The Perfect Mismatch (Completed)

Family is Family

This is more of a filler chapter.

Three days had passed. Edward hadn’t called her. Even after Alison tried dialing his mobile phone and even called his house on the pretext of asking him such school-related questions, she realized that all these attempts were futile. If he had the desire to avoid her, she would never be able to talk directly to him.

Today was the day she was due to leave the hospital and as much as she was happy to finally be back at school, Alison felt slightly nervous. Within two and a half months, she had turned from an invisible transfer student to one of the most gossiped people. She had already received 25 emails from her friends (and random people) asking about what had happened. To be honest, she wasn’t sure herself. All she knew was that both Edward and Alex knew the truth but she couldn’t bear to face both of them.

“Ready to go?” Her mother walked daintily into the room as she held up her daughter’s luggage.

“Yes, mother,” Alison answered dutifully.

“Is Edward here?” Her mother casted an eager glance through the window and seemed rather disappointed when Alison said, “He’s at school.”

After the talk with her parents about Edward, Alison was pleasantly surprised by their reaction. Her father was strangely amicable and he generally approved of Edward because of his “perfect stellar record” and as he was “a fine gentleman with manners” as quoted from her father. She didn’t disagree for once because Edward was indeed a very desirable dating candidate. Her mother was also delighted. After all, her mother had worried obsessively about her not having a boyfriend at all and she frequently heard her asking her father if having a spotless dating history was normal for someone of her age.

“How is Father handling all these?” she asked as they walked to the registration counter to sign out. Doctors and nurses walking past smiled at her and she grinned shyly back, simply glad to be healthy and not treated like a sick patient once more.

“Pretty well.” Her mother sounded amused and laughed.. “He’s making lots of plans like having dinner with Edward, having lunch with him again and, oh, I don’t know, maybe he’s also deciding to have supper with the entire Kingston family?”

“And.. Carrie?” Alison probed.

“She’s fine. I must say, it’s funny how she doesn’t seem to be surprised by all these.” Her mother signed the form and then led her to the lift. The expression on her wrinkled face suddenly turned perplexed. “However, I noticed she seems to be going home later and later than usual these days. Is school very busy during this time of the year?” The ding sound signaled the arrival of the lift and they piled into the small space alongside with a few other people.

“2nd floor, please,” her mother said briskly and turned her attention back to her daughter.

Alison fidgeted. Just lie. Make up an excuse. “Yes, everyone is very stressed out right now,” Alison answered untruthfully.

“As so it seems.” Her mother looked really glad. “Your father was saying how at her age, Carrie could be easily led astray and he reminded me to keep an eye on her. I was just trying to persuade him to that it was impossible, I might say, for such an obedient child to turn bad. Wouldn’t you agree with me on your sister?” she implored enquiringly.

“Yes, Mother, you’re absolutely right,” Alison said conversationally with a twinge of guilt.

Her father was dead right this time. He had the knack of spotting suspicious behavior although this wasn’t a problem in the past because neither Carrie nor she had anything to hide. Now, the situation was different. She had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before her army-trained father was successful in digging out all the secrets which they kept from him. While it wouldn’t bode well for Alison, it could spell disaster for Carrie because her father had the perception that groups like the Mean Girls’ Gang and the Bad Boys’ Gang were cults aimed to brainwash innocent teenagers. Carrie wouldn’t be able to hang out with Jessica and Jane anymore (though she would be really happy of course) but who knew what her sister would come up with next to rebel against her parents’ decision?