Tales From the End (2) by Lissa Bryan

Author:Lissa Bryan [Lissa Bryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Adult, Adventure, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense
Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop
Published: 2014-02-02T23:00:00+00:00

Veronica woke on the sofa again and burst into miserable tears before she’d even sat up. It was late, after ten, and she hadn’t heard the bus honk this morning. Had the bus forgotten her, too? She had a horrible feeling that she’d disappeared. That she’d ceased to matter to the whole world, and she was on her own.

She went into the kitchen and snatched the phone off the wall. She dialed her mother’s workplace. Someone answered on the third ring, but she was coughing and it took a few moments before she was able to say the name of the business and ask how to direct Veronica’s call.

“Hi, can I talk with Tina Grant?”

“Ms. Grant isn’t here today. May I take a message?”

“Where is she?” Veronica asked. Her voice trembled, and she sounded even younger than usual.

“Who is this?”

“This is Veronica. I’m looking for my mom.”

There was a long silence. “Ronnie, this is Darla Cooper. Do you remember me? I was at your mom’s birthday party last year.”

There had been a lot of grown-ups from her mom’s work at that party, and they all seemed to blend together. But Veronica remembered Darla, because she was the only person who called her “Ronnie,” a nickname Veronica secretly hated. “Yes, ma’am,” Veronica said politely.

“Honey, where are you? Are you with your dad?”

Veronica clenched her fist. “Why? What’s going on?”

Darla hesitated again. “Can I speak with him, please?”

“He’s not here,” Veronica said. It wasn’t a lie, she reasoned with herself. “Please, Mrs. Cooper, I just want to talk to my mom, okay?”

There was a soft sigh, which became a series of hacking coughs. She heard the snuffle of a nose being blown. “Ronnie, I don’t know how to tell you this . . . I thought you knew. We haven’t been able to get a hold of your dad, so we thought you must . . .”

“What?” Veronica said. “Please! What? Where’s my mom?”

“She’s in the hospital, honey. She and your brother were in a car accident.”

The strength went out of Veronica’s legs, and she collapsed into a chair, stunned into silence.

“I’m sorry,” Darla said. “I’m so sorry. I hate that you had to find out like this. Where’s your dad, Ronnie?”

“Is—is she gonna be okay?”

Her eyes filled with tears when Darla hesitated again. “Sweetie, I’d really rather talk about this with your dad. He can explain—”

“What about David? Is David okay?”

“Where are you, Ronnie?”

“I’m at home,” Veronica said, too stunned to think of evading the question.

“No one is with you?” Darla’s voice was high with surprise. She started coughing again.

“No.” Getting in trouble had ceased to matter. Her mom and her brother were hurt so badly that Darla didn’t even want to tell her.

“Okay, honey, listen. When I get off work, I’ll come by and pick you up and take you to the hospital. Do you know where your dad is or how to get a hold of him?”

“No. He’s not answering his phone.”

Darla muttered something Veronica didn’t catch. “Okay. I’ll come and get you.

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