Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
QUIL WAS IN A BAD mood the rest of the weekend. They had marched straight home, and Quil didn't leave his room until dinner. Even the offer of another blueberry muffin couldn't coax him out, nor the steaming pot of make-you-feel-better hot chocolate Lucy concocted for him. His door remained firmly closed, sealing him off to the outside world. Trapped and alone.
Lucy was worried.
Thankfully, she was provided a great distraction the next day, when the Clearwater's arrived, laden with flowers and large grins (on three of their faces). It was a reunion Lucy had been anxiously awaiting, given she hadn't seen Sue or Harry Clearwater since her mother's funeral over a year ago.
Sue had immediately burst into tears, squeezing the teenager in an embrace so tight they both struggled for a breath. Harry, more mellow, had ruffled her hair and warmly patted her back, commenting on how much she resembled her mother. Seth, who had been making a conspicuous effort to talk to her at school, grinned brightly at her before speeding into the kitchen to snag the cookies the Ateara women had made.
Leah was another story.
She entered the house as though she was an undead corpse travelling to the underworld. Her face was completely blank, and she had loosely accepted Lucy's hug before making herself comfortable in the living room.
"She's just upset," Sue explained to the confused girl, concern printed on her face as she studied her despondent daughter. "We just drove past her ex-boyfriend. She's heartbroken."
"Ex-boyfriend?" She murmured, more than a little sympathetic.
Sue pursed her lips tightly. "Sam Uley."
"Sam Uley?" Lucy's tone was both shocked and repulsed. "She deserves way better than him."
Seeing Sue's quizzical stare, the teenager hurriedly ushered her into the kitchen, not wanting to discuss her own dislike for the male. She threw the Clearwater girl a glance over her shoulder, not liking how removed from reality she appeared to be.
Everyone, bar Leah, sat around the Ateara's large circular table, even Old Quil, whom had actually peeled himself from his beloved armchair, and Quil himself, looking rather stoic. There was a lively atmosphere, and Lucy was reminded of her childhood summers spent in the town; the bonfires, the barbeques and the parties. She had been so happy then, so carefree and at peace.
The Clearwater's were very important people to Lucy. It might have been because she adored Seth, or because she used to look to Leah as an older sister, but it was largely due to the fact that Sue and Harry had been her mother's best friends. Particularly Sue, who had grown up with Julie Richardson, or back then, Julie Ateara. They had been the closest of friends – constantly visiting each other, regular sleepovers, attending the same college. Julie had been Sue's maid of honour, and Sue was Julie's. Their impact on the other's life was so profound, their histories so entwined, that both of their childhoods were filled with memories of the other. They were inseparable.
