She's Broken

Chapter 33

Chapter 33 (Not proofread, so please ignore any mistakes:') ).

                Harley snorted, nudging the back of my head with his muzzle. Waving him off, I took one last look at the bench.

                “If it takes a turn for the worst, you’ll probably see me back here soon,” I whispered down to the memorial, running my fingers over the smooth wood at the top of the bench.

                The memorial of my grandparents had suffered pretty badly in the storm that we’d had the night before, resulting in broken branches and a small amount of flooding. I’d only really gone out there to try and talk myself through the court case and the decision I’d made about Ana.

                Eli had kept to himself about his mum the day before, no matter how hard I tried to pry. In the end, I gave up and allowed him to mope as I treated us to dinner to celebrate a step forwards between us. What I didn’t tell him was that I rang Spencer to ask how Ana was doing.

                Spencer had told me that she’d taken a turn for the worst and was moved out to an institute on the outskirts of town and that Dean had the phone number for them. After getting Dean’s number from Spencer, I made the nerve racking call and asked about her. Dean didn’t seem as spiteful as he was when I first met him and had offered to take me out there to see her. Of course, Eli didn’t know that. If he didn’t mind going behind my back to help me, I was going to help him. She had become a friend of mine, as well, which is probably why Dean offered to take me out there.

                Harley nudged me again, almost as if he knew that I had to get going. With a grumble, I swung myself into the saddle and clucked my tongue. I looked over my shoulder at the bench before pushing forwards, allowing Harley to go faster through the trees.

               

                The air seemed to be coming in thicker the further we got from the cliffs and I sighed, slumping in the saddle to twirl the bottom of Harley’s cream mane through my fingers. He let out a noise and slowed down into a frisk walk, his shoulders moving in a gentle rhythm that could’ve easily put a baby to sleep.

                When we emerged from the trees, I did a quick spot check for Eli. I’d seen him that morning but he’d left just after lunch to go and ‘run some errands’ and still wasn’t back. With a sigh of relief, I pushed Harley forward into a steady canter to take his field fence in a jump. He was more than happy to oblige, probably eager to stretch his legs out properly.

                I managed to get Harley un-tacked and my bag packed by the time Dean pulled up in the same sports car that Spencer always used to give Finn a lift to football practise in. Taking a deep breath, I made my way over to the car and let myself into the passenger side, careful not to scratch the paintwork or get my muddy feet on the interior.

                Dean said nothing as he pulled out of the space and back into the country lanes. I knew it would be awkward but the tension couldn’t even be cut with a knife, it was that thick. The only sound to be heard was that of the wheels over the mud and Dean’s fingers on the steering wheel.