No Problem

Chapter 7

I felt Jay's strong hand support my lower back, giving me the power to lift my head from out of the pillows warmth and give him a grateful look.

"Your girlfriend is downstairs - she wants to talk." Lance announced. Jay nodded, making his way past Lance. He was so close, I thought he was going to shove past him - thankfully Jay knows better.

Lance took Jay's place on the sofa. "Mum's been trying to call you." He spoke barely above a whisper, and I glared at his remark.

"She's not your mum." I croaked back at him.

"Oh my god, Kadie, when are you going to get it into your head?" Lance shouted at me. I leaned back into the sofa, his voice knocking me backwards. "I have been your brother for 8 years. Robert has been your dad for 8 years. Grace has been my mum for 8 years. We are a family now."

"Robert is not my dad." I said quietly, shaking all over.

"Then who is?" Lance snapped back at me.

"Just because my dad died, does not mean we are suddenly a family. Just because you live in my house, and eat my food, does not mean you are the same as mum, Saffy and I."

"Why is Saffy different to me? She has dad's blood too."

"Because she's the spitting image of mum, there is not a trace of Robert in her personality, whereas you reek of him, all the time, and I can't stand it."

"You've got it stuck into that tiny head of yours that Robert is a bad person. He's not. Grace cheated on your dad with him.  Your mum was the one that cheated. Our mum. Yes, okay, I was mad at both of them for a while too, but move on Kadie. People change." He spat the words out at me, but I just shook my head defiantly.

I ran my fingers through my hair exasperated. "Why are you even here?"

He looked taken aback by my question, his long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail, swaying with his head. "We found the photo album, in shreds, I want to know what's going on." He looked suspicious, his fingers gripping at his jeans.

"How did you know I was here? Mum said she wouldn't tell you or Robert." There was a creak from the staircase and my head spun around, Liliana was leaning over – listening in. "It was you wasn't it?" I accused, my mouth open in shock. "You rang him when you heard me talking to Jay. That's what this is, isn't it? Your jealous."

I stood up quickly, walking over to her purposefully. She backed down the stairs; Jay was leaning against the wall next to the door – observing the whole situation, but not bothering to intervene. I followed Liliana down and pushed her onto the sofa. "You think I'm trying to steal your boyfriend, don't you? Well, news flash: I already have one, and I don't need other people's left overs, okay? I can find my own boyfriends."

Liliana looked up at me innocently, her eyes shocked at my anger. But as I spoke those last few words, she stood up – her eyes locked with mine. "Boyfriend? You mean the one you haven't spoken to since your prom night?" I gritted my teeth.

"You have no idea."

"Yes! Yes I do. I know what you're like Kadie. You get bored with people, until someone new comes along."

I wasn't even aware of what happened next until my hand collided with her nose. I shook it a couple of times, from the ache of the collision, as she screamed and started swearing around the room, holding her nose protectively, and squinting from the pain. 

"Yes, okay, I phoned Lance, because he phoned me and asked where you were. I told him to come here because he wants to see you and you need to tell your family about your problems rather than my boyfriend. I was doing you a favour."

"A favour? A favour would be you offering to listen to me moan and ramble, because that's what friends do." I screamed back at her. 

"A friend who didn't show up for a year."

"I told you I am sorry for that."

"Well, Kadie, you need to get out of your head, because an apology isn't everything and neither are your problems. Lance is right, your dad died eight years ago. Lance and Robert have been apart of your family ever since then and you're still holding a grudge." She shook her head and then walked out, Jay closely behind her.

I slumped down onto the sofa and put my head in my hands, that was not how I thought the afternoon would pan out.

"Look, Kadie, I'm sorry for just turning up-"

"Can you leave?" I interrupted, bluntly. "Now." The door creaked open and then slammed shut as I lay across the sofa, Liliana's words engraved into my head.

You need to get out of your head.