Chapter 34: This Cheerleader Has Secrets (Final Part Three)
"Sometimes the person you think is right for you isn't and sometimes the person you don't think is right for you really is. And then other times no one is. You're just meant to be single in my book."
- Some Grumpy 5sos Fan...
If you asked me what the highlight of the day was I'd say arriving home. My scrawny wrists had red marks on them from the dangling shopping bags and my feet were sore from walking so much. So in one word I was : exhausted.
And confused. Don't forget confused.
"Are you sure you want to stay home alone?" Kelly asked me as the car came to a halt in the front of my driveway. "Gabby is at soccer practice, Aubrey is doing whatever an Aubrey does and your mom ditched you guys without telling you she went on a date."
"Wow. Thanks for sugar coating it." I said sarcastically, looking out of the window. "Sounds better when you put it that way."
"Sorry."She apologized
"It's okay." I unlocked the car door and got out with my bags still in my grasp and Kelly's are in the trunk.
"If you need me, just call." Kelly said in her good ol mom tone. "You know your luck isn't the greatest." She mutters which I hear anyway. "Stay away from windows."
"Yes, mother." I say dryly, heading up the steps
"If some guy shows up asking for butter, hide!"
I laugh and shake my head at my random best friend.
"I'll write it down!" I shout out as I take out the spare keys to our house.
"And-"
I open the door and sigh "Kelly. I'll be fine." I reassure her, turning around and watching as she starts up the vehicle once more.
After a small wave I go inside the house. I don't even bother putting the new clothing away and just drop the shopping bags near the front door. I make up my mind to take a shower then drown myself in a marathon of Spongebob.
I remove my clothing and enter the shower. The hot water stream collides into my skin, releasing tension. I close my eyes, and the hot steam envelopes my body. As I wash the shampoo suds off me, the water sending them in little streams down my back and just for a second the drama all around me erases from my brain.
Surrounded with quietness the tranquility is broken by a strange noise outside of the bathroom.
I brush the shower curtain aside and the water droplets from my hair pounces on the tile floor.
I turn the shower valves and they screech which makes me even more terrified than I already am.
Where could the noise be coming from?
I grab a huge white towel off of the rack and swaddle it around my body.
Maybe it's mom arriving back from her date or Kelly coming to check up on me. Is she really that over protective?
Fearing it's a butter criminal I grab the plunger beside the toilet and hold it up combat style.
What? A plunger can do a lot of things.
I make my way out into the living room and realize the noise isn't coming from there, but further down the hall. The plunger in my grasp tightens as the noise feels like it's getting closer. It sounds like glass. I approach my room and enter.
The aroma of strawberry carpet spray fills my nose, seeing that I had cleaned it before I left for school this morning.
But then I realize the figure that made the noise is in fact standing in the middle of my bedroom.
My eyes scan the figure's back straight to the blonde hair, but they don't stay to long and instantly stray to the shatters of glass onto the ground. The plunger in my hand touchdowns onto the carpet.
"How'd you get in here?" I growled, kneeling down to the family portrait that consisted of my mom, dad, Harmony, Aubrey and I when we were younger. When things were better.
The male looked startled, but after realizing it was me his face returned subtly.
"The front door was open." He answered, kneeling down to help with the broken glass.
For the first time ever a trail of profanities escaped under my breath at my stupidity. How could I leave the front door open? The one entrance barely protecting me from possible death.
"That still doesn't give you the right to just invite yourself in, Byron." I spat, hissing at the small splinter that I just got from one of the shards.
"Hey, it was either me or some random stranger." He replied, obviously annoyed by my anger.
I ignored him and used the small nearby convenient blanket to gather up the glass and placed it on my dresser.
I sighed and ran my fingers through my tangled and wet hair which was not easy.
"Why are you here?" I asked him, looking as he was so captivated by something. No, not the decor of my room, but the lack of clothing bestowed upon me.
My cheeks flushed red and I gripped the towel around me more. "I'll question you after I'm done getting dressed."
He smirked "Or you can just loose the towel and continue to question me?"
He put his hands up in defense when I glared at him. "Do what you want then."
I rolled my eyes "I think you need to exit."
"Why?"
"My room." I said in a duh tone and a few seconds later he exited.
I locked the bedroom door behind and sat on the soft sheets of my bed, going over the thought that Byron Archer - the guy who I hate and might be my step brother- just saw me naked. Well in a towel anyway.
Seconds go by and I get annoyed by Byron's impatient groans from behind my room door. I dry off with the towel, do most of my hygiene things and throw on a pair of grey yoga pants, a blue t-shirt and a huge grey hoodie.
