Free Warning Signs (Broken Promises #2) by Alexandra Moore

pretend what happened didn’t really happen, and teach it in our schools), but also the fact that no matter who you were, Thanksgiving seemed to be a cursed holiday. Families fought, fell apart, and never seem to want to be together on a holiday that, despite the horrible history, was meant to be for giving thanks. So far my brother was missing, and Lydia and I were trying to keep the peace between Rian, Grayson, and a nearly eleven-year-old girl, which obviously is nothing short of difficult.
    “ Please give me the remote, Olivia.” Olivia was the dreaded eleven-year-old, Grayson and Lydia’s daughter.
    “No!” she shouted, continuing to watch her favorite show. I took it from her, and she knew not to argue with me despite not knowing me very well. Maybe it was the ugly grimace I wore on my face. Either way, she was too scared to mess with me. For once, I was glad for that. Because of her fear, I was able to get an appetizer on the table and feed the hungry people in the house.
    Hours had passed since I had last seen Ben, but we collectively decided to eat without him. After all the fake smiles and cheers to us and love and everlasting friendship I became angry; he hadn’t come home at all. I had tried calling one too many times before I gave up. My anger swelled up too fast and too much for me to keep up with him.
    Splinter didn’t bother stopping me from packing my things, nor did he stop me from getting in my car to drive back to Hartford.
    When I was finally safe within the confines of my apartment, I found a bottle of wine I had been gifted from the manager at the bar I worked. I drank the wine straight from the bottle, wondering what was happening to my life. I learned that living in your head could be the loneliest and most dangerous thing, but when you’re not really living all you’ve got are the thoughts in your head. I think that made things far worse for me, because I wasn’t living…I was a shell of the person I used to be, pretending to exist as I once was. I was a glorified zombie.
    After I had gotten sick from quickly ingesting too much wine, I found myself trying to imagine what would have happened if I really died that night with Crosley…if his gunshot had been more fatal than he thought it was or if the bullet had transcended a little deeper into my brain.
    I thought of my funeral and how Ben would probably fuck it all up and still know that it wasn’t good enough. I had never planned my own funeral, so he would have had to do it himself. I imagined him being the one lonely, afraid, and drinking. I imagined him alone with Mother, and while I had been caught up in imagining the could’ves and would’ves of my life, I heard a rapping on my door. I wasn’t sure it was real until I heard it again, which forced me to sober up and attempt to dry my tears.
    I stood up and used the sleeves of my sweater to wipe my eyes. When I opened the door, Splinter was standing there. He didn’t look well. In fact, he looked like he was ready to vomit. Paler by comparison to me and to his usual skin tone, I could see how nervous he was. I had never seen him sweat so much before; even drumming for Eden Sank didn’t make him sweat that much. It was like he had a colossal case of stage fright.
    “What’s the matter?” I asked warily.
    “I need you to come with me. Something has happened to your mother. It isn’t good.”
    I swallowed a lump in my throat and shook my head. I kept myself hidden behind the door, and my discouraged attitude shined brightly.
    “What happened this time?”
    “Are you dressed?”
    “Yes I am.”
    He pushed open the door, grabbed me, and slammed the door shut behind us, dragging me out to his car.
    “Ben needs you. Your mother has made the biggest mistake to date. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
    “Did Ben tell you this?”
    “He told me something terrible happened and that the doctors can’t save her. He just said to bring you over even if I had to drag you by