I'm In Love With Me?

Chapter 7

I entered Dylan's house when a whiff of food hit me right in the face. I was beginning to get stressed and the only medicine to that was to eat like I had never before. Food solved almost all of our problems. Well maybe that's not entirely true but it was not far fetched. For me, at least.

I rounded the corner to meet a few people conversing as they spoke quietly on the sofa. Some persons were hanging out near the bar and others were on the balcony or maybe on the second floor. My eyes raked over the interior of Dylan's home. It was well furnished with varnished walls and marbled floors and counter tops. Two large sofas sat in the living room along with a coffee table in the middle and a huge flat screen TV. I waltzed my way into the kitchen hoping to at least get something to munch on. The walls in the kitchen were the same as the rest of the house.

I wondered if they used all these kitchenware? I knew we didn't.

Laying on the counter tops were huge bowls of snacks. Chips. Chocolate. Berries. I snatched up an entire bowl of chips then grabbed a beer from the fridge and made my way down a darkened hallway. I wanted to get away from everyone. If I stayed then people would try making conversation with me and I wasn't up for that. At least not now.

"Hey, Lenna. I love the dress." A blonde complimented me and I tried racking my brain for her name. I knew I had a class with her. I just couldn't remember which. Her smile made my lips slightly pull at the sides as well.

"Thank you, Sophie. I love your new hair." I did. Her hair wasn't long anymore. It was shoulder cropped and it made her face and eyes show out. She was happy for the compliment too. Her smile was through the roof. She nodded to me once then went on her way.

I turned left to come face to face with a door that led to another living room. This one however, looked more secluded. More off boundaries. I shrugged, entering either way. As I sat down, I placed the beer on the floor next to me with a sigh. Scooping some chips into my hands, I scrolled through my phone randomly then shut it off.

Tonight was supposed to be fun. Instead it was slowly turning to crap. I covered my face with my hands. I really hoped I was wrong. He would call. He would put aside a few things for her. He would. Wouldn't he?

My phone beeped and I looked at the notification. Mom.

I tapped on the voice note icon. 'I'm really disappointed that you don't want to see your father. This was supposed to be a family reunion thingy. Either way, which dress should I wear? I want to look good for when your dad calls. Should I wear my yellow sundress or the blue and white polka dots? Reply soon.'

I took a deep breath, playing with the ends of my dress. What would Jayce reply be? Probably something along the lines of 'I'm really sorry mom. I'll make it up to you. By the way, the yellow sundress makes your eyes brighter. Tell dad I love him.' I grimaced at the thought. In my mind, my voice was as fake as it could be.

I held down the voice note button and brought it closer to my mouth. I was going to reply with my answer from earlier. I really was but Lenna knew better. With my mom constantly lying to herself, I hated lying to her too. "It doesn't matter if I'm there or not mom. If dad can miss out on a bunch of important stuff, why can't I skip out on a video call. By the way, don't waste your time applying make up and wearing the prettiest dress. He will not call." I closed my eyes when I was done. Harsh. Nonetheless, reality. Call me heartless if you wanted.

In the span of a minute a voice message came barrelling my way. 'Lenna! This is a family gathering! Your father knows how important it is that he calls. We are having a talk when you get home, young lady.' I hit the home screen then switched off my phone. Ah, the infamous speech by Lauren Adams. I couldn't wait to hear her spout nonsense she knew wasn't true.