I don't bother blow drying my hair seeing that this won't take long and open the room door revealing a now content Byron.
"Now, why are you here again?" I asked, watching as he ran a hand through his disheveled yet still managing to look amazing hair.
I probably look like a wet cocker spaniel.
"Well your mom felt bad for not telling you about her new date with my dad so she asked me to check up on you."
I scoffed at that statement. "Why couldn't she send Bianca?"
He shrugged.
"Well I'm fine and you can leave now." I say with a fake plastered smile.
"You know this new roller rink just opened up not too far away. We could check it out."
Silence
"Are you asking me out on a date?" I asked, breaking the quietness and hoping that I wouldn't get another embarrassing answer like I did with Carter.
"Now why would I ask my new step sister out on a date?"
I nod slowly. "So you're okay with this whole new sibling thing that's bound to happen sooner or later?"
"No. I'm just that great of an actor." He smirks, pulling me out into the hallway.
Minutes pass and I find myself in the front seat of Byron's car. But then reality hits me like a wrecking ball and I realize that my attire is not going to cut it.
"Wait. Have you seen what I'm wearing??"
With another one of his renowned smirk he turns to me "You look perfect."
For some reason I blush uncontrollably at his lie. My hair is still damp and the hoodie I'm wearing is swallowing me. Alien Byron needs to stop lying.
The car starts up, we're on the road and my house has already been erased. There's no turning back now and I probably look like a mess despite Byron's false compliment.
"So I guess we're on talking terms once again."
I laugh at Byron's assumption as he taps the steering wheel with his thumbs while driving. "Just because you nearly gave me a heart attack, broke my family portrait and forced me out of my house doesn't mean we're on talking terms." I clear up
"It was an accident. I was admiring your photos and it just happened to slip out of my hand." He explains with eyes glued to the road
"Nice story, butter fingers." I say sarcastically. The thought of butter then throws my thoughts on Kelly and how I'll have to explain all of this to her tomorrow.
"I'll buy you a new frame if you want."
Good ol jerks with money. Think they can fix any problem with the snap of their fingers and the wave of a credit card.
"You know ; you're exactly like Carter." I shake my head and turn to look out of the window.
"Right. Says the girl who has a whole entire book of letters dedicated to him."
" I guess I was stupid. I couldn't see that all of you guys were the same and a waste of human life." I folded my arms, regretting entering the car.
"You're not stupid, Cerise." He states which makes me stiffen in my seat, "Your heart just made the wrong decision."
I sighed and muttered under my breath "It's been doing that a lot lately."
"I'm no love doctor, but Carter just doesn't seem like the perfect fit for you. You're-"
"Not on his level." I finished for him, "Yeah, already covered that."
"That's not what I was going to say."
"But you were going to say something similar, but in a nicer way."
He shrugged in defeat "Okay, maybe."
I laugh. "Trust me. I know."
"What made you start writing love letters for him?" His question makes my body stiffen even more than it already had. I feel plastic .
Like I can't move anything.
"I- I don't know. It just happened." I breathed. It was such a stupid answer, but there was just something about him that I thought was different. Clearly I was wrong.
"I remember the time I wrote one. Utter piece of crap." He laughs, shaking his head.
My eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Byron Archer wrote a love letter? This is too good to be true. Who was the lucky lady?" I asked, my anger demolished in big amounts.
"I think you might know her. But it was a while ago." He answers just as we veer into the parking lot of the roller rink.
"What's her name?" I ask for the second time, getting impatient.
My impatience seems to make him laugh, but then after shutting the engine off he turns to me.
"Cerise."
I blink multiple times trying to recall if those words just exited Byron's mouth.
But they didn't.
The voice was too feminine. I fix in my seat seeing that we were facing each other and see the brunette that I call sister instead.
"Aubrey?"
I click the button that rolls down the window even more and see a guy at her side. Dark brown eyes and brunette helmet hair. His look screams surfer though.
"What are you doing here?" I ask slowly, mentally cursing Aubrey for interrupting Byron's sentence.
"Zeke chose here for our third date." She smiles, patting the guy whose name is Zeke's arm.
"Nice." I say ever so sweetly
Stupid Zeke
"Well I guess we'll meet you inside." Aubrey says, with arm in arm with Zeke going off into the building.
I turn back in my seat hoping for Byron to continue the conversation, but instead he's already out of the car and opening the passenger door for me.
"Uh, thanks." I say gloomily, looking down at my sneakers. I really wanted to hear him finish that sentence. Why? I don't know. But I did and he seemed to notice that too.
"Let's go inside. Your mom should be back home in a half hour. Don't want to keep you out too late."
"Right."