Old Wounds Read Free

the types of injuries one gets from falling down. Is it possible that Sophie’s mother…”
    Shit. Shit. Shit. I stopped listening at that point. He was going to say it and Tom would have to think about it. Then Tom would know and he’d probably force me into some kind of conversation about it.
    My mind drifted. I could see my reflection in the framed picture of a sailboat across from where I sat. I looked little, tired, and bored, but there was nothing special about me. Well, except for the combination of my hair and eyes. I was sort of a genetic freak of nature with those. Brown hair and crystal blue eyes; two traits that didn’t usually go together, and usually garnered a fair amount of attention, but apart from that I was thin with ugly freckles from the sun.
    Tom finally exited the office. “Sophie,” he said, much softer and more careful than ever before. Damn, he knew. “You ready?”
    “Yeah. Everything okay?” I couldn’t help but ask.
    Tom nodded and gave me a tight-lipped smile, holding up a piece of paper. “You’re free and clear to go to school tomorrow.”
    Much to my surprise and eternal gratefulness, Tom didn’t say a word about the information he received from the incredible Dr. Dalton. He simply dropped me off at home, told me to make sure to eat, and then went back to work. I hoped that he would continue this laissez-faire style of parenting.
    My day went by quickly as I continued to shift my room into something more suitable. Tom wasn’t much of a housekeeper, so after I finished with my room, I scrubbed the small bathroom upstairs. Cleaning was easy and it kept my mind off of things I usually tried to avoid thinking about. Soon, the upstairs was so sparkling clean I almost didn’t recognize it. I didn’t do Tom’s room, but I went downstairs to clean the living room, bathroom, dining room and kitchen.
    The hum of the vacuum lulled my mind into a numb state, allowing me to remember exactly how my collarbone had been broken. Of course, Helen hadn’t taken me to the hospital then, or for any of my other numerous broken bones for that matter. There would have been questions and poorly-concealed dirty looks as the medical professionals made their silent judgments and decided if calling the Department of Children and Families would be necessary.
    Looking at Helen and her tiny little five-foot-five frame, one wouldn’t think that she’d be able to inflict such damage, but I knew from experience that she was a force to be reckoned with. It wasn’t that she was so physically strong; it was that she had a lot of fiery passion and aggression within her.
    I shook my head as I flipped the vacuum off. I hadn’t had any weed since I’d left Tampa and I was in desperate need of it. Getting some was going to be one of my top priorities at school tomorrow. There had to be some killer bud around and all I needed to do was find the person at Damascus High who could hook me up. I didn’t have much money saved, but I could easily get a job. Besides, in the past it was fairly easy to hook up with my hook up. Not that I was a pot whore or anything. It was just easy to find mutual pleasures and typically, when you’re banging someone, they don’t charge you for the shit you smoke when you’re with them. It’s also easy to get them to break you off some for when you’re not.
    It was nearing five o’clock when I finally starting hunting around in Tom’s cabinets and refrigerator to see what I could make for dinner. I wasn’t trying to be domestic, but cooking and cleaning were just some of my responsibilities at Helen’s so it wasn’t as if I was stepping outside the realm of traditional Sophie roles.
    Tom had next to no food in his house. His fridge was filled with random condiments and a shitload of beer. Damn. If only beer was my preferred method of getting fucked up. It looked as though he had enough to not even miss a few. Well, perhaps I’d be able to stumble across some hidden bottles of