Page 44 of We May Be Fractured

Broken Pieces

[Now playing ? Midnight—Coldplay]

A aron knew he owed Aunt Olivia an explanation. She’d been nothing but kind since he first arrived at her place three years ago. Despite all the lies and the trouble he’d caused, she never once made him feel like he was in the wrong.

She welcomed him, same as ever, with open arms and led him to the living room. They sat on the sofa, their go-to spot for heart-to-hearts, each cradling a steaming mug.

“Auntie Olivia,” Aaron started shakily, “I’m sorry for all this mess.

It’s just that…I was trying to…” He brought the tea to his nose, hoping the mint would chill him out.

But no luck. His fingers did a clanky tapping on the handle.

Even one of Nyle’s quirky mugs wouldn’t have cut the tension this time. “I don’t know where to start.”

“Perhaps start with your plans to move to Australia and never come back,” Aunt Olivia suggested flatly.

“Look, I didn’t—”

“No, Aaron,” she cut in sharply, her fingernails scraping the ceramic mug. “Do you really think you’re the only one hurting, struggling to get past this? I lost my sister and niece in that crash, too, remember?”

Aaron’s throat scratched like sandpaper as he gulped, eyes fixed on the coffee table.

“I know exactly what it feels like,” Olivia pressed on. “Every morning, I wake up hoping it’s just a nightmare. But it’s real, and we both have to face it. Now, why were you planning to move to Australia without telling me?”

“I still want to go to Australia,” he corrected softly.

“Because that’s what Tori dreamed of?”

He stayed silent, avoiding her gaze.

“Have you opened the book Tori left you?”

Aaron flinched. “It’s just a kid’s book.”

“It’s more than that, and you know it. Tori made me promise, with her last breath, that you’d have it.”

“I don’t need to open it. I know what it says.”

“Or maybe it’s too hard because it reminds you of her.”

“Everything does,” he admitted, finally looking up. He was sure his eyes were glossy, on the verge of tears. Something he hadn’t done in years, not even on the day of Tori’s funeral, which he’d been unable to attend.

“Aarie…” Aunt Olivia stretched out her hand on the cushion to touch his. “What happened is unfair, but Tori would want you to live fully, to find happiness.”

“I’ll find that in Sydney,” he whispered.

“Do you truly believe that?”

Aaron faltered. Like Landon, Aunt Olivia questioned his decision, one he’d been mulling over for ages about the promise he’d made to Tori. Why couldn’t they get that?

“You never talk about the crash or losing Tori, but maybe it’s time you did. If it’s not with me, maybe a friend or…a therapist?”

Aaron felt the urge to roll his eyes. The only useful thing he’d picked up from those therapy sessions Aunt Olivia had insisted on after the car crash was about how scents trigger memories.

That was why he’d started sniffing mint.

It took him back to Tori. She always loved peppermint tea and would insist on him drinking it whenever he was sick, though he never liked it.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” His words echoed Landon’s when Aaron had tried to get him to open up. Funny how he was pushing Landon to do the very thing he was avoiding.

“Talking helped me,” Aunt Olivia insisted.

“What’s the point? Tori’s gone.” Aaron pulled his hand away and fiddled with his pendant, a constant reminder of his survival. But at what price? “Chatting about it won’t bring her back.”

“No, it won’t,” Aunt Olivia agreed softly. “But you can’t live in her shadow forever. You need to find a way through your grief.”

“I am through it. I’m moving on.”

“It looks more like you’re stuck.”

“I won’t be for long. As soon as my community service is done, I’m off. Starting fresh.”

He sniffed the tea and made a face; the smell wasn’t right. “Is this a new brand or something?”

“Don’t change the subject, Aaron. And why keep me in the dark? It wasn’t fun finding out what happened from Cliff. And that you were only a few miles away? Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

“I’m sorry. I was…ashamed.” He set down his tea and covered his face with his hands.

“I can understand that. And I know people can do a lot of stupid things. I’ve done plenty myself and would never judge you. If you’d told me, I would’ve been there to help.”

Aaron looked up, meeting Aunt Olivia’s gaze. “I don’t need help.”

“That’s exactly what someone who needs help would say,” she pointed out. “I’m here for you. I wish I’d known earlier what you and Tori were dealing with at home.”

“How could you? I didn’t know myself. Mum and Dad were good at playing the ‘happy family’.

” He snorted. “They dragged Tori and me into their mess just because they were too stubborn to admit they weren’t right together.

