It all started with a game

Chapter 21.1

I had to admit, Elijah seemed to be a pretty great guy. He was kind and he was definitely trying to get to know me, Sonny and Klaus, even Ryder. It was like he actually wanted to be here, unlike the rest of the table.

"Violeta, would you mind making us some popcorn?" My mother requested.

I nodded, turning towards the kitchen.

"You are welcome to go with her too, Rodney."

I rolled my eyes, shouting back, "Ryder!"

Ryder caught up with, massaging my shoulders as I walked, a desperate attempt to keep me calm. "Gorgeous, it's okay."

I shook my head, biting my lip. "No, it's not. It's not okay. She should at least know your name. If she knows nothing else about me, she should know your name." She has to know his name, she has to know something about my life right now, she's my mother, she's supposed to know.

I relaxed my shoulder, whatever Ryder was doing was working like a charm. I let out a soft sigh, taking a second for myself before making the popcorn. I made enough bowls for everyone, adding extra salt to Sonny's and mini chocolate dots to Klaus's, their favorites. "Do you like anything in your popcorn?" I questioned Ryder.

"No clue," he wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. "I haven't had popcorn since I was like ten."

My jaw dropped. "What is wrong with you? First you sleep without a blanket and now you don't eat popcorn." I teased, "Pretty boy, I don't know if this relationship is going to work."

"Please, you're stuck with me."

I frowned playfully. "What a shame. I'm just gonna have to make you a bowl of the good popcorn."

I made us one bowl to share, mixing it with everything from the pantry I could find. Everything but the kitchen sink popcorn, a Henderson classic.

I made Ryder help me carry the bowls back, handing everyone their popcorn, starting with my brothers and ending with my mother. I took my spot beside Ryder, laying on his chest as I sat the bowl between the two of us to share. We'd missed the intro of the movie already but I didn't terribly mind, I planned on reading my book anyway. I cracked open my current read, engulfing myself in its warmth, the colors of another world flooding the room and for a second, everything felt okay, peaceful. All my petty fights with my mother, my father, all the horrible memories were gone. I was exactly where I was meant to be, in a world where I could be whatever I wanted to be, in a world where I was granted a happy ending. It was perfect. It was enough to make me forget about everything happening around me, to ignore Elijah's incessant talking during the movie, to ignore the dirty looks Kavinski continued to throw our way, to forget about the fact that I'd hurt my little brother, to forget about the fact that this was all just a game. A moment to pretend that everything was all that I hoped it to be. But nothing last forever, my mother has made it very clear that she will never understand me. "Violeta, put that away."

My head shot up, meeting my mother's hateful gaze. "What?"

"Put that away. We are spending family time together."

Family time. So this is the family now? She could find no one else to fill the void and this is who she picked. This wasn't a family. Sonny, Klaus, and I were a family. I don't know what she is anymore, not since dad died. She hasn't treated us like family since the night of the fire. We might as well be orphans, we lost both of our parents that night. It was me, Klaus and Sonny. the three of us against a series of terribly unfortunate events.