Chapter Ten: Summer of Change
The next day I woke up early to make sure everything would be ready for Anthony's return. I was like the lady of La Vie now. Maxine was rarely home and when she was she ignored the help. Dena made Anthony's favourite lunch, grilled cheese and lemonade. Anthony had been exposed to all the best foods but he still liked his simple grilled cheese that we used to eat so often back in Monkton. I heard a car pull into the driveway and I jumped up feeling very anxious. I didn't know how Anthony would react to seeing me. The door was pushed open and Anthony stepped in carrying three suitcases. "Anthony!" I said slowly, not wanting to startle him. He turned to face me. I saw that he had gotten a hair cut since he left. He looked so much like Trevor. "Skye," he said smiling. He dropped his suitcases and ran over to hug me. I laughed as he picked me up and spun me around in his arms. I had missed him so much. We took his suitcases up to a room that had been prepared for him. It wasn't the same room he had before he left. That room would never be used again. No one wanted to remember. "I've missed you Skye," he said. "I've missed you too!" I cried, I was so happy he was home. Maybe now I wouldn't feel so alone in the house, "Tell me about your stay with your grandparents," I said sitting down on a soft chair. "I went to school and I graduated, I'll be going to Sheridan College in the fall, I'll be here with you everyday!" he gushed. My heart fell and my smile faded. He didn't know I was going to Western. He didn't know about Derek. What would he do? Would he be angry? "What is it?" he asked when he saw my expression. I took a deep breath, "Well I've been doing a lot since you left too," I started. Anthony looked down at his hands that he was clasping and unclasping over and over. "I'm going to college in London with Derek Collins, we are thinking about getting married after college," I finished. I stared at Anthony waiting for him to do something. He looked up at me, he had tears in his eyes, "Okay," was all he said. I hurried over to him. I took his hand in mine and looked him in the eye, "I'll visit often," I told him truthfully. "I guess I'll have Trevor to hang out with right?" he said, "No," someone said from the door. We both looked up to find Maxine standing there, "There's been an accident," she said Suddenly the room started to sway and then everything went black.
I woke up in my bed. Everything that had happened came rushed back in a wave. Gregory killing himself, Anthony coming home, Maxine telling us there had been an accident. I sat up quickly. There had been an accident! Who was hurt? What happened? "Skye," I turned to find Anthony sitting by my bed. His beautiful blue eyes were red from crying. "What happened?" I asked not really wanting to know the answer. "Trevor drove his car into the lake, he was with four other people, they were all drunk. All of them are dead," he said. "No," I put my head in my hands and sobbed. I cried for Trevor. I hurt him so badly and I thought I would have lots of time to make it up to him but now I couldn't, I would never see my first real boyfriend again. I jumped out of bed and threw my hairbrush at the mirror. It shattered into a million pieces and I collapsed onto the floor, sobs racking my body. Glass cut into my hands as I pounded my fists on the ground. All I ever did to the people who knew me was hurt them. First my mother, then Trevor, then Gregory and Anthony. I was better off just being by myself where I couldn't hurt anyone. I was suddenly terrified that Derek would be hurt next. I couldn't let that happen. I hurried to the closet and crabbed my backpack and a duffel bag. I started shoving as many clothes in there as possible. "What are you doing?" Anthony asked coming to the door of the closet. "I'm leaving," I said. "Where are you going to go?" he asked. "I don't know, somewhere where I can't hurt the people I love," I said. "It isn't your fault Trevor died," Anthony said softly. It sounded to me like he didn't believe it. I pushed past him and went to the bathroom for my toothbrush. "I have a trust fund, it has a lot of money in it, my real grandfather, Michael Jamieson set it up for his son, my father, Zack's children, I'm his only child, so it's all mine." I was aware that I sounded a little greedy but I didn't care. I knew I had to leave. I couldn't hurt Derek; I had to spare him. "I'm coming with you." Anthony said. I whirled around, "No," I said firmly. "Yes," he said just as firmly. He disappeared for a minute and then was back with the three suitcases that he had. He hadn't even unpacked yet. He hadn't even been home for twenty-four hours but he was already facing a tragedy. His brother was dead. I saw how much he wanted to help me, be with me. Anthony and I were alike. Neither of us wanted to hurt anyone but it always ended up happening anyway. Maybe it would be better to have him with me. We would take his car. It was