Best Friends For Never

Chapter 9

TALIA’S POV

I crept down the stairs, praying I'd be able to make it out of the house without being ambushed by my parents. Both of them were still pretty mad about the whole jail thing, and I did not want to risk having another argument.

The moment I got downstairs, I expected to see at least one of my parents pop up and ask me where I was going, but when nobody came to yell at me, I grinned in relief, opening the front door to get out.

However, just as I was about to leave the house, I heard the sound of hushed voices coming from the kitchen. Curiosity getting the better of me, I crept up to the slightly ajar kitchen door and listened in.

“… she won’t like it, Ted. It’s not a good idea!” my mom cried, keeping her voice as quiet as possible, making me have to strain to listen.

“They offered, Kate. Besides, she’s old enough to survive without us. Stop treating her like a five year old and just tell Susan that you’ll go. It’s all been booked already, so there’s no going back,” my dad muttered, making me lean towards the door.

“It’s not us going that I’m worried about! It’s her mov—”

I frowned when I heard my mom’s voice go quieter. Still trying to listen, I leaned against the door, wondering what they were talking about, but unable to hear it anymore. Unfortunately, for me, I forgot the door was slightly ajar, so I ended up pushing it open and almost falling over.

 Straight away, my mom let out a shriek of surprise. “Talia!”

I stood up and narrowed my eyes at them. “What were you talking about?”

“Nothing,” both of them said simultaneously.

I ignored the urge to stomp my foot and instead, crossed my arms over my chest and continued to stare at them levelly. “What won’t I like? And where are you going?”

“To the cinema,” my mom oh-so-obviously lied. "Where are you going?"

“Where are you really going?” I asked, turning to my dad this time, and ignoring her question. One of them would have to tell me sooner or later.

“Like your mother said,” my dad began, gritting his teeth and glancing at my mom, “to the cinema.”

“If you’re going to lie, at least try to think of a better one.  Have I taught you nothing?”

My mom rolled her eyes. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

“Well, then you can tell me, can’t you?” I said, still pushing for an answer.

My dad sighed and spoke. “Your mother and I have been meaning to go to visit her parents for a while now. We just haven’t had the chance.”

I nodded slowly. So they were going to visit my grandparents? What was the big deal? They would get to see my grandparents, and I would get to have the house to myself, it was a win-win situation.

“We might have mentioned it to Susan a couple of times,” my mom continued, “so she and your father decided to book a flight over there.”

“Hey, I thought you’d like the surprise,” my dad muttered, shrugging at my mom.

“So what’s the big deal?” I questioned. “Just go, I’ll be fine.”

“Actually, we don’t think so,” my mom said. “I know what you’re like, Talia, and I really don’t trust you to be alone in the house.”

Trust my parents to not have any trust in their only daughter, who was almost a legal adult, too. I mean I was perfectly capable of taking care of the house and myself.