I came home to Cecilia and Mike still here, they were staying for dinner.
"Hey didn't know you guys would still be here," I said as I set my bag down.
"Yeah well, mom begged us to stay.... something about all of us needing to bond after the stuff that happened with you and Natalie," Cecilia said, rolling her eyes as she cut tomatoes.
"Natalie needed to get her shit rocked a few times, we don't need bonding we need Natalie to know her place."
"Natalie started crying and stomped upstairs — been there since you left." Mike told me as he cut some lettuce beside Natalie.
"Where's mom?" I asked as I sat on one of the stools by our island.
"Buying buns and patties." Replied Cecilia. "Oh yeah, and she told mom about some guy you're seeing."
I looked up at them a bit shocked. "She talked about Jesse to mom?"
Cecilia and Mike nodded, neither of them looking at me.
I got up, feeling angry. "Maybe I should give her round 2."
"Sit down Hailey, it was nothing bad just that you're seeing someone new and that's what you got into a fight about," Cecilia told me.
I scoffed, "I bet she played the victim, didn't she?"
"She told your mom that you didn't want to bring this dude around and Natalie was pressuring you to invite him over," Mike explained.
It took all my willpower not to walk upstairs and break down her door.
"That's definitely not what happened. She was talking about how hot Jesse was and if he was just my pass time, who says that about their sister's boyfriend?"
Cecilia looked surprised. "You know she loves having the attention on her."
"Yeah, I fucking do."
After a few moments of silence I spoke up again, "It's not that I don't want him to meet mom, I don't want him around Natalie. You might actually remember Jesse from high school."
"The name sounds familiar... was he the tall dude that had the deep voice?"
I laughed, "No that's Brandon... but Jesse was in that uhhh crowd."
When my mom came home not too long ago she asked me to invite Jesse over to meet him properly — I wanted to pull a Natalie and stomp upstairs after hearing that.
"I don't want him around," I told her honestly.
"Stop being so rude Hailey... I want to meet the boy you're spending all your time with. Natalie-"
"—Natalie didn't tell you the truth mom."
"Of course she wasn't telling the truth. I know you wouldn't get so mad over something so silly."
I wanted to roll my eyes, my mom refused to swear in any giving circumstance, out of all the words she could have used: silly
"Yeah well..."
"Please Hailey... let me meet him." She begged me, pleading with her eyes.
I sighed, "Fine I'll see if he's busy."
Calling Jesse Pinkman
"Hey, Jess!"
"Hey, babe."
"Are you busy right now?" I asked him.
"Nah just chilling... you should come over, we can—"
"My mom wants to meet you... I get if you want nothing to do with it."
"When?" He asked me.
"She wants you over for dinner in about an hour."
"Sounds good."
"Jess—" This was all so easy I hated it. "It's fine if you don't want to."
"What's up with you? Do you not want me to meet your mom or something?"
"Of course not... it's m-more my sister, she's been getting on my fucking nerves lately."
Jesse laughed and I smiled, picturing him laughing. "I'll see you soon."
"Okay, I'll send you the address."
"Bye baby."
"See you soon."
Call ended
-
I heard a knock at the door and went to get it since everyone was in the backyard except Natalie who was inside.
I opened the door to Jesse who was in a simple gray long sleeve and jeans.
"Hey handsome," I said smiling at him.
"Hey baby." He said and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.
I shut the door behind him and gave him a quick tour of the main floor.
"Everyone's outback, let's go see them," I said and Jesse and I made our way to the backyard.
Instantly my mom turned around to greet us. I could see how excited she was.
"Brace yourself," I whispered to him.
He furrowed his eyebrows, "Wait... wha—"
But she already engulfed Jesse in a motherly hug.
"It's so good to finally meet you!" She exclaimed as they pulled away.
"Yeah uhh nice to meet you, I'm Jesse."
"Well I'm Laura and this is Hailey's sister Cecilia and her boyfriend Mike." My mom said pointing to them.
"Sup," Jesse said, nodding his head.
Jesse and I went back inside along with Mike and Cecilia and set the table. I can't even remember the last time we all ate at the same time together and clearly neither had Jesse.
"Do you guys eat like this all the time, like when you're not with me?" He asked.
"No, I couldn't tell you the last time we did."
My mom came in with the burgers and hotdogs and she went upstairs to get Natalie.
"Do you think she's actually going to come down to eat?" Asked Mike as we sat down.
Jesse and I were sitting across from Mike and Cecilia, my mom and Natalie would sit at the ends of the table.
"Depends, she's probably embarrassed to show her face," Cecilia replied with a shrug.
"What happened?" Asked Jesse curiously.
"Hailey over here had a wrestling match with her sister this morning," Mike explained with a grin.
He tilted his head to look at me, "Right on babe, guessing you won... I don't see a scratch."
"Natalie doesn't look as nice," Cecilia commented as she poured herself a drink of water.
Speaking of the devil Natalie walked in behind my mom, her hair was pulled into a ponytail but you could see a big bruise along her jaw — oops.
But my mouth practically dropped when I what she was wearing — booty shorts and a white crop top without a bra.
"What are you wearing?" I immediately commented as she sat down on the end nearest to myself.
"I wear this all the time." She replied with a devilish smile.
She was purposely trying to tick me off and I gritted my teeth so hard I thought they'd break.
I glanced around the table, my mom was filling her plate while Jesse and Mike both were acting as if Natalie didn't come down and Cecilia had the same expression as I did: What the fuck!
"If I didn't know any better I'd say you're cold," I said smugly, narrowing my eyes at her.
"Why is that?" She asked as she leaned over the table to grab a plate.
"Just a hunch—" I said, looking at her shirt that exposed too much for my liking. "But uhh white's a bit of a revealing colour, in case you missed that little memo."
