Chapter 801 - V3 ch36 (Carson) (1/2)

[Carson POV]

”You took a long time.” Gabby said as soon as I got back from the restroom. ”I almost thought you bailed.”

”Gabby.” Mom scolded lightly.

Gabby rolled her eyes.

”I saw Jake outside the restrooms.” I said honestly, stopping a would-be argument between Mom and my 15-year-old sister. The two of them can make something out of nothing and just make this night even more miserable than it already is.

Gabby scrunched up her nose in dismay and looked away.

Mom was more impassive. ”Oh.”

Only my youngest sister, Makenna, had something to say. ”Is he mad at us too?” At 14, Makenna was a little bit childish and innocent. Until our father had a falling out with our cousin. Now she was constantly concerned about feelings.

I tapped the table, thinking how to answer her. ”I'm not sure.” It's not like he knew us, so how could he be mad at us? But...he was closer to Jeremy now.

”Of course he doesn't like us.” Gabby told her. ”He's had a shitty life and Dad had a hand in it.”

”Gabby, enough.” Mom's face tightened.

Makenna was distressed. ”Dad said he didn't mean it.”

Gabby rolled her eyes. ”When are you going to grow up? Dad-”

”Enough.” Mom raised her voice a little more. The three of us stared at her. She cleared her throat. ”I said, enough. The past is in the past. Nothing we can do to change earlier decisions.”

Gabby sneered and got up. ”It's an attitude like that, that got us to where we are now. Tell me Mom, how many times did you think back about that boy? Do you feel even a hint of guilt knowing that you almost had a hand in his death?” She pushed her seat back loudly and got up. ”I'm going to the restroom.” She stormed away.

I slowly got up. ”I'll go after her.”

”Carson...” Mom looked up at me with watery eyes.

I sighed. ”It'll blow past eventually, Mom. Gabby is having a hard time at school. You know how mean teenagers can be.”

Mom looked to Makenna and reached out to hold her hand. ”No one giving you a hard time at school, are they?”

I left them and went to track down Gabby. I found her in the hallway on her phone. I leaned against the wall beside her.

”I'm not sorry.” She stated firmly. ”I said what I said.”

I nodded slowly. ”I understand, but you can't speak to Mom like that. She may not be a good person, morally. But, she's still our mom. And...a good mom.”

Gabby put her phone away in her small clutch. She stood straight yet didn't look me in the eyes. ”I want things to go back to the way they used to be. Does that make me a bad person?”

I shrugged. ”I don't know. It's not like I can judge you. I miss how it was before too.”

She looked up and down the hall before getting closer and lowering her voice. ”Do you think Jeremy will ignore us tonight?”

I glanced down at my younger sister. We never were this close until the fallout between our dad and Jeremy. I shook my head slightly. ”I don't think he'll ignore us if he sees us in person.”