(A/N): Hey guys! The last chapter of this story and also the longest! It's basically the size of two of my chapters together. How we feeling ab the end?? And the fight w/ Ginny happens before the election results, so you can still go(but it happens in memories)
We arrived at the school at about 6, Ginny walking way faster than me. Before we left, the only context Marcus had given me was that we were meeting at the school for a date. I thought it was suspicious, but that was why I arrived wearing wayyy fancier clothes than I should've been(in the picture). My twin was jogging while I was stomping in my heels, trying to keep up. Marcus was standing outside and I walked a bit further up to meet him.
"Hey Y/n!" He waved, with a smile. His hands went back into his pockets as I returned the wave. As I met him, he pulled me in for a kiss. "So, you lied." He looked down and then met my gaze. "Well, technically, I didn't cuz this could still be a date...?" I rolled my eyes as I dragged him into the school, saying, "Why did you lie, anyway?" He matched my pace and responded, with an uneasy smile. "Because I knew you didn't want to watch this dumb play and...we have to talk to Max." We sat down next to my mom and his, Marcus whispering to me. "She's been acting crazy all day. I don't even wanna know what she's said to Ginny, if she's even spoken to her." Ginny, shit, I forgot. "But, where...where is Ginny?" I looked at him alarmed and saw her ahead, in between the black curtains, on stage. "Look, she's on stage! I gotta go!" He urged me to go and said he'd come back after 'hurling.' I didn't think he'd actually throw up, though. Maybe. I sure wanted to.
I crouched down and ran around the corner, getting onto the stage in a matter of minutes. Max and Ginny were talking while the show was going on. "What? I love you. You're my best friend. Why are you guys being mean for no reason?" A person I assumed was the director walked up and yelled, "Places. Places! You. Sparkle like a star." Maxine got ready to go onstage as I walked up behind Ginny. Max saw me and froze. "Max, please just tell me what I did." Ginny saw me behind her and moved so that I wasn't behind her anymore. When I was fully visible, she responded. "You had oral with my brother AND you like him?!" She then turned to me. "Wait, she likes who?" Maxine looked offended. "You have been dating my brother for months!" She whipped around and went on stage, singing immediately after she got on. I furrowed my brows at he and at Ginny. "What?" I crossed my arms, glaring at my sister.
She looked away and played with her thumbs, as if thinking. "Y/n, please." I rolled my eyes and began tapping my foot. "Please, don't be mad." I started laughing, shaking my head in the process. This was some silly ass shit. "So this was why you were so mean to Marcus. And I really, really thought you were trying to protect me. Some silly, ASS, shit."
"Y/n. Please." Maxine came back with a glare settled on her face. "Max, please. Max."
She tried to grab her and Maxine pulled away. "You did-whatever with him behind my back
and didn't tell me. And you were dating him? What kind of horrible friend are you? How could you do that to me? How? Y/n, I can't believe I-" She sighed.
"Max!"
"Hey, new girl. Why so glum? I'm Pam."
"I'm Jess." I looked up to the sky, trying to calm down. I started crying when I was frustrated and I didn't feel like crying. I came back here to help her get her friend back and I find out that she was trying to break up my relationship. I just- I was just mad and I wanted to go home. And I didn't want Max to be mad at her brother. My boyfriend.
"Max, please. Please. Please wait. Please believe me. I wanted to tell you. You too, Y/n, but I thought you'd be mad." I scoffed, cutting her off. "No shit, dumbass."
"I... I'm really, really sorry. I love you both. You're my best friends. I kept this a secret because I love you, and I didn't know what to do." Max whipped around to me quickly. "And you?" I didn't care for her attitude, but I spoke to her calmly anyway. "I literally told you already, you just didn't hear me. And then Sophie walked in and broke up with you. I was gonna tell you after that, but I was told not to."
She frowned. "Told? By who? Marcus?" I shook my head, debating whether or not I should tell her. I paced back and forth for a bit before she forcefully demanded. "Hallway. Now."
"Max." Ginny kept trying to latch onto her like a little leech. She dismissively waved her hand, yelling, "Ginny, shut up." She tried again, "Max, I can expl..." She cut her off again, "I'm serious. The play." We realized why she was talking to Ginny like that. That, and she was pissed for some reason. "Talk." She pleaded and begged, "Max, I'm... I'm so, so sorry, OK? I've never had a friend like you before," I cut her off, "You're never had a friend, ever." She nodded sadly and kept going. "I've never had a friend before and I didn't wanna screw it up." She clearly disagreed with what Virginia was saying. "No. Don't give me that poor little new girl bullshit, Ginny. You are my best friend, and you've been lying to me from the jump? You even lied to your sister!" I was shocked. She turned to me and added, "I'm still mad. I just think it's pretty shitty to like your sister's boyfriend!" Virginia flinched and responded, "I wanted to tell you. But I thought it was over with Marcus, and then... and then you were so sad about Sophie, I couldn't."
