Page 12 of Real Rocks
“I don’t have anything to say to you.”
Aunt Annie came to my side, gently stroking my arm. “Give him a chance, Tris. There’s a lot you don’t know about.”
“All I know is he upped and left with Donna and didn’t give a fuck about me.” I spat the words out.
“That’s not true, Tris. I’ve always cared what happens to you.”
“Why did you desert me when I was in prison? The one time I needed support and you weren’t there. And when I do see you, it’s because I’ve found someone who has money. The pound signs lit up and that’s all you saw.”
Louis shook his head. “Is that what you think of me?”
“Why would I think anything else? You’ve always been chasing the cash ever since I can remember. Anything to make a few pounds.”
“I needed to provide for us, Tris. To look after us when your mum died.”
It was low bringing her into it. I didn’t want to talk about her. In fact, I didn’t want to talk to him either. I turned on my heel and stalked upstairs to my room, slamming the door behind me with a satisfying crash. I dropped my bag on the floor and then sank onto the bed.
Why had Aunt Annie asked him here? Why was she interfering in something which wasn’t her business? I didn’t need him any longer. I’d managed to carve out a life for myself without him in it. If I let him back in, who knew what might happen.
There was a tentative knock on the door.
“Can I come in?” Uncle Col poked his head into the room.
I lifted and dropped my shoulders in response.
“She’s only trying to help, you know.”
“Is she?”
Uncle Col came and sat next to me. “Annie’s always been close to Louis.” He let out a long breath, which led me to believe he wasn’t exactly happy about the situation. “I guess with me and your mum being so inseparable, they felt like the outsiders and stuck together. Until you moved up North anyway.”
“I never asked him to be around.” I paused. “I’ve been a lot happier without him.”
“I know, Tris.” He patted my arm. “What you’ve got here is good, a new start, away from all the memories and the bad stuff.”
“And why having him here reminds me of all the crap times.” My heart sank as I realised it was true. I associated all the awful, lousy shit in my life with him: losing mum, scraping around to make a living, being sent to prison, being on my own. The past couple of months with Uncle Col, Aunt Annie and especially Saff made me realise there was more to life. Much, much more.
There was a pause, which neither of us looked to fill until Uncle Col shifted uncomfortably.
“You should try to make a fresh start with him, Tris.”
“Why? What’s the point?”
“It’s not up to me to tell you.”
Instantly, I was curious. What couldn’t he tell me? All kinds of thoughts filled my head, none of them good.
“Maybe think about giving him a chance.” My uncle stood up. “Dinner will be ready in a bit. Come down and we’ll chat.”
Once he’d left the room, I stared at the wall. Whatever was going on had to be serious. How serious, I didn’t know, but I needed to find out.
My phone buzzed.
Saff.
A smiled tugged at my lips as I opened the message she’d sent of her and Darren in a chicken restaurant having dinner before the gig. Tagged ‘the glamorous tour life’, my chest tightened as I thought about how much I missed her already. She’d been gone all of one day and already I couldn’t wait to see her again. I hoped the next week would fly by.
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