Liar, Liar | Ginny & Georgia

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"ALL IS WELL IN the world again," remarked Max, as they reached Berry tree. "MAANG is back together." Avery sat down by Max, on the arm rest. "I am grounded, though, till the end of time, forever, so, you know, goodbye cruel world. Take me to the window, Winnie. I wanna say goodbye."

Avery couldn't help her snort.

"Yeah, Bev left a boarding-school pamphlet on the kitchen table today, so. . ." added Norah. "Dad took away my Vespa. So, now Gavin takes me to and from school. Yay." Max grimaced. "Ouch. We love the Vespa. Abigail, what about you?"

"Oh, I still have broken-home guilt working for me, so I'm just grounded for the weekend." Avery frowned at Abby. "Boo, no fair." They looked to Ginny, whose stepsister was giving her a pout. "That lucky charm isn't even grounded."

"Of course not," remarked Norah, "a true queen stays unbothered." Abby grabbed a lock of her hair. "I love Georgia."

"Yeah. I wish my mom was just, like, one of my friends," agreed Max. "Alas, Ellen is very much a mother. 'Marcus, Maxine,'" she chuckled, "'How are we ever gonna trust you again?'" Ginny smiled. "Having your mom as your friend is not all it's cracked up to be."

Max looked at the soon-to-be stepsisters, "well, hey, at least my party was dope."

Avery swallowed. "Well, just be glad that none of your mothers are hurricanes. Can't exactly say the same about my own birth-giver." Abby squeezed Avery's hand in comfort, before changing the subject. "Did you guys hear that Maria Fontaine gave Dan Summer a blowjob in your bathroom?" The redhead almost couldn't finish her sentence, as she giggled. "Our bathroom?" Ginny looked scandalized.

"Ugh, ew!"

"Your bathroom," confirmed Abby. "Ew."

"I thought he doesn't go for blondes?" remarked Max. Avery smirked. "He didn't, cause I ruined his dumb blonde fantasy." They all laughed. "When I wore a blonde wig at Halloween, he was like 'you ruined yourself'," mocked Max. "Well. . ."

"Jordan and I can confirm. We walked in on them," chimed Norah in. "Oh, what were you doing upstairs?" asked Avery, tilting her head. "I knew there was a reason I locked the doors to my room."

"Yeah, we were definitely not hooking up in your moms bed," stated Jordan, as he sat down next to his girlfriend. Both Ginny and Avery shared a look of disgust. "Ew."

Norah nodded along with Jordan's words. "Definitely not doing that." The other boys joined, with Gavin passing a bag of mini pretzels to Avery, who took it with a smile. "But Georgia does have a duvet that I'm obsessed with. Do you know where she got it?" Ginny's lips curled in dismay. "No?"

"Can't believe Sophie didn't come." Max sounded bitter. Avery turned to her. "Stop that." Abby nodded. "You gotta stop that."

Max nodded. "I know. I do. I will." She chuckled. "I can't." Abby looked to Ginny. "Hey, you got rid of the blue." She grabbed a strand of her hair. "Yeah. I don't know, I just got over it."

Avery lifted a black strand of her own. "We'll trademark it," she suggested. Abby smiled. Ginny placed a hand on Avery's shoulder. "Also, we have news. It's official, me and Marcus." Ginny gave Avery's shoulder a squeeze. Norah gasped in glee. "I'm really happy for you," remarked Max, "but if I open my mouth slightly more, I'm gonna vomit."

Abby looked to Avery. "What about you and Gavin?"

Norah smirked up at Avery. "We saw you two outside together." Avery rolled her eyes. "I was getting some air and. . . we talked."

Abby snorted. "Oh, you did more than that." Avery smacked her. "Shut up," she mumbled. Gavin hummed, stealing a pretzel. "Hey," greeted Marcus. Avery looked at him, swallowing. Max looked like she was about to hurl, so the new couple left.

AVERY FROWNED AT THE unknown car by her house, parked on the street. When she opened the door, she heard her fathers voice, loud and clear; "-can't just show up here, and not expect me to freak out!" The blonde swallowed. She'd never heard Paul yell like that, ever.

"Dad?" she hollered, tossing her keys onto the small dresser in the entrance. Paul sighed, as he stood in the living room, watching as Sophia peered toward the hallway, her face breaking into a grin as she saw the blonde. "Hi, honey." Her voice took on a saccharine tone, as if she wanted to approach a scared animal, or a crying toddler.

Avery swallowed, her brows pinching. "What's she doing here?" asked the teen, looking toward her father, so she wouldn't have to look at her mother. Paul pinched the skin between his eyes, his lips turned down into a frown. Sophia's expression tightened a pinch. "I wanted to see you."

"Nobody was talking to you," snarked Avery, glaring at the older blonde, before looking back at her dad, "well?"

Paul shook his head, his lips pursed. "No idea."

Sophia looked between her daughter and her daughters father. "I came, because I heard your dad got reelected, honey. And because Patricia told me you were getting married."

Avery scoffed in disbelief. "So, you came because you wanted to do a 'Sophia'? How typical."

The front door opened and Georgia stepped inside with Austin. "Hey, we're home." Avery looked back to see them and spotted Austin, who came barreling towards her. "Avery! Zach and I played video games at his house."

Avery couldn't help the way her face split into a smile. "That's great, Austin." She licked her lips. "Could you do me a favor and grab our hogwarts robes and wands? It'll take five minutes. My wand's in my top desk drawer and the robe is hung over my desk chair."

Austin nodded and dallied up the stairs, while Georgia gave Avery a look. Avery motioned with her eyes. "I don't think you've properly met Sophia, Georgia." The Miller woman raised a brow and then walked into the living room, where the uninvited guest stood, looking at the picture over the fireplace. It was of all of the residents in the house, all smiling.

Sophia slapped a smile on her face, turning to face Georgia.

"Patricia was right, you are gorgeous."

Patricia Randolph was only out for blood and both Georgia and Avery knew it. Avery's lips trembled. "You need to go, Sophia." Her tone was icy and her face was stony, as she held her mask of indifferrence.

"What happened to mom?" Sophia raised a perfectly shaped brow at her daughter, her bangs lightly hanging over her eyes.

"I stopped referring to you as my mom when you left last time." Liar, she'd only recently stopped, realizing she needed to break the rose tinted glasses after Dr. Taylor gave her the diary. "And a real mom wouldn't abandon her kid, just to show up one day and demand the love they refused the first time." Avery's tone raised a bit, as her brows furrowed and her jaw clenched.

Sophia swallowed. "I'm staying at the closest hotel, when you're ready to talk, honey." She walked past Avery. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

The blonde let her mask fall and her shoulders slump a bit, as she heard Sophia's car drive away. "That bitch," grumbled Avery.

Georgia and Paul shared a look, as Avery put on another mask, faking excitement, as Austin came down the stairs, dressed in his robe and with both their wands in their hands. Avery grabbed her own robe and let Austin to the couch, handing him the remote and telling him to pick a movie.

Hurricane Sophia had returned.