All their nonsense rules, the fights, the spiteful games, and using us as pawns… ”

“Yeah, they definitely brought out the worst in each other,” Aunt Olivia agreed. “But they did love you both.”

“Maybe, but it wasn’t the kind of love that did us any good.”

Aunt Olivia sighed. “I never liked your dad, to be honest. When he and Joanne got together, he charmed everyone. He was so polite, so generous with gifts, not just to your mum but to all of us. He was a smooth talker, hard to argue with. And those love letters he wrote to her were like something out of a romantic movie. I guess that’s why she fell for it. ”

Aaron scoffed. His memories were of them shouting, always bickering, even when they weren’t yelling. They’d constantly moan about any silly thing around the house or complain about him and Tori. Any slip-up. and “Oh, because it’s your son,” as if being related was an insult.

He loathed living in that toxic atmosphere. Throughout his childhood, Aaron wished they’d split up so he could escape the constant tension. He’d even thrown himself into every school activity to stay out of the house as much as possible.

Yet, after they were gone, he didn’t feel any relief. He missed them. Not the anger and the arguments, but his parents. The good times, rare as they were, played back in his mind, tinged with sadness for what might have been and what was lost forever.

“I wish I’d done more,” Olivia continued.

“I didn’t realise it was that bad. Sure, I saw them argue now and then, but that’s normal for couples, right?

And when you have kids, you always think you’re doing what’s best for them.

” She set her mug down and gripped her knees.

“But looking back, I’m not sure they made the right choices. ”

“They should’ve divorced.”

“Yeah, they should have. Maybe things would’ve been different for you. Maybe you wouldn’t have…” Her voice trailed off.

Aaron flashed back to the fateful day of the accident, freezing him in his tracks.

It had started with a trivial but familiar squabble in the backseat of their car. “ I want to sit on this side ,” Aaron had insisted.

“ But I always sit there ,” Tori protested, tinged with annoyance. Eventually, though, she sighed and gave in. “ Fine, take it .”

As they settled into the car ride, Tori kept her eyes glued to her phone until she squawked excitedly, “Oh my God, I’ve been offered a scholarship in Sydney!”

Their parents exchanged a glance that spoke volumes. Aaron could sense the tension beginning to simmer.

“ Sydney? ” Mum sounded worried. “ That’s an entire continent away, Tori. It seems so…drastic.”

“ But this is my dream, Mum. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’ve always wanted to do something like this, and now I have the chance!

” Her enthusiasm was undeterred. “ And that’s not all.

Tom has connections in Sydney. I can work with koalas, get hands-on experience… It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. ”

Mum’s voice rose in volume. “ We need to think about this, Tori. It’s a big decision. ”

“ There’s nothing to think about. This is what I want. Why can’t you get that? ”

Dad spoke up, sounding all serious. “You’re too young to know what you want. We’re your parents. We know what’s best for you. ”

Tori pounded her fist lightly on the seat. “ No, you don’t. I’m eighteen now. I make my own choices. And guess what? I’ve found a student year program in Sydney for Aaron too, ” she said, turning to him.

Aaron recalled his father’s hands tightening on the steering wheel.

“ What? Now you’re dragging your little brother into this too? ”

“ I’m not little, ” he’d protested. “ And it’d be sick to do a year abroad. ”

But that’s when everything went haywire with Mum and Dad arguing, voices getting louder. Tori tried to stand her ground, Aaron’s stomach doing somersaults.

Suddenly, Dad turned around to give Tori a piece of his mind, completely forgetting about the road. “ You’re not going anywhere! ” he’d shouted.

That was the last thing Aaron remembered before the screech of tires filled the air and a deafening crash silenced everything. The aftermath was a blur—Mum yelling Dad’s name in panic, Tori grabbing Aaron’s hand as the world turned upside down and a rain of glass poured over him.

Tori kept squeezing his hand till the very end, even though she sounded tired. “ It’s going to be okay, Aarie. ” She didn’t let go, even as a jagged piece of glass lodged between their interlocked palms. “ Hold on to a happy thought, and we’ll fly away to Neverland, okay? Don’t let go. ”

“Aarie,” Aunt Olivia’s voice cut through his thoughts like a beacon, her touch on his back grounding him.

Aaron realised he was shaking all over.

“Just breathe, Aaron. You’re here with me.” Aunt Olivia’s hand moved in soothing circles on his back. “You’re safe. Everything’s okay now.”