"Yeah. See, you could."
"You say, "Hey, Max. I'm an asshole. I wanna tell the truth about how I wasn't a virgin, and I lied to you about that and about sleeping with your brother." She shook her head, with widened eyes. "No, we didn't have sex and I am a virgin. He just- um. He fingered me." The last part came out low and we all shuddered at the word. "WHY would you tell me that?!" Max was beyond angry now. "Please, please tell me you have a good excuse for this, Y/n." I shrugged, what did she want me to say? "Max, I already told you. It's my bad that it came out fast like that, but I did. And I really like him, it's not just some dumb thing. I didn't want to tell- we didn't want to tell anyone unless we were sure about being together. And then we were, and we told you. But then, Sophie walked in, and we couldn't tell you again because you were crying and then Norah-"
"Hey." Norah tried to calm everyone down. "OK, guys. Calm down." First tip: don't tell a girl to calm down. "No, Norah. You do not get to be Switzerland on this! You know about this!" What? She looked offended. "You don't have to yell at me!"
"You told her, Norah? You told me not to tell her!" Norah shook her head, "No, I didn't. I just told her what I saw after she knew." Max looked to her then. "You told her not to tell me! You KNOW I like her!"
It was my turn to be surprised. "What? Is that why you're mad?"
"How could you tell Max about Marcus when you told me to keep quiet?" Abby looked away, whispering 'um.' "What? Abby, you told her? I thought- I-" Max looked so betrayed and Abby muttered that she didn't tell. "You knew? And you let me tell you about it. You acted all surprised and indignant! Oh my God, Abby! Wow!" Abby looked back and forth between everyone, saying shyly. "Max, I didn't want you to get hurt." She laughed, a small giggle. "That's funny. That's what everyone who keeps hurting me keeps saying! I cannot even look at you." Abby tried again with Max but I was the one who started cutting people off. "Hold up. You're mad at me because you like me?!" Max's face shifted to one of awkwardness and silence. "Do you realize how horrible that is? The audacity!" She tried to save it. "Well," I held up my hand. "How long? I mean, I knew, but I want to hear it from you." She looked all surprised and answered slowly, as Hunter showed up behind us. "Well, I've liked you since we first met. You said you were bi, so I thought I might have a chance."
I frowned. "Is there anything else you like about me? Do you even know anything about me?" She started playing with her hair as she whispered, "You're pretty."
"So, you like me because I'm bi?" She whispered again, "And pretty." I laughed, hard. And kept laughing. They must've thought I was nuts, but I thought that was nuts. Batshit, actually. You only like me cuz I'm bi and available? And now you're mad? Ridiculous.
"Hey. Ginny cheated on you." She nodded, "Yep. She had sex with Marcus." I stopped laughing to see Abby lying to Hunter. "Is that true?" Virginia shook her head, muttering, "Hunter." She reached out to him, but he backed away. I rolled my eyes and back handed her in the face. "You little bitch! I thought we were friends." She couldn't meet my eyes and I turned to hippie Hunter. "You and I are the only, and I repeat, only people here right now that have a valid reason to be mad. And I'm gonna be honest, even thought I'm pissed about it, ginny didn't cheat on you. You guys weren't even dating. And it was a mistake. He thought she was me. But, she sent that photo my Marcus too. She likes him, apparently." I actually started crying at that moment and I started wiping it away, but they just kept coming. I was getting really frustrated now.
"Turns out Ginny's not the person we all thought she was. She's got secrets." Hunter was astonished, "I... I told you I loved you."
Ginny looked scared and she started crying, which made me even more mad, causing more of my tears to fall. "Hunter, I...I feel so much love for you, I do, but I... I also love Marcus." She reached out for my hand, but I slapped hers. "'Sup?" Marcus had come back from the bathroom. "I finished throwing up, so..." I blinked as he whipped his mouth aggressively. I didn't think he was actually gonna throw up. "Max! Just the person I wanted to-" She glared and said flatly, "We know about you and Ginny. And Y/n, too." He coughed his literal guts out and I grabbed him, holding him up. When he finished coughing, he whispered to me. "They know about Ginny, too?" I nodded. "That's all you have to say? You're not gonna deny it?" he stood taller, grabbing my hands from his back and holding them in his. "I'm not gonna deny it." He placed a strand of my hair behind my ear, slightly grinning. I suppose he ws enjoying being ''public." "Well, what the ever-loving frick-fest? I mean, seriously? Is this a thing now? Are you dating? Is he your boyfriend? Are you guys in love?" I rolled my eyes, "No shit, this is what we've been saying repeatedly for, like, twenty minutes!" She looked broken as she repeated, "You guys are in love?"
