Picking Up The Pieces

ch.20

''-- It's like I don't even see you anymore! You're always with him Phoebe!'' Chelsea says to Phoebe. It was supposed to be a girls' night out thing tonight between Phoebe and Chelsea, a special night that they want to work on, but Phoebe backed out last minute because she wanted to be with Oliver.

''Chels, I don't know why you're making it a big deal,'' she said, zipping her backpack and putting her other belongings to the side. She tossed her hair from the side as she grabbed her watch and putting it inside her pocket.

It was raining outside. The percussion of the given water varies according to the surface it wets. It sounded like the drums that are windows, the cymbals that are the concrete floor, and the soft, soft maracas that are the music of the grass.

Chelsea loves it when it rains. Especially the kind of rain that makes you feel sleepy and wanting to binge-watching old movies all day.

''It is a big deal because if he goes you go but if you go he goes, and I don't have the time to see you. My mom was even worried something happened between us but I had to keep up a lie and said that everything was fine.''

''Chelsea, please, let me do me. I'll be back.''

''Are you sure?''

''Yes, I'm sure.''

''Okay,'' Chelsea plopped down on the bed, crossing her legs together as she took a sigh when she saw Phoebe leave the dorm. A sadness appeared across her mind at the thought of not seeing much of Phoebe anymore.

Yes, Chelsea understands the value of giving each other's space, but she couldn't bear to think that is no longer a priority. It's like she not even there and Phoebe doesn't know it.

Chelsea looked at the time and realized it was time for her to go to work. Without a doubt, she got off her bed and went to get herself ready. She puts on her uniform clothes, a navy collard shirt with jeans, and a hat that says Tasty Cofee. After putting lipgloss on, she gathers her belongings and heads to work.

♡

"DOLL FACE, I SAID ORDER UP!" Lenny, one of Theo's co-workers yelled from the pass-through between the kitchen and the front of the diner. It was the middle of the dinner rush and he'd already been working since six that morning. To say his patience was wearing thin was a serious miscalculation since he'd already run totally out of the s**t hours ago.

"Lenny, if you call me doll face one more time, I'm gonna slap the f**k out of you,'' Theo said after placing a glass of champagne on the counter. The diners snickered as he laid into him but Theo didn't find it in him to care. He'd run all out of 'professional' sometime around lunch.

"Sounds kinky," Theo heard one of his coworkers, Savannah say as she breezed through the door of the diner and parked her butt on a barstool like she owned the place. "I gotta see you pull that one off, Theodore."

Theo snapped his dishtowel at her as He grabbed the order from Lenny's window and shoved it at her. "Make yourself useful, Savvy. Help me wait for some of these tables."

''Ouch, can't handle a queen like me,'' she said, winking at him. Savvy have forgotten she was older than Theo. The woman looked young and flawless but she was in her mid-thirties. Single, never had kids or been married but seemed to find herself flirting with younger men like Theo himself.

Giving Theo a little chuckle, Savvy held her hands up in surrender. Savannah hopped off the barstool and grabbed a few condiments nearby as she heads over to the table.

The phone in Theo's pocket was buzzing rapidly, it felt like he had posted something onto social media and got viral for something. But, it wasn't like that at all. It felt like something important. Like his mom or Phoebe calling him with an emergency.

''I gotta take this,'' he said to Lenny.

''Okay, but don't be away for too long. We're a full house today.'' After a quick nod, Theo heads to the back nearby the employee room and answers the phone, he took a glance and realized it was his mother, Janet.

''Theo,'' she said, heavily breathing that turn into a cry.

''Mom?''

''Theo you need to come here. Your sister took your motorcycle,'' she sniffs and continues. ''She's been into an accident.''

''What?'' Theo said in a whisper. His heart tanked, deeper than the ocean. There was a tightening feeling around his chest that felt like his heart was going to explode at any minute now.

Janet rambled a bit about how her nad Oliver was actually going through a breakup, Phoebe was really upset how things ended so she drove to their home and lied saying she was there to get an extra key for Theo, but ended using his motorcycle without his permission.

Theo pondered to say something next. He was left with no words as his hands were gripping at the back of his neck. Frustrated, anger, sadness, and hopelessness are what Theo had in his mind.

''Mom. Stay there, I'm coming,'' Theo finally speaks.

''Please sweetie, please come,'' she sniffs. After hanging up his phone, Theo couldn't hold back his tears when he realized that his little sister is hospitalized. His only one.

Sure, he never really expressed too much when it came to Pheobe but in the end, that was his sister. The last thing he wanted was to lose her.

♡

1:15 a.m., just hours after receiving news that Phoebe was in a car accident. Theo and Janet couldn't sleep at all. Janet had called Patricia from her work but she couldn't come due to the hectic environment at work. Janet asked Theo if he reached Chelsea but Theo said she ''didn't respond''.

He lied.

He couldn't text her. Theo didn't even know what to say to her. It wasn't about the grudge anymore it was about how he could let her know that Phoebe got into a motorcycle accident. A part of it wasn't an act of revenge, he had known about the Paris thing and finally knew more into detail when Phoebe had told him the real reason why Ben and Chelsea split.

He felt dumb.

My heart clenched. f**k. This was far more difficult than he'd anticipated.

''You know, this whole thing with you and Chels--''

''Mom. Please, not right now.''

''Theo, what happened between you two?''

''Nothing.''

"Were you planning to answer my question?" she asked.

Theo took another gulp of coffee and considered what to say. After a moment, Theo ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Mom, nothing happened."

She arched a brow. "I'm not stupid, Theo. I can tell by the look on your face something happened. Please tell me you two came to your senses and figured out you belong together.''

He stifles a laugh. ''I don't even like her like that.''

''Bull. You two never got over each other. Good grief, Chelsea was so determined not to talk about you, she'd walk out of the room if I even said your name at her mother's house. And you happened to not care.''

Janet eyed Theo for a long moment. Not for the first time, Theo wished she wasn't so damn perceptive. He could feel her trying to read into him. His heart and mind were one giant mess, and he sure as hell didn't want to try to make sense of it all with his mother. He loved her to pieces, and he knew he was blessed to have her as a mother, but a little privacy wouldn't hurt about now.

"Mom, don't stare me down, okay?" Theo finally speaks.

She flashed a knowing smile. "You're just uncomfortable because I know you so well. "

A doctor walked out of the room where Phoebe was and gave Janet and Theo their undivided attention. In a situation such as this, it would be odd to not have anxiety. What you face is legitimately difficult.

The doctor's eyes softened and Janet instantly trembled her lips with tears.

''She couldn't make it, I'm sorry for your loss.''

END OF PART II