Broken Hill High (Broken Hill High #1)(7)

“Damn,” she grunts, but nonetheless, gets up out of bed. I grab my robe and slip my arms through while Brooke pulls off her dress from last night and grabs a pair of jeans and a shirt out of my closet.

We make our way downstairs and the sound of sniffling and a hushed conversation catches my attention. Brooke and I both stop on the stairs and try to listen in to what’s happening in the kitchen, but we get nothing. They’re talking way too quietly. “Maybe I should go,” Brooke murmurs beside me.

I press my lips together, unsure of what the hell is going on right now. I turn back to Brooke. “Yeah, maybe that’s a good idea. I’ll text you later.”

“Alright,” she says before pulling me in for a quick hug.

We walk the rest of the way down the stairs and go our separate ways at the bottom. I watch as Brooke detours past the hallway table and collects her car keys before disappearing out the front door.

I head into the kitchen to find mom sitting up on the kitchen stool in tears while dad hugs her and runs his fingers down her hair trying to soothe her in a rare display of affection.

My eyebrows pull down as I take in the scene before me. “What’s going on?” I question as I slowly walk towards them. I mean, maybe they’ve been fighting again.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were up,” mom says in surprise before swiveling around in her chair to face me. She hastily wipes at her tears and reaches out to pull me in for a hug. “I’m sorry, love. We’ve had some bad news.”

She pulls me back but holds onto my shoulders as dad releases his hold on mom. “It’s your Nanna,” she tells me. “She’s fallen ill again.”

“Oh no,” I gasp with wide eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s cancer, sweetie. They don’t think she’s going to pull through this time.” My bottom lip pouts out as my eyes fill with tears. “I know,” mom soothes before pulling me back into her arms. “Your father and I are going to go be with her,” she tells me.

“But she lives in Australia,” I remind them.

“We know, honey,” mom says, pulling me back once again and offering me the stool beside her. I climb up and she wraps her arm around me. “But she can’t be alone right now. I’d never forgive myself if she passed and she had nobody there by her side. So, we’re flying out tonight,” she explains. “But with your senior year starting on Monday, we’ve decided that you should stay here.”

“What?” I gasp. “You’re going to leave me behind?”

“Don’t think of it like that,” Mom tells me. “You’re going to stay and concentrate on your studies just as your Nanna would want. I don’t want you seeing her so ill, and quite frankly, nor would she.”

I hang my head. I know she’s right, but the fear of never seeing my Nanna again haunts me. I nod my head ever so slightly, letting her know I understand. “I’ve spoken to Trish and Cade,” she tells me, making the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. “They’re happy for you to go and stay with them until we return.”

“What?” I shriek, flying back out of my chair and getting to my feet as I wipe the tears from my eyes. “No way am I staying with them.”

“What’s wrong with staying with them?” my father grunts, finally adding his two cents into the conversation.

“Um….. ever heard of two losers by the names of Nate and Jesse?” I grunt.

“Oh, come on,” Mom says. “Nate and Jesse are lovely boys. You’ll be fine.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me, right?” I say as the dread starts to seep way down into my bones. There’s no way on God's green Earth that I’m staying there. It would be never-ending torture from Nate. Day in and day out. Over my dead body. “Why can’t I stay with Brooke?” I question as I start thinking of my options.

“Sweetie,” mom says with sympathy. “You know I love Brooke, but I can’t stand her mother. You know that. That woman would treat you awful, just to get at me for inconveniencing her.”

I let out a sigh. She has a good point. I mean, there’s a reason Brooke sleeps over so much. Her mother is a nasty piece of work.

“Well…,” I say, playing my last card as I give them my puppy dog eyes. “I’m seventeen now. Why can’t I stay by myself? I have a car, I can get myself to school and back every day. I know how to cook. I’ll be alright by myself. I’ll check in every day. Please?” I beg.

Mom looks over at dad who shrugs his shoulder, clearly having absolutely no input on the situation, as usual. “I don’t know, Tori,” mom says.

“Please? I wouldn’t want to put Trish and Cade out like that when I’ll be fine on my own.”

Mom lets out a heavy sigh. “Fine,” she finally says, “But I’ll be getting Trish to pop in every few days to check on you.”

“Deal,” I say as a sigh of relief comes tearing out of me while a smile rips across my face. That was a close one.





Chapter 3


Brooke and I pull up at school first thing on Monday morning. It’s our first day of being seniors and I can’t be more thrilled. The lot is busy and I find myself looking out at all the bodies shuffling around, trying to make their way up to the front of the school.