Chapter 4

My laptop and books were spread across the bed in front of me, displaying various details about the civil war, an event that I had grown disinterested with reading about over and over again.

However, Valentina's skype username swiftly appeared across my screen, the loud ringing sounding out of the speakers I had been using for listening to music.

I accepted the call and waited for her blurry face to finally fill my screen. "Long time, no see girlfriend," she called as she preoccupied herself, sauntering back and forth from her closet.

"Shouldn't you be studying?" I questioned with an upturned eyebrow, to which she scoffed and continued reorganising her clothes. Valentina had an incurable habit of procrastination, sometimes going as far as 'cleaning her ceiling' when she had used up every excuse for avoiding school work.

"This is very important, Sav. My disorganised closet could one day be the reason why I'm late to pick you up in the morning. And then we both won't get to school on time, will we?"

I hated to admit that she'd made a valid point, one I couldn't argue about with her. "How are you feeling anyway?" she asked, leaning down onto her bed to listen.

"I'm fine. I just don't want to think about what will happen tomorrow."

"Nothing will happen. Josh won't get close enough to you for something to happen," it was at that moment that I wanted to hug her through the screen for her constant reassurance about the situation, "but if you want to take your mind off of it even more, Finn is having a party this Friday."

"Is that your attempt at asking me to go with you?" She nodded through the screen, grinning at me through the hood of her long eyelashes. "I'll come if we can get April to go," I smiled at the thought, knowing how impossible that would be.

"Savannah! You know April won't go."

"So, we'll convince her," I was surprised at how I had somehow shifted to wanting April to say yes. I hated to admit that the idea of a party could prove a perfect way to forget about this week and block it out of my memory.

However, before I could plan on telling her that I needed to get back to work, April's name had joined the conversation from a prompt click by Valentina's mouse. "Please come with us to a party on Friday?"

"Hello to you too, Val," April's screen was a little clearer, helping me to make out that she was in the same position as I was, doing work that had been interrupted by Valentina.

"Is that a yes?"

"Only if Henry goes."

"You know he won't go," Valentina had given up on her closet all together, throwing clothes onto the floor to get a better position on her bed, "he's like the scrooge of house parties, come on April."

"I need to finish some work; I'll see you both tomorrow," I pressed the hang up button as quickly as I could, knowing that once April and Valentina begin debating about something as trivial as Henry, it'll last hours.

Mom called me down for dinner shortly after I had gotten into a rhythm of finishing homework and I was somewhat thankful to know that as soon as I was finished eating, I could return to N*****x and get my mind off of the civil war for once.

Dinner was usually the most excruciating task of my evenings, except once I'd reached the bottom of the stairs, mom had set out only one other place at the table for me to sit with her.

"Where's Dad?" I questioned with uncertainty, hesitant as to whether it would bring up something she didn't want to think about. The door slamming earlier on had signalled to me that one of my parents had left, but it had been a while since only my mother, and I had eaten together, alone.

"He's gone out to meet some friends," She placed a shaky hand against her fork and began cutting up her food with the knife she was holding in the other, "he'll be back later."

With my father walking out, it had just confirmed that he was a coward. For one, he couldn't manage to stay faithful for one evening before another woman presumably enticed him more than my mother did. One night should never equate to a marriage having lasted over twenty years.

We ate our food at an alarmingly slow pace, retaining the silence that we had started with. "Your father and I will be home late tomorrow night," I looked closely into her eyes as she spoke, attempting to catch her in the lie I knew she was telling.