We both nodded without having to check in with each other. "Yes, I love her. And she loves me. I hope." I laughed at his little joke, the happiest I'd been that night. My tears stopped and he wiped off the remaining ones.
"I need to get out of here," said Hunter, looking away from me and Marcus. "Hunter. Hunter. Hunter, please." She flung herself at him, as if she wasn't about to dump him because of her crush on my boyfriend. He finally grew a backbone for the first time since I met him. "No, I'm better than this. I was great to you. You didn't deserve it. You're throwing all that away for this. This guy. Cool. Good luck with that. That's on you." He started walking away. But, then, he turned. And started walking at high speed towards us. "No, you know what?" Marcus tried to reason with him, "Come on, man. It was...God!" He punched Marcus square in the face. "OK. Ow! I have a concussion, asshole."
"You idiot! He just got out of the hospital!" Hunter looked as though he felt bad now. "And you, Maxine. You just let your friend punch your concussed brother! What a shitty sister!" She looked down too, only replying after a few minutes with, "I'm in the next act."
"OK, Max. Maxine." She shook her head, "No. No. Don't. Don't talk to me. Norah, leave the liars." Norah walked away. She looked back at me and I glared, menacingly, making her jump a few feet and walk faster. Hunter completely left the school. Abby looked like she was gonna try to talk to me, but I grabbed Marcus's hand walking past her, bumping her shoulder, hard.
I felt a hand on me and pushed it off, seeing her. I shoved her against the lockers and yelled in her face. "You're a bitch, Ginny." She muttered 'no, no, no' as I walked away from her to the opposite lockers and then walked back. "Don't talk to me. Don't speak to me. We're not sisters. Not now, not ever. I'm tired of forgiving you."
She started crying again as I walked away, going back into the play to grab my bag, with my boyfriend in tow. Maxine ran to me for the last time that night just then. I ran out of the building after telling that 'selfish bitch' to 'stay out of my life.'
--
"I cannot believe you! Have you no self-control, ya feral cat?" Marcus shoved past his sister, utterly pissed at her. "It was none of your business." She sneered, replying, "If my friend and my brother are dating each other, I feel like I deserve to know. And by the way, I helped Ginny edit that photo. God! Why would you do that? My best friend?" I glared at her. "She wasn't your best friend when it happened. She just moved here. And I didn't want Ginny to send he that. She just did cuz she's crazy. I love everything about Y/n. You don't even know what she likes to eat. And anyway, when I tried tot ell you the first time, I'd just had my accident."
"No. No, no, no. You do not get to blame this on your concussion."
"You have no idea how annoying it is to be operating on half a brain."
"You always operate on half a brain, so you should be used to it. God, you're such a piece of shit." He shrugged, "I may be, but Y/n is a better friend than you realize for letting you run around like an entitled brat all the time. You don't even notice all the shit she's struggling with. You don't understand boundaries! You make everything about yourself! You only like her cuz she likes girls! You overstep until people suffocate! God... Like Sophie. No wonder Y/n and psycho Ginny were so afraid to tell you." She yelled back, astonished at his attitude. "Fall in a ditch!" He laughed, with a smirk. "Well, I already did that." She screeched before yelling, "I am going to literally kill you!
"Oh yeah, what? Please!"
-"I will put my fist to your face."
"Murder me! Please. Do it!"
--
"I quit being a mom. The hours are long, and the pay sucks." I was listening to mom talking to Ellen, while popping my popcorn. I stress eat. "No kidding." Mom look so tired and it made me feel so horrible. "Austin still hasn't said
a single word to me." Ellen shook her head rapidly, "Oh, not mine. Mine talk. They won't shut up." Mom looked at her oddly. Sympathy, maybe? "You OK?" She nodded, quietly. "I have something hard to share with you." Mom nodded, with a 'Mm-hmm.' "Apparently, my son accidentally had oral with your daughter? Not Y/n, though." She started ranting, "I don't really know how that kind of think happens by accident, but..." Mom just replied, "Mm." Ellen looked shocked, "You knew?" Mom was then the one to shake her head. "No, but I caught him climbing through Y/n's window a few days ago. I thought you were gonna say something about that." My popcorn was finished pooping and I pressed the cancel button before the microwave started singing, so they didn't know I was in here. I don't know how they didn't hear the popping in the first place. "Whoa. He did what?" Mom nodded, "Mm-hmm."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Mom tried to calm her down. I wanted to know why she din't tell Ellen too. "Ellen..." She was not having any of mom's crap. "I'm his mom, Georgia! If my 15-year-old son is climbing through some girl's window, I need to know that! You're a mom! I am your friend!" Mom nodded, "Yeah. OK."
