How to Fall Apart

Chapter Twenty-Seven

    I arrived at work the next morning with a dark cloud hanging over my head. It felt like it had become a part of my wardrobe over the past week and while it's just a figure of speech I was pretty sure everyone else could see it too. Clark hadn't even bothered to look up from his book to say goodbye to me before I left and Mom barely said a word over coffee and the drive to Dairy Queen. Vanessa took one look at me as I walked in the door and turned and walked in the other direction. That should have been my first clue that something was up, the second being that Vanessa was even there because it had been just Carly and me on the schedule the day before. But I was too caught up in my own thoughts to consider it.

    "Hey," I said to Carly, putting my coat up on a hook.

    "Hey," she said slowly but shifted her eyes away uncomfortably. I thought Nate must have told her about seeing me at the movie the night before while he was on a date. A date. Thinking about it then made me realize that we hadn't even ever gone on a date.

    "Veda, can I see you in my office?" Danny called. His glasses were off when I sat down across from him. He slid a piece of paper across his desk to me. "I redid the schedule for Christmas break." I scanned the schedule. I wasn't on it. At all. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. "I warned you that this is not a hang out for your friends."

    "A lot of teens hang out here,"- I argued sheepishly because those other teens that hung out here didn't come in drunk and obnoxious and they were actual customers. He didn't even dignify that with a response. "So you're firing me?" I asked incredulously, my voice catching on the words.

    "No." He folded his hands in front of him, looking at me sternly. "You are just not getting hours for the next two weeks. Consider it your last warning." He reached for his glasses.

    "Are you okay?" Carly asked, biting her bottom lip hard. I was crying as I grabbed my coat so I just shook my head.

    "This has been the worst week ever!" I sobbed. "I'm failing art. My mom is being a psycho. My father thinks that he's father of the year because he bought me a car but then grounded me from it." I laughed sardonically through my tears. "I have no clue what's going on with Nate and now Danny won't let me work for two whole weeks just because Alissa keeps coming in while I'm working. It's not fair!"

    Carly raised an eyebrow and just stared at me with her lips pressed into a thin line. I could tell there was something she wanted to say but she appeared to be literally biting her tongue.

    "What?" I asked, thinking it's wasn't like anything could get any worse.

    Carly opened her mouth, sucked in a deep breath like she was about to make a speech but then shook her head. "Nothing. Do you want me to run you home quick before we open. I'm sure Danny wouldn't mind." She offered but wouldn't meet my eye.

    "What is it?" I demanded with a hiccup.

    Carly sighed and blew a lock of hair out of her face, weighing her words. "It's just... you're acting like none of this is your doing, like it's all just happening to you."

    "Oh, yea, like I wanted my dad to just pop back into my life unexpectedly with a wife and a baby and mess everything up." Tears were streaming down my face and my nose was running.

    "Veda, this didn't all just start with your dad showing up. And he isn't the one failing your art class or fighting with your mom. You've been partying and missing class and curfew even before he showed up," she said gently, not mentioning my problems with her brother, even though she probably had plenty to say about that. "I know what you're going through with your dad has been really hard on you.."