Chapter 11: How did this happen?

The rest of the week passed by in a blur. My parents came back home Wednesday morning, Thursday was the most confusing and uncomfortable day of my life, and today was no better. I usually look forward to Fridays like everyone else but this week, I rather have to go to school than stay home any longer.

I hadn't spoken to Ivy since she dropped me off on Tuesday either and I couldn't blame her. The attitude I had given was uncalled for. I wasn't completely sure why I acted like that. I just felt annoyed and irritated all of a sudden and took it out on the first person I saw.

But now three days later, I missed my best friend.

Truthfully, I missed her pretty much immediately after but I never got the chance to talk to her. When my parents got home in the morning I, one, hadn't expected them so early and, two certainly didn't expect them to have company.

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Pulling my hair up in a high ponytail, I looked myself over once more in the mirror. I hated it. This was one of the rare times when my hair just never looked right. I stared at myself in the mirror for about five minutes before just deciding to leave it. Grabbing my bag, I headed downstairs, checking the time on my phone it was now 7:04. I would be late for school if I didn't leave now. I snatched a granola bar from the kitchen and headed out the door when I heard voices and keys jingling.

"Rory, honey what are you still doing here?" My mother asked as she stepped into the house. Followed by my father.

"I was just leaving... Uh, it's early. Like really early. Did you guys drive overnight?" I knew my parents didn't like traveling through the night if they could help it.

They looked at each other before my mother sighed, "I had hoped to do this after you came home from school."

"Do what?" I looked at both of them. Truly looked at them. They both seemed more tired than usual and looked more stressed too.

"OMG...please don't tell me. You...you're getting a divorce, aren't you? Why?! How… Did this happen? What went wrong? OMG, one of you che... cheated? Oh no..." Tears were threatening to spill over. I thought my parent's marriage was great. How could this happen?

They both just stared at me with wide eyes. Nobody, saying anything. I couldn't believe this. We were...they were happy.

"Well, that's quite the imagination she has, isn't it Melissa." A voice broke through the silence and only then did I realize another person was standing right behind my dad.

My mother shook her head before grabbing my shoulders and walking me to the kitchen, taking my face into her hands. She looked me right in the eyes, "you, young lady, watch too much TV. No, your father and I are not getting a divorce."

"You're not?" My voice was small and cracked a little.

"No, we're not dear." My father came up next to me and kissed the top of my hair. "And cheating? Really? How could you think that or your mother or I?"

"Then what is it that you want to tell me?" I looked at them confused. Were we moving?

My mom sighed before letting me go and walking towards the old woman still standing in the doorway. I forgot she was there, she was so silent, just watching and listening. "Aurora, honey, I want you to meet my mother, your grandmother."

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And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I spent the last few days learning that the grandmother, the one I always thought was dead, was alive and well.

My parents let me stay home on Wednesday and Thursday to spend time together, as a family. Awkward at first but slowly the air surrounding us felt lighter and we all began to feel more comfortable.

Closing my locker, I sigh. This week had been draining and I couldn't wait for today to be over. I know I sound like a broken record but too much has been happening lately. It was my grades' lunch hour and everyone scrambled either into the cafeteria or outside to have lunch off-campus.

Heading to the cafe, I got to my friends' usual table and plopped down. No one was here yet but I expect that to change soon as people are still coming in. Too tired to attempt to deal with any further human interactions I put on my headphones and laid my head on my bag, zoning out to some chill music.

Not too long after I felt the table shake multiple times. I open my eyes to see some of my friends sitting around the table, including Ivy. All staring at me. Pulling off my headphones with a raised eyebrow I speak, "what's up?"

"What's up? That's all you have to say? Where the hell have you been, Rory?" Ivy was glaring at me while the rest of the group just looked on with confused faces.

I rolled my eyes; I didn't have the energy for this but I understood where she was coming from and why she was so angry. Besides me ghosting for two days without a word, my mother, or rather my grandmother, wanted family time with no distractions, this only happened one other time. And I wasn't so lucky last time.

A man grabbed me off the street and into a van when I was around 8 years old, it took days for the police to find me. I shuddered at the horrible memory. I hadn't thought about it before but they must have been thinking it happened again or something equally dangerous. "I was home. Some…" How do I explain that my dead grandmother isn't so dead easily? "Things happened at home. Some unexpected, urgent family business, I guess you could call it."

"Told you guys she was fine." Luc was the first to speak up. Pushing his light blonde hair out of his face, he looked over to me and shrugged, "they swore you had to be dying of some outlandish terminal illness to miss school."

I smiled, of course, THAT'S what they come up with. Crazy people. But they are my favorite crazy people so I can't complain too much. Our group was fairly small. Just the five of us. Ivy and I, Luc, Stella, and Jason. We all blended well together. Looking at them all I could tell they believed what I said, all except for Ivy. I knew she wanted to say something else but chose not to. I needed to speak with her, privately. Sighing I tune myself into the conversation that was going on, sending Ivy a text saying we needed to talk before lunch was over.

About ten minutes before the bell rang Ivy and I excused ourselves from the table and headed out of the cafe. Walking to a quiet part of the hallway I pulled her to the side and sighed, "I'm sorry about Tuesday. I was being a bitch."

"You were being a bitch." She replied bluntly. I laughed. Leave it to Ivy to spare no feelings. Not even mine. "What was that all about?"

"To be honest I don't know, I just was. I know that's not a good or valid excuse but I just was drained a bit and felt uncharacteristically snappy." I looked at Ivy, and truthfully, I didn't know why I acted like that. It just happened.

"Well, that sucked a lot." She leaned against the windowsill and looked out the window.

"I know it did. I'm sorry if you want, I'll apologize to Ryder too. I shouldn't have been such a jerk."

"I guess that'll help. Just give me a heads-up. At least that way I'm forewarned."

"Promise. Besides, I gotta tell you something anyway." She raised an eyebrow, "what?"

"After the whole thing on Tuesday, when I was getting ready for school the next morning, I had all intentions of apologizing then but my parents came home right as I was leaving."

"Ok? So, they came home earlier than expected. Did something happen on their trip?" She was confused and I couldn't blame her. She knew my parents as well as I did.

"You could say that." I sighed and looked up at the sky, "when they came home, they brought my grandmother with them. My mom's mother never died, as they always told me. And she's staying with us."