Chapter 14: Chapter Eight-2

I sigh as I watch him begin to type. The speech bubbles appear three times, before he sends the next message. Miles:What up? Isobel:I have to go. I don't wait for his reply as I shove my phone back into my pocket. Just because I'm trying to let go of my grudge against him, doesn't mean I'm going to fall back into old habits. Taking my time, I walk back home, my head heavy with thoughts. The smell of food hits me instantly, causing my stomach to growl. I follow the smell into the kitchen, where Finn and mum are dancing around the kitchen. I grin, glad that things have remained normal between us all. Sliding across the tiles in my socks, I begin to dance as well. Finn begins gyrating his hips and I snort at the sight of him. We nod at each other, before doing the "watch me whip, now watch me nae nae" dance. He does it much better, but at least we're in time. "Hate to interrupt," I say, a little breathless, after we finish. "But are those pork chops burning?" "Oh shit," Finn exclaims, jogging over to the fry pan. Mum and I laugh as he quickly turns down the heat, flipping them. He sends a sheepish smile over his shoulder. "Hope ya' like your chops well cooked!" "We're used to it," both mum and I say at the same time, earning a glare from Finn. I take a step back and watch the easy smiles on my mum and brother's face. Nothing makes me happier, then seeing them happy. *** As I am going over all the things I wanted to bring up with Ashley, I find myself gripping the coffee cups a little too tightly in my hands. I round the corner and freeze, almost spilling one of the coffees on me. Ashley stands outside her office, dressed in her pencil skirt, blouse and jacket, her blonde hair pulled into a neat bun on her head. Miles stood opposite her, wearing black jeans, with slits in the knees and his trademark leather jacket. She is talking to him softly, while he is looking down at the ground, his right fist clenched. I contemplate turning and leaving, when his eyes lift, meeting mine. His eyes are puffy and his cheeks stained red. I widen my own in surprise. Suddenly, he jerks away from Ashley, even though she is still talking. He strides past me, without a word. His cologne washes over me and I hate that fact that it smells delicious. With stiff legs, I move forward, to where Ashley is standing, her lips pursed. "What is he doing at school so early?" I ask, glancing down at my watch. I'm always the first student here, because of my session. "I can't discuss why, but because it's you, I am going to tell you that he is going through a really hard time." She sighs as she takes a coffee from me and waves me inside. My interest peaks as I sit down. "What's going on?" She frowns at me. "I can't tell you that." "Is he in trouble?" I ask, thinking back to the times he used to run form the police after egging people's houses or graffiting public property. Him and my brother were menaces, although Miles the worse of the two. "End of discussion," she clips, before taking a sip. "Thanks for the coffee." "You're welcome," I reply, trying to hide how desperately I want to know what they were talking about. "So, I have a lot to tell you." "Good or bad?" "You can decide for yourself," I tell her, fingering the side of the coffee cup lightly. "Bentley is an ass." "Oh," she replies, giving me a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry to hear that." "Yeah. I'm glad it ended before I got too attached." She nods, still giving me a smile. "Do you mind me asking what happened?" I launch into the story of the party, including the part where Miles came to my rescue. I also told her that I unblocked him on social media, leading to a very brief conversation. And that I also have not told my brother about it. "Okay, so a lot happened since last week," she says, her eyebrows raised. "Let's rewind for a moment. You and Alec?" "Yes, I'm a hoe, let's move on." She let out a snort of laughter. "You're not a hoe. I'm just surprised that you and Alec got together, with him being so close with your brother." "It's not going to lead to anything and I hate lying to Finn, so it will probably be a one-time thing." She nods. "Well, as long as you're alright and he's not pressuring you into anything." "I'm a big girl, I can handle Alec." I smile. "But Miles on the other hand, I'm just lost. I'm so angry at him that I want to hate him, but I don't." "I'm not saying you should forgive Miles or anything like that, but he has suffered a major loss and unlike you, he has no family members to help him grieve." "Loss? What do you mean?" She pressed her lips together. "I've already said too much." "Did someone in his family die?" I ask quietly, horrified at the thought. She doesn't reply and I feel an ache form in my abdomen. I rest my hand on my chest as I look into her eyes. "What about his dad? He's still around." "Look, I honestly can't discuss this anymore, but if you're ready, you should try talking to him. He could use someone like you in his life." I reel back in my seat, pondering her words. "Okay." She gives me a warm smile. "So, how's your family?" "Good, I think. Mum still has her days where she's down, but Finn and I have been spending a lot of time with her, trying to make sure everything stays how it has been. We had a family night on Saturday, instead of going out. I think she enjoyed that. We played board games and stayed up until two in the morning watching movies. We haven't spent a Saturday night at home for a while, so it was nice." "That's great. Is your mum seeing anyone? Like, a counsellor, I mean?" "No, she probably should be. She works full-time so it's hard, but she isn't interested." Ashley writes something down, before smiling. "Well, I hope she is going okay." "Me too." "Has she been drinking?" I was waiting for that. My mum was never a huge drinker, but after everything that happened, I found her passed out once or twice. When I found her in a pool of her own vomit, I knew she had a problem. We spoke to her, not involving anyone else in the issue (although I did tell Ashley afterwards) and mum pulled herself together. Every now and then I do notice that she has a few wines at dinner, but she hasn't drunk much since that time I found her. I think she scared herself. She definitely scared me. "No more than a couple of wines, occasionally," I explain. "She's doing much better." "That's great to hear." she grins, looking pleased with my answer. "Oh, by the way, did Finn have anything to do with Bentley's tires being slashed yesterday?" I roll my lips into my mouth "Actually, don't say anything. I'll have to report it." I let out a soft laugh and she rolls her eyes, knowing that Finn obviously did it. We spend the rest of the session talking about school and the events coming up. She told me about the carnival, but I already knew it was on. I used to be on the Social Chair Committee, which organises it, but after dad passed away, I dropped out of it. When I exit her office, I chew my lip, thinking back to what she said. With a sigh, I make a decision. I'm going to find Miles.