"We can't all do this, like, weird, loosey-goosey, cool, free-range parenting thing that you're doing, OK?" What the- "Excuse me?" Now Ellen was going a bit too far. Whatever she did think did not need to be expressed in that way about someone else's parenting. "You know what? I have to go." Mom got up, "Ellen, hold on." She waved her hands about and shook her head. "No, I'm gonna say something I'm gonna regret, and I don't wanna do that. I would hate to call you something terrible like a bad mom." My mom called after her, "Ellen!"
My eyes widened and I reached into my popcorn bag, grabbing a handful. Chile, anyway, so... I kept munching, but then I heard yelling going on upstairs and realized that Austin was probably listening to it all. I left my half-empty popcorn bag reluctantly and jogged up the steps to get my brother. I heard mom as I got to his room and rerouted, to the open door. "But why all the sneaking around? It's not like you to hurt people that you care about. You lied to me. You lied to Max. You lied to Hunter. You lied to your sister." Ginny started playing the victim as I open Austin's door. Ho looked so sad and was so quiet when I came in the room. I closed the door, silencing some of the screaming and sat down on the floor next to Austin.
"Why is everyone yelling?" I shook my head, grabbing his Lego's and putting them back. "I dunno, Austin. Let's just go to sleep." He nodded and put on his pajamas as I finished cleaning up his Legos. I got into his bed and he hopped in, immediately latching onto me. "Are you okay, Y/n? Your face is red." I sighed and turned off the light. I smoothed Austin's hair back as I nodded. "Yeah, Austin, I am."
--
Mom let me stay in bed that day, for the second time in a few days. Austin went to school and left me in the beed, re-tucking me and kissing my forehead, as I usually did for him. I only got up to ride with Austin to school, as he still wasn't talking to anyone, but me. I quickly got dressed in the first shirt and pants I could find in my drawer.
When we arrived at his school, we all got out of the car and started to walk Austin in. "Hey, Austin. Uh..." Mom crouched down to speak to him and I did as well. "I know you're not talking right now, little man, but, um...I know you found the letters, and I'm really sorry. This is really hard, but...uh...your dad, he's um...He's not...He's not really a wizard, is he?" His teacher came towards us, with a warm smile. "Georgia! Y/n! Austin!" We smiled back and returned her greeting. "Hi, Ms. Jakob." She said hi again and asked how Austin was feeling. Ummm "Fine. Austin's fine." I nodded, agreeing, and made a 'you little...' face at Austin and he hid behind me. "Did he catch that nasty bug going around? Poor guy. We missed him all week." Mom peeked at him from behind me and he smiled weakly. "Hmm. I see."
"Well, Austin is feeling loads better now, ain't ya? All right. You go on in. I'm just gonna stand right here and watch you walk to that door." He looked at us before walking into school, Mom and I watching him the whole way. "I know the transition's been hard. Um..." I turned back to Austin's teacher, who was still there. "I've noticed some behaviors of Austin's that I'd love to schedule a time with you to discuss further." Mom nodded, "Yeah, of course. Absolutely." Ms. Jakob smiled, "OK. OK, great. Thank you." We went to walk back tot he car when we heard yelling. "Georgia." Oh shit... "Cynthia! How are you? This election can really take its toll on one's mental health. Oh, and don't forget to vote." Cynthia tried to add something, but I rolled my eyes, "Don't even today, woman. I've had enough." We went to the car as her friends told her how concerned they were for her. "Don't even look at her. Indifference is the best revenge."
I helped mom get ready for her campaign party or whatever. We had picked out an outfit, fixed up her notecards, and I was curling her hair when Virginia came in. I looked back down to mom's hair and mom spoke to her. "Ginny. How do I look?" She didn't answer and I dropped the curling iron on the counter, unplugging it. "I'm not ignoring our conversation from yesterday, but I wanna put it aside just for tonight. Tonight, we're a family. A family about to win a mayoral election. Imagine me saying that a year ago, huh? It's unbelievable. It's all working out. Things are good. It's all gonna be OK. I know it. Are we good? Can I count on you and Austin to come tonight? The results are in at nine." She nodded, "We'll be there."
