Read Online Broken by Teona Bell - Free Book Online

enough to kiss their feet made things worse.
    “So who knows?” Ciera said. “You might get him next year or even next week. Hang in there.”
    Far from encouraged, Kathy seemed to grow angrier. She stormed out of the room, and Ciera called after her. Kathy kept moving, and Ciera followed.
    “I don’t think you should be in Nathan’s room when he hasn’t invited you into it.”
    If possible, the woman reddened even more, but she wasn’t deterred. She yanked Nathan’s top dresser drawer open and jabbed a hand inside. Ciera grabbed her arm to jerk her back, but Kathy brought out a picture in a frame. She shoved it in Ciera’s face, and Ciera had to lean back to keep from getting smacked in the nose.
    “This is Melly’s mother,” Kathy growled. “ You —are a substitute!”
     
     

Chapter Nine
     
    The entire world seemed to have gone silent. Ciera stared down at the picture. She squinted, blinked, and rubbed her eyes. Nothing cleared away the vision in the frame. Not that Melly’s mother was beautiful. She was cute in her way. No, the shot was a candid one with her sitting up and half hidden with the bedcovers. Whatever had been written on the nightshirt had long since faded, and the fitted sheet beneath her had come off the edge of the mattress. Melly’s mother frowned at the photographer in a way that didn’t seem all that serious. She pointed a finger as if to say “I’m going to get you for this.”
    What struck Ciera was that this woman with her brown skin, her short, natural hair, and her plump figure could be Ciera’s sister. Tears welled up in Ciera’s eyes, but she squared her shoulders and sucked in a deep breath. She wanted to curse Kathy out, but speaking right then was impossible without sobbing.
    The front door opened and closed, and Nathan called out. A muffled sound from Melly, and he greeted her as if he hadn’t seen her in years. Ciera imagined Melly did the same. He would come back now of all times when she hadn’t had a chance to pull herself together yet.
    Nathan strode into the bedroom with Melly on his hip. Ciera spun away and kept her back to him. She shut her eyes and concentrated on staying upright and breathing.
    “What’s going on?” Nathan said. “Why are you two in here? Ciera? Kathy?”
    Ciera still couldn’t speak, and Kathy said nothing.
    “What, Melly?” Nathan said. “Fighting?” Ciera guessed the little miss was tattling. “Ciera, turn around.”
    His voice was cast low. Ciera started to shake. She couldn’t hold her emotions in much longer. If she didn’t get out of there now, she might explode. She still held the picture, and she didn’t want him to know she’d seen it.
    “I just dropped over bring back that book I borrowed,” Kathy announced. “I’ll get out of your hair.”
    “What book?” Nathan’s tone had turned to a warning.
    Kathy chirped good-bye, and her steps faded down the hall. The front door opened and closed. Ciera jumped when Melly’s small hand slid into hers, and she looked down. Melly looked worried.
    “I’m fine,” she mumbled, but she wasn’t.
    “Ciera.” Nathan spoke from right behind her. “Turn around.”
    She licked her lips, squared her shoulders, and spun on her heel. Thrusting the picture into his hands, she made to move around him, but his hand sprang out, and he caught her. “Let me go, Nathan. I have things to do.”
    “What are you doing with this picture, Ciera?”
    She pulled on his hold, but it tightened, and she glared at him. “Does it matter?”
    “Yes.”
    “If you must know, Kathy told me about it. She went right to it and showed it to me.”
    “Why would she do that?”
    “Look, don’t play dumb, Nathan,” she snapped. “Anybody can see she looks like my twin.”
    “So?”
    “So?” She snatched her arm away from him. Her reaction made no sense. After all, they never promised each other anything, and she still hadn’t told him about her health issues. That didn’t change the feeling