Heartbroken

Chapter 15: Ingot

            I laid on my back with my eyes on the cream-white ceiling, my hands feeling the rhythm of breathing through my stomach. I could hear my parents' raised voices as they fought. They were never home together, but when they were, the only thing they had in mind to do was fight. How they even got married was one of my most frequently asked questions in my head. That and whether or not they actually loved me. The answer was already known, but for some reason my heart was trying to hold onto the inevitable.

Even my sister doesn't love me. She left to study abroad when she was 12, and I haven't seen or heard from her ever since. I was just a kid when Lydia left, only two or three, and I've been considered a 'kid' ever since. People don't take me seriously because they think that all I do is control people by using my parents' power, which considering my position, I don't blame them.

The door slammed and the house became quiet, the hum of the air conditioning filling the silence. I sat in my head space for as long as it took for the house to be occupied by only me and my thoughts. I sat up reluctantly, wriggling out from the middle of my giant bed. I walked across the soft carpet in bare feet, not caring that my pastel purple bed covers were completely messed up. I padded down the hallway and slid down the banister on the stairs, coming to a halt and bouncing on one foot as I turned toward the kitchen. I opened the fridge, glancing over the selection of gourmet cheese, meat, and apples. I didn't bother checking the cabinets because I already knew there was nothing there. Because my parents are never around, they don't bother to stock up on food, so I'm left to my own devices.

I didn't feel like eating, but I threw some beef in a pan and watched as the juices bubbled and the sides slowly browned. It was relaxing in a way as I tore the meat apart with a fork, cooking it from all sides. I leaned against the marble counter as it cooked, pulling my phone from my back pocket and dialing Allegra. Her voicemail sounded on the seventh ring, and I sighed and dialed Milo instead. It had been a few days since our argument, but I couldn't end up hating him forever. He picked up.

"Have you seen Allegra recently?" I asked.

"No, why?"

"She's not answering her phone,"

Milo sighed audibly. "There are so many reasons that she wouldn't answer her phone, Ingot."

"Like what?"

"You want examples? Fine. 1) she's sleeping."

"At 5:30 pm."

"Yes. Have you ever noticed how tired she always looks?"

"Only you would notice that, Chans."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing. Just give me the other reason as to why she's ignoring her best friend." I huffed, stabbing the meat and leaving the fork sticking straight up.

"She might have forgotten her phone somewhere."

"Are we talking about the same person? Because I'm pretty sure that both of us know that Allegra is too aware of everything to forget anything."

"She could be driving." Milo was starting to sound very exasperated.

"Just because it's illegal to use your phone while driving doesn't mean that everybody doesn't do it."

"You use your phone while you drive?"

"And I'm guessing that you don't?"