Freaks

16 • pit-stop

❝there is no passion to be found playing small - in settling
for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living❞
ｎｅｌｓｏｎ ｍａｎｄｅｌａ

___

ＹＯＵ don't have to be a genius to realise that these days, if Aunt Victoria is angrily shouting on the phone, it could only be at one person.

"What do you mean issues arose?" she hollers at the recipient.

Aunt Victoria is only down the hall, but I stop in my tracks and listen in on the conversation, pretending to be overly interested in the patterned wallpaper that ran down the hallway.

"This is my family, we're talking about. I don't care what the excuse is this time, you can't keep breaking us like this."

Her voice is hoarse, it drops down by an octave in a matter of minutes. She sounds broken. I decide it time to make my presence known.

"Is that Morgana?" I mouth, coming into the room.

Aunt Vic sighs, dropping the phone. "Was," she replies gloomily. "She cut off five minutes ago. I just needed to rant."

Snaking an arm around her, I squeeze her shoulder comfortingly. "What is it now?"

"The school. Something happened, apparently. You're expected back earlier— on the third."

Oh.

That.

I'd found out earlier this morning, in the form of a text from Willow. On account of the lack of holidays during other times of the year, winter break at the Academy was supposed to be six weeks long. (It supposedly benefitted the school too because facilities like the Dome didn't function well during extreme conditions, and the island was prone to big storms around that time of year). Finding out that the holidays were cut two and a half weeks short had come as a shock to me at first, but I had quickly gotten over it.

Finding Aunt Vic upset about the news instantly makes me feel guilty.

Because honestly? I am glad.

I am glad to be leaving in three days because that meant escape. Escape from awkward situations, escape from my problems, escape from him.

Leaving in three days meant I wouldn't have to confront Andrew about what happened on Christmas Eve.

Frankly speaking, I didn't know how. We haven't spoken since the 24th. Sometimes we pass each other in town, but no words are ever spoken. Andrew would look impassive, me, like a deer caught in headlights. And then we'd continue on our way.

Was this normal?

Is the way Andrew acting justified? What are you supposed to do when your best friend discovers one of the most fundamental facts about you was a lie?

Because I have no clue. 

Before the DA, Andrew was my only actual friend. Considering how my new friends' daily life consisted of suppressing superhuman powers and my entire friendship with Andrew was based upon him keeping his secrets secret and me mine... I don't think a normal solution could exactly apply to our scenario.