Always: Broken Series Book Four by Annie Jocoby Read Free Book Online Page A

time next year, but that might not be possible.”
    “Is that how you’re going to put it? In those words?”
    “Well, yeah. I mean, it’s the truth, isn’t it? That doctor seemed to say that there are all kinds of things that might happen to me. He sorta said that my losing a leg could happen. I need to be prepared for that, and so should Chloe.”
    Mom was just standing there, staring at me, her hands wringing. That was something that I always noticed she did – wring her hands. I didn’t think that she even noticed that she did that. I always did, though. I always noticed that she did that whenever she and dad were in a fight. Which happened more than I would have liked throughout the years. Mom and dad were so different – I wondered how they ever got together at all.
    “Addy,” she finally said. Her voice was trembling, and she bit her bottom lip. “Maybe dad and I should talk to Chloe.”
    “Why? You’re just going to tell her bullshit. Are you going to go in there and tell her that I might lose my leg, and I’ll definitely lose my hair? And I’m probably going to lose my mind while I’m at it. Or are you going to tell her about the rainbows and unicorns and all the great things that will happen when I beat this thing without any kind of bad things happening? That the doctor is going to be able to just cut this thing out of my knee and I’ll be out of soccer for a few months, but then I’ll be good as new?” I had no idea why I was angry, I just knew that I suddenly was. “What are you going to say to her, mom?”
    “We’re just going to tell her what’s going on, and answer any questions she might have.”
    “Mom. I love you, but come on. You’re big on the psychobabble crap, and Chloe won’t be having that. She’s going to want to know what’s going on, and if you start talking the way that you always do with us, using those words you learned from your therapist…” I shook my head. “She won’t be having it.”
    That was another thing about mom – she had been through years of therapy, and it showed. I knew why she had to go through therapy. She had been through a lot when she was growing up. But I always hated it when she started spouting off the psychobabble bullshit. I hated it when I listened to television shrinks, and I hated it when it came out of her mouth.
    “Addy, that’s enough,” my dad said. “Your mother is just trying to help.” He put his arm around mom. “Honey, I think Addy’s got this.”
    Mom just shook her head and brought out a Kleenex that she had apparently shoved into her pocket when she went to the restroom. I felt sorry for her, but I also felt mad. She needed to man up, or the female equivalent of manning up. I couldn’t have her falling apart all the time.
    As I climbed the stairs to go and see Chloe, I could hear my parents talking down below. They were trying hard to be quiet, but I could hear dad trying to talk to mom. I also heard mom say stuff about losing me. That hurt. I was worried about losing my leg. Mom was apparently worried about me dying. That thought never even crossed my mind. I was 15. I was way too young to die. My destiny was to be on television with my own cooking show. My destiny certainly wasn’t to die before I even finished high school.
    Was it?
    I got to Chloe’s room and knocked on the door. She answered the door almost immediately.
    “Hey kid, what’s going on up here?” I kinda knew, because her schoolbooks, and her laptop, were spread out on her bed. Next to her books were our two dogs, Georgie and Gracie. They were both pugs, and they eagerly jumped off the bed when I came in and greeted me. I bent down to scratch their ears and they whined softly.
    “I’m studying. I have an AP exam tomorrow in conversational French.”
    I shook my head. Conversational French, and the girl was 12 years old. I never had that kind of motivation to learn another language, especially one as useless as French was in this country. Now,