Certifiable

Chapter 2

-- picture on the side is of Meredith --

CHAPTER 2

When the school day is finally over, Cedar invites me to her house. I'm not ready to face Leanne, so I accept. I know it will only prolong the inevitable, but at this point, I'll take what I can.

Mrs Wakefield greets me with a concerned smiled as we pass by her on the way to Cedar's room.

"Brie, darling, we haven't had you over for a while," Mrs Wakefield comments. "You do know you're welcome at any time, don't you?"

I nod silently. If Leanne doesn't sober up soon, I think I will be seeing the inside of their house a lot more.

Cedar lifts her eyes up to the ceiling. "Mum, she's been visiting us for years. This is practically her home. You don't need to reinforce that."

Mrs Wakefield glares at Cedar with a warning in her eyes. Be nice, it says, but I'm grateful that Cedar isn't treating me like a fragile child.

Cedar and I go up to her room and she flops down onto her bed with a sigh, "I can't believe we got homework on the first day. Ugh."

I glance at her sideways from my spot on her beanbag. "We got homework the first day last year. And the year before that. And the year before that. And the -"

"I know, I know. I just hoped they'd go easy on us, it being the last year and all," Cedar wriggles her eyebrows suggestively. "There are boys to date, places to see, parties to attend, before we all get out of here."

I snort. "You wish."

I'm glad Cedar hasn't brought up Leanne. I honestly don't know what I'd say if she did. Although the future is an undecided path for me, I can handle talk about it. I definitely welcome it over talk about Leanne.

"Speaking of boys, how're things between you and Connor?" Cedar asks.

Ah. Another uncomfortable topic.

"I don't know," I say, and I honestly don't. "We never officially broke up last year, and he called me a few times over the holidays, but nothing more than that. He's been overseas half the time though, and he's not coming back until next week."

"Well you can hardly expect him to go on dates with you if he's out of the country. I'm sure you two will be fine," Cedar says reasonably, before breaking out into a grin. "That's if he doesn't meet some fancy foreign girl."

I roll my eyes at Cedar, but the truth is, I am more than slightly worried about that. I haven't exactly been the most attentive girlfriend over the past few months and although I have a valid reason, I wasn't entirely sure Conner wasn't sick of me.

Just another worry to add to my growing list of doubts.

Cedar sees the crinkle on my forehead and throws a pillow at me "Seriously Brie, I'm sore you've got nothing to worry about."

Downstairs the doorbell rings and I hear Mrs Wakefield head to the door. There is a murmur and then a girl's voice floats up the stairs, clear as a bell.

"I'm here to see Matty. Is he in?"

It's unmistakably Meredith. My eyes widen and I still my movements.

Cedar sighs loudly, oblivious to my shock. "I can't believe Matthias has a new girlfriend again. And she calls him Matty. Ugh."

I force my larynx to work. "Sh-she's Matthias' girlfriend?"

"I think so. Seriously, Matthias goes through girls like socks. Let's go spy on her," Cedar suggests, bouncing off her bed. She's halfway to the door before she realises I haven't moved an inch. "What's wrong?" she asks, taking in my pale face, and fingers gripping the folds of the beanbag so tightly the blood circulation is gone.