𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎// john deacon

chapter thirty - who even is galileo?

soooo that last chapter was a but bit depressing, yeah?

VALERIE BARELY MADE it with enough time to say goodbye. It didn't really hit her all at once until the funeral at the end of the week. She had finally broken down back at the house and broke one of her mother's wine glasses in a huge outburst of emotion.

She'd apologized immediately afterward, but she still felt awful about it. Or perhaps she just felt awful in general. She couldn't bring herself to stomach any big meals anymore, so she'd been eating what she could for the past few weeks.

She'd somewhat tamped down her emotional outbursts, but she couldn't help the anger and guilt that she felt. It was overwhelming.

Her mother thought it might be better for her to go back to Rockfield, to which Valerie refused to at first. But after one more week at the house she couldn't bear it anymore. She'd spent three weeks at her home in Spain and all it did was make her feel more guilty. It reminded her too much of her father.

The morning she left, she stood in the big archway of the door, waiting for her mom to say goodbye. She stood looking out at the town from the hill that her house was on.

       "All your stuff packed up?" June asked as she wrapped an arm around her daughter's waist. She was much shorter than Valerie, and normally the height difference would've made Valerie laugh, but she wasn't in the mood. Not today.

       "Yeah. Double checked." Valerie said, her voice slightly unsteady as she spoke. She and her mom had been walking in eggshells the past week. Both of them were balls of emotion, and they got into fights over the smallest of things.

       "That's good." June said quietly, leaning her hip against the other end of the doorframe, watching the city bustle below them with Valerie.

       "Are you sure you want me to go back? I can stay longer."  Valerie said after the two of them stood in silence together for a moment.

      June looked over at Valerie, a small smile making its way onto her face. "I can't keep you here. I know how hard you're taking it. This house..... it comes with too many memories. And you need to be back with your friends. It will take a while to get past this, but they'll help you along the way. Just like I have people here to help me." June said, a slight breeze blowing her red hair that she'd left down.

Valerie hesitated, turning to her mom. She did want to leave the house, but she didn't want to leave her mom. "I have plenty of people here with me. Your whole family pretty much lives here except for the few that still stayed in Ireland." June reminded Valerie before Valerie changed her mind and decided to stay.

"You're really sure?" Valerie asked her, taking her mom's hands in hers. June looked down at her daughter's hands that were enveloping her's and smiled.

"I am. Your family may be here, but your home is back in England. With John, and Brian, and Payton. All of them can probably do a much better job and comforting you than I can." June said with a shaky laugh. Valerie reached forward, brushing some of the hair out of her mom's face.

       "I love you, mom. I'll call every day. And the moment I get home." Valerie promised, and June nodded as she stood on her toes to kiss Valerie's cheek.

      "You look so much like him." June said quietly, her voice breaking slightly. Valerie had to bite her lip to keep from crying. Once she started crying, she wouldn't stop.

      The two of them stood in the doorway in a tight embrace until a taxi honked its horn as it pulled into the driveway. "Call me when you get to Rockfield. Please." June said, her voice slightly shaky as she wiped away some tears.