the middle of the night. I had been asleep all day after finding out about Trevor. We went quietly into the garage and into Anthony's black Mercedes. "Will you be able to access the trust fund?" Anthony asked as the garage door opened painfully slow. "Yes, I'm eighteen, Maxine handed over all the information on my birthday," I said. When she had given it to me, I had felt like she was glad to finally be rid of me and everything about me. Anthony started the car and we drove off into the night. We were headed towards a new life, where we couldn't hurt anyone we loved. I would miss Derek terribly, but I knew that telling myself that I was doing him a favor would help. He could be happy without me. He would be better off without me. We drove through the night. We headed north, not really sure, where we were going. I wanted to live by a lake. A little cottage on the lake. I wanted a simple life. We drove and drove, taking turns so the other person could sleep. We didn't stop at a single hotel. I was too eager to escape from everything that had happened in La Vie. Finally we came into a city and I saw a Royal Bank. We needed to find out how much money we had. I went inside by myself and went to speak to a teller. Her name was Candice. She had long, bleach blond hair and makeup caked on. "I need to speak to someone about a trust fund," I said. "Which trust fund would that be?" she asked, chomping on her gum. I looked down at the information in my hand, "The Jamieson trust fund," I answered. She stared at me a moment and then scurried away. I stared after her, not sure what had just happened. An older man came and gestured for me to step into his office. "What is going on?" I demanded. I didn't have the patience for this right now. I just wanted some money so Anthony and I could start a new life. "Let me see those papers," he said. I gave them to him. He smiled after a minute. I showed him some ID to prove who I was. "Well, you have quite a lot of money," he said. "How much?" I asked. "Ten million," he said. I gasped in surprise. I hadn't expected to have that much. Not by a long shot. "Mr. Jamieson invested well," he explained everything my Grandfather had done. I wished now that I had had a chance to meet him. He sounded like a very smart business man. I did all the paper work that was required and I was now a millionaire. I went out to the car and found Anthony sleeping. I felt all the tension that was in my body flow out as I drove towards the lake. I was going to buy a house by the lake and it wouldn't put a dent in my fortune. We were going to be OK.
The next day I woke up early to make sure everything would be ready for Anthony's return. I was like the lady of La Vie now. Maxine was rarely home and when she was she ignored the help. Dena made Anthony's favourite lunch, grilled cheese and lemonade. Anthony had been exposed to all the best foods but he still liked his simple grilled cheese that we used to eat so often back in Monkton. I heard a car pull into the driveway and I jumped up feeling very anxious. I didn't know how Anthony would react to seeing me. The door was pushed open and Anthony stepped in carrying three suitcases. "Anthony!" I said slowly, not wanting to startle him. He turned to face me. I saw that he had gotten a hair cut since he left. He looked so much like Trevor. "Skye," he said smiling. He dropped his suitcases and ran over to hug me. I laughed as he picked me up and spun me around in his arms. I had missed him so much. We took his suitcases up to a room that had been prepared for him. It wasn't the same room he had before he left. That room would never be used again. No one wanted to remember. "I've missed you Skye," he said. "I've missed you too!" I cried, I was so happy he was home. Maybe now I wouldn't feel so alone in the house, "Tell me about your stay with your grandparents," I said sitting down on a soft chair. "I went to school and I graduated, I'll be going to Sheridan College in the fall, I'll be here with you everyday!" he gushed. My heart fell and my smile faded. He didn't know I was going to Western. He didn't know about Derek. What would he do? Would he be angry? "What is it?" he asked when he saw my expression. I took a deep breath, "Well I've been doing a lot since you left too," I started. Anthony looked down at his hands that he was clasping and unclasping over and over. "I'm going to college in London with Derek Collins, we are thinking about getting married after college," I finished. I stared at Anthony waiting for him to do something. He looked up at me, he had tears in his eyes, "Okay," was all he said. I hurried over to him. I took his hand in mine and looked him in the eye, "I'll visit often," I told him truthfully. "I guess I'll have Trevor to hang out with right?" he said, "No," someone said from the door. We both looked up to find Maxine standing there, "There's been an accident," she said Suddenly the room started to sway and then everything went black.
