Fractured

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The bitch took her sweet ass time until she came down, that's for sure.  There was no way the awkwardness could be avoided when she did.  What was worse, was the actual dinner when the time came.

We all sat around the table, folding chairs added for more seats for everybody and we all sat close together.  Ironic too when I could tell everyone just wanted to be far away.  With our plates of spaghetti before us, there was not one sound besides that of forks scrapping on plates.  Just like it was when Luke and I had meatloaf with Clare the other night.  I didn't think it could have gotten more tense than that. 

Everyone's heads down, with their eyes glues to the plate... because of Clare.  Nobody wanted to look at her.  They didn't want to face her.  And though I was hoping that this would break her, make her apologize, I wasn't sure if it was worth it with how uncomfortable it was.  But I tried enjoying it as much as I could.  This was Francis's fault, the little shit. Staring at him, I think even he regretted it too.

"Hey," I said and got everybody's attention.  Francis was sitting besides me, Luke and Clare across from me, with Jan and Shannon at one end of the table and Mike on my other side and Brook besides Francis.  All their eyes lifted to me and I met theirs... all but Clare's seemed curious.  She shot daggers at me, as if knowing I would say something against her.   Meeting everyone's else's eyes, I said, "Have you guys seen that new video on YouTube?  Of that guy taking a shit like a dog outside in--"

"Albany," Clare hissed at me among a couple stifled laughs.  "That's not appropriate dinner conversation."   Raising my eyes to her, the narrow slits of her eyes stared at me in anger.  I was surprised she was finally talking.  After all, she should have been above this; you don't scold someone when it contradicts what you did. 

I nodded in agreement.  But I mean, I could have said something worse if Brooke wasn't here.   I just shrugged, playing along with this tense game.  I knew things were going to get explosive soon; I wanted it to.  I wanted to push her like I've been trying to make her break.  She needed to; we wanted the regret to come out and for her to show her loyalty.  

"You want to get started on what's appropriate and not appropriate right now, mother?" I asked in a lower voice to her from across the table  The scrapping of forks stopped around us and everything was too quiet around us.  I could feel everyone staring at me in this eerie stillness and it couldn't be anymore tense at the moment.  "Do you want to go there?"    

Glancing at her side to Luke, his lips were tight and eyes warning.  He shook his head slightly, wanting me to not start this now, here.  He figured this wouldn't help, I knew.  But after all, unlike him, I don't need to keep up an act.  I can be myself on this matter.  Especially when this could maybe result in her resistance caving in.  And though I didn't like doing this in front of his family, if they were around and watching this, that could even help in driving her into submission. 

"No," she said, laughing uncomfortably and trying to keep everything light (as if it was even 'light' in here to begin with).  "It's okay, sweetie, we don't need to talk about this.  Not with guests here," she said, her voice accusing me of being a child.  Unfortunately, and fortunately enough, I think it gave Brooke the wrong impression and that this was an open and comfortable conversation. 

With the silence crowding the air besides our words, Brooke's joined in after a long pause between me and Clare.  Her words... made me want to laugh and cringe at the same time.  "Wait, is this about the mental hospital daddy was telling me about?"

Shannon soon joined in, eyes guiding from Brooke to her father that was sitting beside me.  "You told her about it, you dumbass?  Why the hell would you talk about that with your dau--"