I dashed up the stairs to get my brother ready. I heard shuffling in my room and veered to the left. "Austin?" I hard, 'shit,' as I swung open the door. "Hey!" I chuckled, "Oh, hey, Marcus." He came over and hugged me tight, kissing me. "I'm sorry for leaving you last night." I smiled at him, kissing him again. "It's fine. I'm happy you're here now." He smiled and fumbled with a Paul Randolph button, putting it on. "My mom said I could go. She's mad that I snuck in here, but she's more just at me because of what happened with Ginny, so I can go. I just have to get there with her. And then I'll come on stage with you guys." I nodded and kissed him one last time before leaving the room to get my little brother in a mini cream tuxedo. I changed in there while Austin changed in the bathroom and then brushed his hair down, fixing his glasses neat on his face.
--
(A/N): These are two cream outfits I found, but as always, you can put a link to any other outfit you might chose! It's cream to match Georgia's outfit btw
"Folks, the results are in. It is my honor and privilege to introduce to you our newly re-elected mayor, Paul Randolph!" There were shouts and 'Whoo!'s from all around city hall. "Thank you! Thank you all very much! Wellsbury means the world to me. And throughout this entire campaign, I heard your voices loud and clear, and I agree with you. Wellsbury is an amazing place, but there is always room to make improvements, and that is what I am planning to do over these next two years. I want Wellsbury to be a place that fosters forward thinking and great ideas. I challenge us to do..." Mom was tapped by a man next to her. "Congratulations. Don't forget to tell Paul. You got more to celebrate, don't you?" I looked to Austin, who couldn't hear word they said. He was too focused on the speech. Marcus was next to me, on the other side, spaced out, his grim tightening on my hand absentmindedly.
Mom beamed at this guy. "You know, you're right. Everything worked out
exactly how I wanted. It's almost like Kenny's here with us right now, just looking down on me." My eyes widened when I realized what she meant and I started laughing. No one could really hear me except for them. Austin smiled at me, with a few teeth gone, and turned back to Paul. Marcus jolted up and then went back to whatever he was thinking of. The man and Mom looked back at me, but Mom smiled knowingly, understanding that I'd gotten it. Now that's one way to scatter ashes... "What'd you do with that body, Georgia? Hmm? I know you're responsible for digging it up." She grinned at him again and looked up to the sky. "Thank you. I could not have done it without you!" Mom looked amazed by the fireworks. "Pretty, aren't they? I love fireworks. I find it takes something that big and bright to really...scatter the ashes of the past." I gasped, still laughing, and the man looked scared/mad.
Mom turned away from him, walking back to me. "Hey guys, did you enjoy the show?" I nodded, with a big smile. Austin smiled at her and looked back at the bright lights. Marcus nodded too. "Wait, where...where's your sister, Y/n?" I looked at an uneasy Austin and then back at mom.
"Come here." She beckoned Austin to come to her, grabbing another helmet for Zion's motorcycle. "Austin, you understand, right? Mom isn't who she says she is, and I need to get out of here." Austin scratched his ear and cocked his head, confused. "Are you sure you wanna come with me? I need to hear you say it." He shook his head. "Where's Y/n?"
"She's not here, now I want to hear that you wanna come." He repeated the question, only a little louder this time, catching the attention of his older sister. "Austin? What are are you-" I saw her, sitting on the bike, staring at me. I reflected her look, confused. My arms crossed and I looked down at a confused Austin. "What- are you...are you running away, Ginny? Where are you gonna go?"
"He's only a child! We need to protect him from her!"
"From her? Why don't 'we' protect him from you? Do you know ONE thing about him that I haven't told you? Just one."
She gulped, "His favorite movie character is Harry Potter!" How typical of you to assume, Virginia. "No, his favorite character is Ron. You know why? Because he feels like you don't really see him, that you and mom don't pay attention to him. And mom never has the time to because she's always cleaning up your messes! Always has, always will! Why do you think we're here? I was dating someone and we moved for you! Austin had friends and we. moved. for. you!"
"You ungrateful little bitch. Why do you have to use people's lives as pawns in your campaign to hate mom? She's done nothing but love you and protect you and you always have to be the smarter one, the better one, the know-it-all. Go, Virginia. Run away, like you always do. Just know that I will not let you take one of the most important people in my life. While you were out doing God knows what everyday since he was born, and mom was fixing your shit, I was raising him. And I don't intend on stopping now." We seemed to be a a crossroads. She turned and rode off on the bike, not looking back once. I looked down, hearing Austin sobbing. I picked him up and gave him a hug, carrying him back into the house, with one last look at the road my sister disappeared through. But she wasn't my sister. Not by choice, at least. And I didn't think she ever would be. Not now.
"I don't know, Mom. But I don't have a sister."