Jesse laughed but covered it up with a cough, Cecilia and Natalie snickered to themselves.
"Hailey dear... drop it okay." My mom said and for the sake of dinner, I did.
We began eating, making small talk but of course, Natalie had to try and ruin it.
"So Jesse what have you been up to since high school?" She asked, putting her elbows on the table and resting her head against the palm of her hand.
I watched her every move because I know she was trying to do something sneaky.
"I uhh am job hunting right now." He replied, "But I've been good, you?"
"I'm still in high school." She said with a fake laugh. "I'm a bit upset you don't remember me, Jesse."
He looked at her and blinked a few times, "Sorry—"
"I'm Natalie... the girl who'd—"
"—Slept with the whole school." I cut her off and Jesse's eyes went big.
"T-that's you — never put a face to the name," Jesse mumbled and I smiled at that.
"Natalie, that's really how people know you? I thought Hailey was doing that to get under your skin." My mom said, clearly horrified at her youngest daughter.
"No mom I'm not—"
"Natalie don't lie," Cecilia commented. God, I loved my oldest sister so much!
"Shut up." She snapped, "So Jesse... you're saying you don't remember me? Obviously, my name rings a bell."
"By the looks of it, the only Damaris he knows is Hailey." My mom said and for one of the first times, my mom actually put Natalie in her place.
Jesse looked a bit awkward, poor guy. "Yeah, she is, my bad Natalie."
She started pouting like a literal child. I never acted like her at 17, mind you what I was doing was against the law, but still, I was never pouting when I didn't get my way.
My mom and Cecilia took our plates and it was just the 4 of us in the dining room now.
Natalie began scratching her chest with her nails, purposely letting out a little moan and we all looked at her — again, what the fuck.
"Do you mind?" I snapped. I didn't want Jesse to feel uncomfortable here but she was making it so hard.
Jesse placed his hand on my thigh. "Why don't we—"
"I'm not doing anything Hailey... are you worried Jesse will want me instead of you?"
I stood up so quickly my chair flung back. "Did you not learn Natalie to keep your fucking mouth shut?"
Jesse also stood up, "Hailey I wasn't—"
"—You don't have to lie, Jesse." She winked at my boyfriend.
"Natalie, what the hell?" Mike said as he was still sitting down.
I was about to make my way up to her when my mom and Cecilia came back in.
Jesse grabbed one of my arms while he was sitting down to keep me back from her.
"What's going on in here?" My mom asked.
"Hailey's overacting again." Natalie grinned, she knew mom would side with her.
"You know what—" I snapped and tried to launch at her when Jesse stood up and grabbed my torso, pulling me back.
"Hailey this is the second time today.... you're going to have to leave—"
"You never fucking listen... Why do I always have to leave? Can it never be Natalie's fault?"
"It's all just talk Hailey." My mom sighed.
"Laura if I may... it really was Natalie who started it," Mike stood up for me.
I scoffed, "She doesn't care if Natalie does anything, it's always on me."
"H—"
"You wonder why I never bring anyone around... not even friends.... because of shit like it."
I turned back to Jesse, "Let's go."
As we passed by Natalie she backed away quickly — good.
"Oh yeah and you might want to pull those shorts down just a bit, camel toes are unattractive." I spat, loving how her body went tense when I was close.
I pulled Jesse by the arm all the way to our driveway. We couldn't leave faster.
"Look I'm sorry about all of this," I apologized to Jesse. I really did feel horrible about this.
He smiled, "I was worried you didn't want me around because you didn't want anyone to know we were a thing... but this makes so much more sense." I laughed at that.
"Hey what does Cap'n Cook mean?" Asked Cecilia who came outside with Mike.
Jesse and I looked at each other. Fuck he never got rid of that douchey licence plate.
Let me rephrase that, that douchey car.
"Stupid high school plate," Jesse replied.
Mike smirked. "Got a ring to it though."
I snorted. "I told Jesse people will get the wrong impression... but here we are."
He grabbed my hand and squeezed it, "I'll change it soon."
"I just wanted to apologize, Jesse, I don't know what goes through her head," Cecilia said.
"Yeah... I've never seen her that extreme," Mike said with a sour face.
Cecilia nodded her head. "Yeah I know... we're going to grab ice cream, we'll grab you guys some if you stay."
Jesse and I made our way back upstairs and my mom apologized to me which again never happens but I accepted it and showed Jesse my room and we stayed up there and ate the ice cream that Cecilia and Mike brought back.
-
"Come in!" I called out later that night when someone knocked at the door.
Jesse and I were sitting on the bed looking through my CD's
"Your father called and apparently he got an early flight home so I'm going to pick him up from the airport instead of him taking a taxi."
I nodded, "Alright..."
"It'd be nice if you both stay the night." My mom suggested.
"Thank you for dinner," Jesse told her with a smile and she gushed at that — she always told me she wanted me with a polite respectable man and well, here we are.
"Oh you're welcome Jesse... think about staying the night, okay?"
I nodded. "We'd have to go get Jesse clothes then."
"It's up to you but Natalie will be here with you guys... don't start anything please."
"I won't if she doesn't," I replied.
She shut the door and a few minutes later Jesse locked my bedroom door.
He started kissing my lips, hovering over me as I lay under him on my bed.
Our lips never parted as I pulled his shirt off, wanting as much skin-to-skin contact as humanly possible.
"Jess—" I pulled away, smiling at him. "Natalie's home."
He grinned and kissed me again, "So let's give her a show."
He did make a good point and so I made sure that we were both loud enough for her to hear in the room next to us — payback is a bitch.
She hit the wall a few times but ended up blasting some music instead. That made the moment even better than it already was.