could hear the rain that continued to pour as it hit the windows harshly, sending shivers down my spine. A strong weight lay on my stomach and that's when I noticed that Conrad was asleep peacefully, his arm resting on me, his hair a fluffy mess as he let out a soft snore. I reached my arm out to find my phone on the dresser, squinting at the bright light, the time reading twenty minutes past five in the morning.
Scrolling through my phone I could see the one notification I had been terrified to receive. It was the email confirming if I had passed my test; the email I needed to prove that I could stay studying at Harvard. I carefully slipped out of the bed, admiring the boy beside me before closing the bathroom door behind me. I rested against the side of the bathtub, the cold tiles against my skin as I clicked on the email with anticipation.
I read the words before me, feeling disheartened by the sight. My place has been denied, they weren't letting me stay for my second year. Had I done that badly on the test? What was I supposed to do now? I thought Bellys crammed study session would've been enough, but it seems that didn't do the trick.
I felt tears brimming in my eyes as I thought about what I would do; what was I supposed to say to my mom? She would be gutted, I could already imagine the look on her face. I let out a sigh as I wiped my eyes and opened the door, Conrad was still peacefully asleep and I didn't want to disturb him.
Conrad being asleep also meant I didn't have to tell him about Harvard yet, it would crush him, especially after finding out he had made it into Stanford. I remember when Susannah got sick again, no one told me, not Conrad, my mom, or Susannah.
We walked up the steps of the house, my mom beside me as approached in silence. It felt unsettling knowing that just behind these walls lay Susannah helplessly. I wore a long floral dress because mom said it would be nice for me to wear something nice however it felt the opposite. I felt like I was visiting a relative I hadn't seen in years but it wasn't, it was Anna.
"I'm gonna go ahead and warn you that she doesn't look good," My mom gave me a weary look making me nervous, "She's tired. She's very tired, but she's excited to see you." I smiled weakly at her words
"I'm excited to see her, too," My words weren't convincing. I tried to get out of visiting her that last time. I hated myself for being afraid, but seeing her lying in that bed made it real, really real.
"My favourite girl is here," Anna beamed and I tried to smile myself but deep down, seeing those tubes on her face, the machines that littered the room were awful.
"Oh, you look...you look so pretty." She pushed herself upwards to get more comfortable as my mom left the two of us in the room. There was a small silence as Anna gestured for me to sit beside her. I hesitated before joining her side awkwardly.
