Cry For Me

Chapter 15: The Longing

           

"Thanks for the ride Auntie!"

        Emily looked over her shoulder, a pleasant smile curved on her glossed lips in response to Acacia's cheerful antics.

        "No problem dear."

        She looked over to her side at the passenger seat where her son was zipping up his bag after a last check. He nodded towards his mother without looking up at her.

        "Thanks mum."

        Tally mumbled before unlocking the car door, about to join Acacia outside before a hand on his arm stopped him.

        "I want to talk with you first, Tally."

        Emily glanced at Acacia who immediately caught the message. She threw a smile to both of them and waved before walking towards the school building.

        Tally closed the door and waited, his thumbs twiddling with each other in uncertainty. He could feel Emily's gentle eyes on him but it didn't ease his worry for a bit. After yesterday, he didn't exactly meet his parents until this morning and even then, it was only his mother who suddenly offered to give them a ride – his dad was nowhere to be found.

        "Dad's okay, don't worry about him."

        Emily started, coupled with delicate strokes on his arm, as if to soothe his nerves. Tally wouldn't lie; although he was relieved he didn't have to keep anymore secrets between them, he still felt guilty for causing trouble, especially for his father. Earlier that morning, he'd heard from his brother that his dad fainted after he was gone with Ryder but although it seemed like his dad was already stable, it didn't alleviate the guilt and worry within him especially since his dad wasn't in that morning.

        "Is he still mad?"

        Tally asked softly, so soft that Emily would have missed it if it wasn't for the pin-drop silence in the car.

        "He'll come around, I'll make sure of it. He can't be mad forever."

        Tally bit his lips.

        For a moment, no more words were exchanged between them. Tally thought it was a cue for him to continue on to school until Emily suddenly spoke again.

        "So, how long have you guys been mates without us knowing?"

         There was no bite to the question – simply curiosity – but it hit where it hurt anyway.

        Tally shrugged. "I didn't know until 2 days ago. He knew it for a while now I guess."

        He was sure even without directly referring to who, his mother would have caught on the meaning already anyway. The name tasted sour on his tongue – bitter even – and perhaps his mother had caught on to that too.

        She stroked the side of his head, catching him off guard that he flinched slightly. His hesitant gaze moved from his twiddling fingers to his mother's face. She smiled softly.

        "What's wrong? Shouldn't you be happy that you guys are together now?"

        The sight of Ryder's sneer flashed briefly in his mind, leaving a pang of hurt just from the mere memory. He bit his lips, fidgeting slightly in discomfort and shifted his gaze back down to his fingers. He didn't know whether he should confide in his mother. It wasn't that she wasn't trustworthy but Tally had always showed his parents his happy side, wanting to relieve them of his problems and instead always confiding in his bestfriend but Acacia doesn't have a mate so it was hard to get her opinions on this that didn't revolve around her hatred for him.