Salad Days (Calum Hood FF)

Chapter 4: Everything Just Changed

Agnes' Pov

I woke up with a killer headache as expected in the living room. I looked around and saw Archie passed out the bean bag on the side, and Zyra up and awake watching TV.

"Why are you up so early Zee?"

"It's 3 p.m., you and Archie are just lightweights." She smiled over at me before handing me a pill and a glass of water.

"Thanks," I chuckled and shoved the pill in, before looking over at my phone and seeing it blown up with hundreds of texts and even more missed calls, "I am in so much trouble."

"You really need to stop caring about what they think. Your mom thinks you're great, that's all that matters."

"Oh please, she doesn't even know me. She left us and tries to make up for it in money."

"She called me the other day,"

"Really? About what?"

"About Archie, and if he was okay and all."

"Why would she care?"

"Do you forget that Nicole and Archie were once friends?"

"I remember but considering everything now I would've figured Nicole would have bad mouthed you all to our mom."

"She did, but your mom also knows that Archie and I are just going through things. So she said that she would send us some money to help out with everything that happened." Wow at least she's showing her love to a child that isn't hers.

"How's your dad doing?"

"I wouldn't know," she sighed as she rested her foot on the table, "He blocked everything and everyone and hasn't responded to any of our texts. He even left his company. I presume because they found out he was fucking the intern."

"I still can't believe your dad was having an affair,"

"Really? I can't believe that he's gay. Nothing wrong with that, but why wouldn't he have told us, rather than getting caught by his assistant and news spreading like wildfire."

"I guess he just wasn't ready. Your dad is a good man, he just made bad choices."

"While our mother over here blew her life away in alcohol, way before the divorce but even more so after. She is so embarrassing."

"Zee, that's not nice. She's still your mom."

"I don't think good moms drain their kids college funds illegally and run off with the money until they get caught by the police and sent to jail." She laughed.

"At least your mom may have things against what Archie and I have done, but she still cares. We practically did grow up with her and you all as well."

"That's why I still find it so crazy that Nicole is so hell bent on trying to stop me from hanging out with you."

"I mean I get it," she shrugged, "You aren't like me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You aren't a rebel, you aren't a party girl, you aren't stupid. You are the picture perfect daughter. You never had any interest in these things until I stupidly made you try them."

"But I wanted to-"

"Nes, you could've gone your whole life without ever touching a cigarette or even tequila. It's not important to you and that's okay. You're better off."

"Why do you all think that of me? I just want to have fun. Live in the moment. Experience life. Is that so bad?"

"No it's not. But you acting like this, talking back and everything is what's getting on a Nicole's ass because she sees what happened to her and see herself in you."

"What do you mean?"

"Before she was just like you then she got caught up with Archie and things didn't go well for her. She didn't like the way she was but was too scared to go back. And once she finally figured her shit out that's when she realized that she doesn't want that life for herself. She doesn't want it for you either."

"I'm not going to be a bad person because of what we're doing. And neither are you and Archie. You guys are great people, just trying to find a way to cope."

"You're right Nes, it doesn't make you a bad person. But that doesn't mean that that's what everyone believes." She sighed as she picked up her phone off of the table. Meticulously texting and being satisfied when the sound rang though and looked at me, "I think it's time you talk to your sister about this,"

"You're right. I should go."

And just like that it seemed like everything was fixed. I talked to a Nicole and now we're on great terms. I'm not too coddled and I'm not too free. We moved along until suddenly everything just changed.