Into My Heart

XXI

Obviously, the welcome I expected happened first-hand: as soon as the door opens, and that Sam realizes who I am, her blue eyes go wide, and she slams the door at my face out of panic - I mean, literally. 

When I knock to the door again, this time, it is her sister who responds, while Sam stands awkwardly behind her, obviously because Kristie must've told her to 'look mean' or something. You see, Kristie Mewis and I have been to the same High School, and we weren't too fond of each other: I had heard she had an immense crush on me, which I did not return at all - I was quite the lone bird. And she just decided to either ignore me or just talk behind my back so that I would hear whispers and hidden stares each time I'd walk the high school's halls. Kristie wasn't my bully, because for that, I should've felt bullied, but truth is I didn't quite care. Rather, I kind of understood her: she was head cheerleader, the best in the county since 1946 according to their former coach, every hetero guy or lesbian would crawl at her feet, and still she never was satisfied. Thankfully, her crush then dissipated when Rachel Daly came into her life, and the two were quite the 'it-in-closet' couple of the school.

Well, her crush went away, but not her hatred for me, it seems. She and I only came across each other few times those past years, and I got either a deadly stare or wonderful ignorance: well, I could not care less about some high school has-been who's still in love with her long-lost high school love.

But, in Abby's best interest, I had to cope with her, so when she says:

"What the fuck?",

I only respond:

"Good morning to you too, Kristen"

Alright, I can admit that it was kind of sassy, but once again, some people sometimes pushes us to our limits. Obviously, she doesn't take it well, and stares at me with disdain. Behind her, Sam feels the tension and decides to step up in front of me, her jaw set. I know she always has been the smartest one of the two Mewis sisters, and I kind of admire her for her way of doing things: she is the quiet one, certainly not the prettier according to beauty standards, but she manages to be cute and clever at the same time - which might be the reason why her long-time boyfriend Pat, who also seems cute and clever, fell in love with her.

Either way, Kristie is now quite mad, and Sam tries to do the diplomat between us:

"Why are you here?" she only asks, calmly and respectfully.

I sigh, trying to remain calm too.

"Look, I came here with a peace offering" I start pretty calmly and neutrally, taking the bottle of white wine out of my bag, as well as some Swiss chocolate Mother or Father had brought from one of their recent trips. I can sense the two sisters are suspicious, so I say blankly: "I know you think my family has something to do with Abigail's disappearance..."

"Damn right they do!" Kristie exclaims, but I remain concentrated.

"... And I agree : I think my parents and your late father might have been connected through the Dragons. And I am determined to uncover the truth and find Abby."

This time, Sam is the one who's confused:

"Wait, I don't get it: what's in it for you? And what tells us you haven't been sent by your family to abduct us too, uh?"

"Like she said" Kristie continues, her arms crossed against her chest. I can see from the look in her eyes that she is hostile: "I don't think we can trust you. Moreover, why would you betray your family? They're rich, they can offer you everything you've ever dreamed of: I mean, isn't that how you got into college?" 

Of course they would have the same irrational beliefs the whole town has regarding my family: just a bunch of rich people who don't care about anyone but themselves. Well, to tell the truth, they aren't quite wrong if they were speaking of anybody in the Press family other than my younger sister and myself. But they don't know any better.

I smirk.

"Listen, every minute I spend debating with you two is a minute I loose in trying to find out what happened" I seriously say, this time without any filter. This time, though, I get the impression that the two sisters finally listen to me, so I continue: "And minutes can be precious when somebody's been abducted. I am frightened, alright? You want me to say it, so I'm gonna say it: I'm scared of my own family, because some of them are monsters in disguise. And I am so afraid of what I might discover about them, and what the consequences are going to be. But two bodies have been found in less than a week, two belonging to the gang in question, and one of them on my family's property. I am scared to death, okay? And, most important of all, I am frightened to lose Abby and to beat myself up for the rest of my life if something bad happened to her... Okay?"

Without realizing it, my voice had raised significantly those past twenty seconds, and either Sam nor Kristie would say a single word. Rather, they were just staring at me, quite in shock. 

After a few seconds - my body is now a mess, as anxieties are storming in my stomach and thorax - Kristie exclaims:

"Shit! You like her!"

"No, I-" I start, knowing that it is useless.

"What?" Sam asks at the same time.

Kristie smirks.

"Who would have thought that the prodigy daughter would actually fall for the daughter of a gang leader, uh?" she laughs, as I start blushing.

I roll my eyes, saying:

"I don't know how I feel, but that's not the point: the point is that we all care about Abby, and we need to find her before something bad happens to her. Agreed?"

Sam nods.

"Agreed."

Our eyes turn to Kristie, who is just smirking again.

"That's gay, Press. But fine, I'm in."