Read Online Distinction: The Distraction Trilogy #3 by A. E. Murphy - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: A. E. Murphy
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I have to refuse.
“I’ll drive us to mum’s.” Isaac interrupts my excuses. “We should see her before you leave, Elle.”
I nod, quietly relieved that he’s taking me to see her. There’s no way I’m going without saying hello to Judith first, even if she doesn’t recognise me.
Isaac
I watch my mother chat with Eloise for a brief minute and it gives me a glimmer of hope. This is the first time she’s been this chatty in a really long time. Maybe somewhere, deep down, my mother recognises her. I know it’s a reach but is it wrong to hope?
“She’s not eating properly, or they aren’t feeding her right.” Eloise whispers, leaning into me so that the nurses, who are wandering around checking on their patients, can’t hear. Her breast and shoulder press against my arm. I concentrate on everything but that. It’s impossible and I feel an incredible ache in my groin, despite the dire conversation. It’s been too long since I was intimate. “I’m worried.”
“There’s only so much they can do, Elle. Mum is… she’s stubborn and she gets quite violent now.” Saying it out loud devastates me. My mum is hardly even a shell anymore. If she continues down this road, who knows how long she’ll last. “We’re all trying our best.”
“I know, but…”
“You haven’t been here.” I feel her tense at my hissed words. “You don’t know what it’s been like.” I’m not saying it to hurt her; I’m saying it because it’s true. “Just visit and be kind.”
“I… I’m sorry.” She pulls away and I immediately regret my outburst. I don’t have a chance to apologise though as she’s already halfway across the room, her phone in hand.
My dad and I watch her. She was on her phone a lot on the way here too but she had it tilted away from me so I couldn’t see who she was texting. Not that it’s any of my business, nor was I trying to look. I just find it odd that she’s going to lengths to shield the screen from us.
My mum’s warm eyes come to me. She stares at me, her eyes empty of any part of her. It chills me straight down to my bone. “You look beautiful, Mum.” I say as she sways from side to side and threads her fingers through her short white hair.
“Have you seen my husband?” She asks us both, still looking straight through us. “He needs to pick my son up from school.” Perspiration breaks out over my skin and all sound drowns out other than her voice. “It’s those bullies again. They never leave him alone.”
“I’m here,” I tell her, reaching for her hand. She pulls it away.
“Zack! Zack!” She shouts suddenly, making the people around us jump. “Zack!”
“Zack has gone swimming, Judith,” a nurse says, smiling. She puts her hands on my mum’s shoulders. “Remember? He went swimming.”
“Fat. Fat.” Mum chants for a minute under her breath. “Fatty. Fat.”
“Is she calling the nurse…?” Eloise starts, but I take her arm with my hand and lead her away.
“Probably. Shall we get some air?”
“I feel fine.”
I pull her along anyway as my dad and the nurse calm my mother down. I don’t want Eloise to see her tantrum. Her phone jingles twice on the way. It takes everything I have not to snatch it and throw it across the carpark, purely so she’ll stop diverting her attention from us.
“Slow down, will you?” She snaps, tugging her arm free once we make it outside.
“Sorry.” Releasing her, I grip the railings that run along the side of the wheelchair ramp. “I just don’t like to see her when she gets like that.”
“I understand.” She leans her forearms on the railing besides me. “This is weird, right?”
“Huh?”
“Seeing each other… it’s almost like before.”
Blink. My heart begins to race in my chest. “Yeah. It’s easy to forget the four years that have passed.”
I watch her hair flutter in the wind. It’s grown so long and it’s still the gorgeous shade of red I fell in love with. Looking at her,
“I’ll drive us to mum’s.” Isaac interrupts my excuses. “We should see her before you leave, Elle.”
I nod, quietly relieved that he’s taking me to see her. There’s no way I’m going without saying hello to Judith first, even if she doesn’t recognise me.
Isaac
I watch my mother chat with Eloise for a brief minute and it gives me a glimmer of hope. This is the first time she’s been this chatty in a really long time. Maybe somewhere, deep down, my mother recognises her. I know it’s a reach but is it wrong to hope?
“She’s not eating properly, or they aren’t feeding her right.” Eloise whispers, leaning into me so that the nurses, who are wandering around checking on their patients, can’t hear. Her breast and shoulder press against my arm. I concentrate on everything but that. It’s impossible and I feel an incredible ache in my groin, despite the dire conversation. It’s been too long since I was intimate. “I’m worried.”
“There’s only so much they can do, Elle. Mum is… she’s stubborn and she gets quite violent now.” Saying it out loud devastates me. My mum is hardly even a shell anymore. If she continues down this road, who knows how long she’ll last. “We’re all trying our best.”
“I know, but…”
“You haven’t been here.” I feel her tense at my hissed words. “You don’t know what it’s been like.” I’m not saying it to hurt her; I’m saying it because it’s true. “Just visit and be kind.”
“I… I’m sorry.” She pulls away and I immediately regret my outburst. I don’t have a chance to apologise though as she’s already halfway across the room, her phone in hand.
My dad and I watch her. She was on her phone a lot on the way here too but she had it tilted away from me so I couldn’t see who she was texting. Not that it’s any of my business, nor was I trying to look. I just find it odd that she’s going to lengths to shield the screen from us.
My mum’s warm eyes come to me. She stares at me, her eyes empty of any part of her. It chills me straight down to my bone. “You look beautiful, Mum.” I say as she sways from side to side and threads her fingers through her short white hair.
“Have you seen my husband?” She asks us both, still looking straight through us. “He needs to pick my son up from school.” Perspiration breaks out over my skin and all sound drowns out other than her voice. “It’s those bullies again. They never leave him alone.”
“I’m here,” I tell her, reaching for her hand. She pulls it away.
“Zack! Zack!” She shouts suddenly, making the people around us jump. “Zack!”
“Zack has gone swimming, Judith,” a nurse says, smiling. She puts her hands on my mum’s shoulders. “Remember? He went swimming.”
“Fat. Fat.” Mum chants for a minute under her breath. “Fatty. Fat.”
“Is she calling the nurse…?” Eloise starts, but I take her arm with my hand and lead her away.
“Probably. Shall we get some air?”
“I feel fine.”
I pull her along anyway as my dad and the nurse calm my mother down. I don’t want Eloise to see her tantrum. Her phone jingles twice on the way. It takes everything I have not to snatch it and throw it across the carpark, purely so she’ll stop diverting her attention from us.
“Slow down, will you?” She snaps, tugging her arm free once we make it outside.
“Sorry.” Releasing her, I grip the railings that run along the side of the wheelchair ramp. “I just don’t like to see her when she gets like that.”
“I understand.” She leans her forearms on the railing besides me. “This is weird, right?”
“Huh?”
“Seeing each other… it’s almost like before.”
Blink. My heart begins to race in my chest. “Yeah. It’s easy to forget the four years that have passed.”
I watch her hair flutter in the wind. It’s grown so long and it’s still the gorgeous shade of red I fell in love with. Looking at her,
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