Broken Hill Halo (Broken Hill High 2)

“Shit,” I cringe. “Maybe you should be in there too.”

“Nah,” he says. “Mom knows I’m no angel. If she heard something and had a problem with it, she’d come and curse me out. Usually, she’s just pissed with her friends for sticking their noses where they don’t belong. Jesse though, he likes mom thinking that he’s still her sweet little baby. He gets away with so much shit because of it.”

“I can only image,” I laugh as I hop down off the table and walk towards him. “Speaking of your mom,” I say as my earlier curiosity slams back into me. “What was she saying to you when she came out here earlier?”

Nate puts his arm over my shoulder and pulls me in beside him as he works on the grill. “She was reminding me to use protection,” he smirks as my phone starts to ring in my pocket.

“Oh, geez,” I groan as embarrassment floods me once again. I reach into my pocket and grin at the caller ID. “Oh, it’s mom,” I announce before hitting the answer button. I bring the phone up to my ear with a smile. I haven’t talked to mom in days and haven’t seen her for over two months, though, FaceTime doesn’t count. She insists on doing that shit all the time, even though she generally struggles with basic technology. “Hey, Mom. What’s going on? How’s Nanna?”

“Oh, Sweetie,” she says as a violent sob comes tearing down the phone.

My eyebrows pull down as I look up at Nate. “Mom?” I question.

Nate looks down at me as he catches onto the tone in my voice, though his gaze is too intense and I tear my eyes away. I step out from under his arm and walk out into the yard. “Mom? Are you still there?”

A sinking feeling settles into my stomach and I feel as though I’m about to hurl. “Tora,” mom whispers. Though, I know that whisper. It’s the one you use when you’re terrified your voice will break if you speak any louder. It’s the one she uses when she’s trying to protect me from something.

“Mom,” I say again as my eyes flick up to find Nate’s heavy gaze on me. “What’s going on?”

I listen as she lets out a shaky breath and takes a minute to try to gain control of her emotions. “Honey, I’m so sorry,” she tells me with a sniffle. “Nanna’s gone. She didn’t make it.”

“What?” I breathe.

“Honey.”

“No,” I cry. “No. Are you sure? What did the doctor say? Maybe she’s sleeping,” I panic. “Mom, check that she’s sleeping.”

My heart sinks as my world is ripped out from under me.

Nanna. My Nanna.

Mom lets out a heartbroken sigh and I want nothing more than to feel her arms around me. “Tora, honey. She’s gone. It’s time for us to say goodbye.”

“No,” I whisper as I crumple to the ground and watch as Nate flicks off the grill and races towards me. My phone falls from my fingers as the tears begin to pool in my eyes. Nate catches me a moment later and wraps his warm arms around me, holding me to his chest as the grief completely overwhelms me.

“Tell me,” he begs, searching for a way to take away my pain.,

I look up into those eyes that I love and for the first time, I feel absolutely nothing. “She’s gone. Nanna’s gone.”

He closes his eyes as his head falls to mine, stricken that this time, he can’t take away my aching heart. “I’m so sorry,” he murmurs as his arms tighten around me.

With that, a sob rips out of my body and I crumble. Inside and out.

Chapter 8

I sit at the dinner table, staring at the glass of water before me as the thought that I’ll never see my Nanna again circles my head. How could this be? How could someone as pure as her be taken from this world? Doesn’t she know that I need her?

I feel empty. The last two months, I knew she wasn’t well. Hell, mom and dad even went to Australia to be with her so she wasn’t alone, but not once did it occur to me that this would be it. She’s had cancer before and she beat it. Mom even warned me a few weeks ago to prepare myself, but I didn’t believe it. Not one bit.

Nanna has always been so strong in my eyes. She’s a warrior. Larger than life. A survivor. I never thought I’d have to say goodbye. Yet here I am, struggling to wrap my head around the fact that she’s gone.

She’s always been there. I’ve always been able to pick up the phone and call her no matter what. No matter the time difference between here and Australia. She always made time for me.

She was the one person I’d talk to besides Brooke about Nate. She knew everything he ever did. She knew every wild emotion he’d make me feel. She used to tell me it was that stupid thing boys would do to get a girl’s attention and I never got a chance to tell her that she was right.