Chapter 2: Hermione: Secrets and Silence

Hermione walked around her room in the early hours of September first. She carefully touched the lump on the side of her head. Wincing she walked to her door and pulled it open. She was on her way downstairs when a whispered conversation reached her ears.

"Jimmy? Hey baby! How are you?"

Silence

"I'm fine! It's so great to hear your voice!"

Silence

"My daughter goes to school today! We can meet later!"

Silence and then giggling.

"Stop it! You're so funny!"

Hermione was disgusted with her mother for having an affair. The talking receded in her mother's room. Hermione listened carefully for a moment. She heard a car door slam and the beep of an alarm. Hermione stood terrified.

"Jimmy! I have to go! I will call you back later!" her mother whispered voice full of fear.

On instinct Hermione yelled: "When is somebody going to take me to the train station?" She waited hoping that nobody was going to fight today. Impulsively her hand twirled the engagement ring Vince gave her a year ago. The thought of him made her want to cry. For a brief moment she had the image of Vince pulling on his shirt as her rushed out of her room. It was on days like this that she wished Vince was still with her. He would know what to do.

Hermione heard footsteps on the stairs and her father called: "I'll take you! Be ready by 9:00! It's an hour and a half drive. You know that!" He gave Hermione a quick one handed hug. She froze underneath him. I will never forgive him! She thought.

She watched her father walk towards his room. Praying, hoping, wishing, Hermione stood perfectly still. She stood waiting for an outburst nut not a sound came from the room. She gladly let out her breath. But a slow sinking feeling settled in her stomach.

Catching her breath she went downstairs where her trunk and backpack were placed by the front door. Sighing she flounced down on the leather sofa. Reaching over she picked up the remote and clicked the channel to music videos. Closing her eyes she let the Avril Lavigne song take over her body. The beat was the kind she heard back in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Hermione began singing.

"So much for my happy ending
Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh...

Let's talk this over
It's not like we're dead
Was it something I did?
Was it something You said?
Don't leave me hanging
In a city so dead
Held up up so high
On such a breakable thread

You were all the things I thought I knew
And I thought we could be

You were everything, everything that I wanted
We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it
And all the memories, so close to me, just fade away
All this time you were pretending
So much for my happy ending
Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh...

You've got your dumb friends
I know what they say
They tell you I'm difficult
But so are they
But they don't know me
Do they even know you?
All the things you hide from me
All the shit that you do

You were all the things I thought I knew
And I thought we could be

It's nice to know you were there
Thanks for acting like you cared
And making me feel like I was the only one
It's nice to know we had it all
Thanks for watching as I fall
And letting me know we were done

Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh..."