I woke up in my bed. Everything that had happened came rushed back in a wave. Gregory killing himself, Anthony coming home, Maxine telling us there had been an accident. I sat up quickly. There had been an accident! Who was hurt? What happened? "Skye," I turned to find Anthony sitting by my bed. His beautiful blue eyes were red from crying. "What happened?" I asked not really wanting to know the answer. "Trevor drove his car into the lake, he was with four other people, they were all drunk. All of them are dead," he said. "No," I put my head in my hands and sobbed. I cried for Trevor. I hurt him so badly and I thought I would have lots of time to make it up to him but now I couldn't, I would never see my first real boyfriend again. I jumped out of bed and threw my hairbrush at the mirror. It shattered into a million pieces and I collapsed onto the floor, sobs racking my body. Glass cut into my hands as I pounded my fists on the ground. All I ever did to the people who knew me was hurt them. First my mother, then Trevor, then Gregory and Anthony. I was better off just being by myself where I couldn't hurt anyone. I was suddenly terrified that Derek would be hurt next. I couldn't let that happen. I hurried to the closet and crabbed my backpack and a duffel bag. I started shoving as many clothes in there as possible. "What are you doing?" Anthony asked coming to the door of the closet. "I'm leaving," I said. "Where are you going to go?" he asked. "I don't know, somewhere where I can't hurt the people I love," I said. "It isn't your fault Trevor died," Anthony said softly. It sounded to me like he didn't believe it. I pushed past him and went to the bathroom for my toothbrush. "I have a trust fund, it has a lot of money in it, my real grandfather, Michael Jamieson set it up for his son, my father, Zack's children, I'm his only child, so it's all mine." I was aware that I sounded a little greedy but I didn't care. I knew I had to leave. I couldn't hurt Derek; I had to spare him. "I'm coming with you." Anthony said. I whirled around, "No," I said firmly. "Yes," he said just as firmly. He disappeared for a minute and then was back with the three suitcases that he had. He hadn't even unpacked yet. He hadn't even been home for twenty-four hours but he was already facing a tragedy. His brother was dead. I saw how much he wanted to help me, be with me. Anthony and I were alike. Neither of us wanted to hurt anyone but it always ended up happening anyway. Maybe it would be better to have him with me. We would take his car. It was the middle of the night. I had been asleep all day after finding out about Trevor. We went quietly into the garage and into Anthony's black Mercedes. "Will you be able to access the trust fund?" Anthony asked as the garage door opened painfully slow. "Yes, I'm eighteen, Maxine handed over all the information on my birthday," I said. When she had given it to me, I had felt like she was glad to finally be rid of me and everything about me. Anthony started the car and we drove off into the night. We were headed towards a new life, where we couldn't hurt anyone we loved. I would miss Derek terribly, but I knew that telling myself that I was doing him a favor would help. He could be happy without me. He would be better off without me. We drove through the night. We headed north, not really sure, where we were going. I wanted to live by a lake. A little cottage on the lake. I wanted a simple life. We drove and drove, taking turns so the other person could sleep. We didn't stop at a single hotel. I was too eager to escape from everything that had happened in La Vie. Finally we came into a city and I saw a Royal Bank. We needed to find out how much money we had. I went inside by myself and went to speak to a teller. Her name was Candice. She had long, bleach blond hair and makeup caked on. "I need to speak to someone about a trust fund," I said. "Which trust fund would that be?" she asked, chomping on her gum. I looked down at the information in my hand, "The Jamieson trust fund," I answered. She stared at me a moment and then scurried away. I stared after her, not sure what had just happened. An older man came and gestured for me to step into his office. "What is going on?" I demanded. I didn't have the patience for this right now. I just wanted some money so Anthony and I could start a new life. "Let me see those papers," he said. I gave them to him. He smiled after a minute. I showed him some ID to prove who I was. "Well, you have quite a lot of money," he said. "How much?" I asked. "Ten million," he said. I gasped in surprise. I hadn't expected to have that much. Not by a long shot. "Mr. Jamieson invested well," he explained everything my Grandfather had done. I wished now that I had had a chance to meet him. He sounded like a very smart business man. I did all the paper work that was required and I was now a millionaire. I went out to the car and found Anthony sleeping. I felt all the tension that was in my body flow out as I drove towards the lake. I was going to buy a house by the lake and it wouldn't put a dent in my fortune. We were going to be OK.