deception - original story [3]

chapter four

CHAPTER FOUR
i bet on losing dogs

"What if she hates me?" Kaleb asks, "And don't say she won't hate me, because she always could."

"She won't," Anna ignores his request, "I like you, so she'll like you."

Like.

"Okay, okay," Kaleb takes a deep breath and Anna's mom opens the door.

"Hey, y'all," She smiles, "You wanna come in?"

Anna's mom talks a lot, so just from walking through the door, Kaleb already knows the following: Anna's mom is originally from Texas, and you can hear it in her voice. She's a doctor, so even after she divorced Anna's dad, she was left loaded. Lastly, she loves Anna so much that she would probably jump in front of a million cars for her.

A feeling that Kaleb and her mom share.

"So, Anna has told me about you," Anna's mom chuckles, "Granted, it took her an awful while, but she eventually told me. Seems like she really likes you."

"I hope," Kaleb jokes, getting a laugh out of Anna's mom.

It seems like a good sign.

Anna grabs onto Kaleb's hand, "You know, Kaleb actually got into Yale too but he said he really wanted to go to college with me."

Kaleb laughs softly, "Yeah, I mean, my parents always wanted me to go to Princeton too, but... you know, I didn't really wanna be away from Anna."

"Yeah," Anna's mom nods, "You know, Anna's dad went to college with me instead of his dream school."

"You and dad aren't really the best example..." Anna trails off.

"Well, we did marry each other," Anna's mom shakes her head, "But you two aren't like us. We were never... we never had anything in common like you. I can tell that y'all will last."

Anna smiles, turning her head to look at Kaleb.

She can tell that she really likes him.

•••

"Yes, what you've heard is true," Alana says as she walks over to her lunch table, "My birthday is tomorrow and my parents will not be home. My dad's got a thing for work, my mom is leaving for Chicago tonight... so I'm throwing a party."

Olive laughs, "You sure love throwing parties now."

"You coming?"

"That depends, you actually gonna invite me this time? Or do I have to come uninvited?" Olive jokes.

"Haha," Alana rolls her eyes, "You're obviously invited, Olive. I've invited everyone that I want there and there will be no party crashers this time."

"Knock on wood," Tara mutters, knocking her fist on the table.

"Is she okay?" Dylan whispers.

"I can hear you," Tara snaps with narrowed eyes, "I'm fine."

"I don't think she's fine," Phoebe shakes here head, also whispering.

"Haven't we established that she can hear us loudly whispering?" Shawn questions.

Tara shakes her head, taking a deep breath, "No, I'm sorry. You're right, I'm just... I've recently been friend-zoned and it's really fucking me up."

Alana widens her eyes, like she knows something that Tara doesn't.

"Alana, what's that look?"

"Look? What look?"

Olive gives an even more extreme look, glancing over at Shawn.

"You two, what was that?" Phoebe furrows her eyebrows, "They know something we don't."

"What?" Olive chuckles, "No! Of course not!"

Dylan's jaw drops, "What are they hiding?"

Alana sighs, putting her face in her hands.

There's a newfound tension in the group of friends.

•••

"I missed our school night sleepovers," Olive sighs, "I miss your mom, though. It seems like she's always in Chicago or New York lately..."

Alana nods, "Yeah, I guess she is."

"Okay," Olive chuckles, "I'm gonna tell you a secret, and you have to tell me one in return."

Alana groans, "God, you love this sort of thing, hm?"

"Yep," Olive confirms, "Remember how I told you that I'd never been kissed?"

"Yeah?"

"That was a lie."

"Olive!" Alana widens her eyes, "What the fuck? You liar!"

"You would've killed me, it was one of your close friends at the time..." Olive says, "...It was Gina."

Alana's jaw drops, "What. The. Fuck?"

"It was ninth grade, we were playing Spin the Bottle, it was sort of inevitable," Olive shrugs.

"Oh my god," Alana shakes her head, "I don't even know if I have a secret as crazy as that..."

Olive lets out a small laugh, "You've gotta have something."

Alana's smile fades, "There is something I should tell you."

"Oh," Olive raises her eyebrows, "You have your serious face on. Okay. What's up?"

Alana opens her mouth, then closes it, and opens it again, "My parents. They're... they're divorcing."

"Shit," Olive says, "Are you... are you okay?"

"I just... I guess I thought they'd stay together forever?" Alana shrugs, "I thought they really loved each other. I'm sad."

"You can be sad," Olive stretches out her arms to hug Alana, and rather than her hugging back, Alana collapses into Olive's arms.

Olive pauses, thinking about what to say next.

"It's okay to be sad."

A/N: anna told her mom 🤙 alana told olive 😻 hehe there are still secrets ig we didn't learn our lesson in secret keeper