Chapter 21
“Are you sure it’s A-4/22?” I asked Chas on the phone. I was looking down at the flowery notepad on which I had written down Zack’s address.
“Yeah, damn sure…mine is A-4/18 and Zack’s house is the fourth house from mine. So, it has to be A-4/22,” Chas said firmly.
“Oh okay…gotta go then,” I said getting ready to cut the call off.
“Tee…” Chas said slowly.
“Huh?”
“You really messed up this time.”
“I know,” I sighed preparing my speech which I was going to speak in front of Zack.
“He didn’t deserve that at all…I hope you will make it up to him.”
“Yes I will,” I said with fierce determination. Zack had been my best friend and I wasn’t going to let him go so easily.
“And don’t forget! Sleepover at my place in the night,” Chas exclaimed excited.
“Yes I won’t that will be right after my date with Blaze,” I couldn’t help grinning like a fool. Player or no player, I was enjoying tremendously with Blaze.
I kept the mobile I my pocket and fixed my hair. Zack had to listen to me. As it was Saturday, I was free to do whatever I wanted to. That’s sounds like a joke I know because on Saturday’s Marylyn made me clean the entire house from inside out. I had made an excuse for today saying I had work on my English project and for that I had to go and stay over Chas’ place for the entire day as it was compulsory to submit the project on Monday. Grudgingly, Marylyn had to agree as the thought of the “Mother and Daughter” project still petrified her.
I grinned looking at my overnight bag; I was free to do whatever I wanted to today. That thought cheered me up terribly. It was always good to be away from Marylyn and Harriet. Without wasting any more time, I almost skipped joyfully out of the house. I had a similar feeling to that of a prisoner being released. This was my happy day
Chas’ house was ten minutes away from mine that is because I was walking down to her house. I guess it must have barely five minutes if I had gone by car. That seemed quite impossible…I mean, me having a car because Marylyn wasn’t that kind.
I passed the houses looking out specifically for Chas’ place. All the houses in this colony were similar to each other. I had been to Chas’ home before and as I thought of what exactly I had done there my face reddened slightly. I rang the doorbell after finding the right building.
The blonde lady still managed to take my breath away, she was that beautiful. Mrs. Lane looked fabulous in the sleeveless navy blue knee length dress she was wearing. No wonder she was the Heidi Klum of her days.
“Oh hello Tiana,” she beamed at me fastening a pearl earring to her right ear, “It’s been so long since I last saw you.”
“I’ve been good Mrs. Lane, thank for asking. How have you been?”
“Just wonderful…why don’t you come in? I’m so glad you will be sleeping over tonight because Chas is always getting herself into herself into trouble when I am not around,” she sighed as I sat down on the luxurious looking black leather sofa. Mrs. Lane had done an amazing job decorating her house. It wasn’t cold or formal like my house, thanks to Marylyn. This house felt warm and welcoming; like always I was fascinated by the paintings set up on the walls. They all must have been priceless.
“Will you stop bothering my friends,” Chas frowned as she climbed down the marble stairs that led into the drawing room; where we seated presently.
“We will be late if we don’t leave right now,” Mr. Lane walked towards us, “Hello Tiana, how are you?” He was wearing a navy blue suit which matched Mrs. Lane’s dress perfectly. Can they be any cuter?
“Uh…good thank you,” I smiled.
“Yeah you should leave now,” Chas yawned slumping down on the sofa besides me.
“Just don’t break anything please,” Mrs. Lane pleaded.
“I will try,” Chas grinned wickedly as Mr. and Mrs. Lane left the house.
“I have to go too,” I said throwing my overnight bag in Chas’ arms.
“You just got here!” Chas refuted.
“I Will be back!” I said and rushed out of her house. I had to get to Zack soon as my conscience was killing me.
It didn’t take long to reach his house; in fact it took a little over 2 minutes. After preparing myself I pressed on the doorbell. His house was same as the others on the street with a bright green door and windows. Beautiful potter plants were hanging on the roof of the ground floor.
“Who you want?” a little dirty face looked up at me adorably. His face was stained with chocolate and his shiny light brown hair was standing up in different directions.
“Hey…Uh…Is Zack there?” I asked amused. He was so cute; I had to resist myself from pulling his cheeks and patting his head.
A naughty smile lit up his face and he shouted, “A girl is here asking for you Zack!” He screamed into the house. Then he looked back to me and asked, “Are you his girlfriend?”
Guilt overwhelmed me again as I said, “No, I am his friend.”
“But you pretty!” he whined.
“Thank you,” I laughed.
“Will you wait till I grow up?” he asked seriously.
I bent down and patted his head, “I promise I won’t grow even a minute older till you become sixteen.”
That seemed to make him joyful, “Okay then. His chubby little face glowed.
“Who is it?” a voice asked reaching for the door.
“Tiana?” Zack said surprised.
“Please listen to me before you say a thing,” I begged, “I’m sorry.”
“What she sorry about?” the little boy asked.
“Jeremy,” Zack shifted his eyes on the boy, “Go inside, I will be back in a few minutes…”
“Okay…but she is mine,” he pouted and stomped inside the house.
Zack reddened, “Uh…sorry for that.”
“Jeremy? Are you kidding me? He’s so cuddly.”
“Yeah that 3 year old is a little pest at times,” Zack chuckled.
We stood on the pavement talking to each other.
“I shouldn’t have led you on Zack…I feel so horrible for that.”
Zack sighed, “That kiss meant so much to me Tee…and it really bothered me that after kissing me I found you kissing Blaze in hallway like nothing ever happened between us.”
“I’m truly sorry…you and Chas are my best friends and don’t want to lose you.”
“You have always been more than a friend to me and you knew it…it would have been better if you told me to back off.”
“I really want to make it up to you…I’ll do anything to have you back as my friend…slavery for eternity…anything.”
Zack smiled a little, “It’s all right Tee…I guess I did overact a little. I just wish you had told me sooner about Blaze.”
“I will never do such a thing again…I swear,” I said gazing into his hazel eyes.
“You like a Blaze a lot don’t you?” he asked seriously.
My eyes shifted to the ground, “I don’t know.”
“Just don’t lie about anything from now on…okay,” Zack said keeping his hands on my shoulders.
“Uh…that is not the only thing I’ve been lying about,” I told him.
Zack looked puzzled, “What else is there?”
It wasn’t fair that I had hidden half of my life from Zack. He had a right to know about my dual life. I couldn’t hide it from him any longer. How could he trust me again if I lied to him?
“I told you my mum is a little strict….right?”
“Yeah,” he said wondering where this conversation was going.
Then I told him everything. How Marylyn treated me and even about Harriet. I was trying my best not to cry in the middle of his street. Yes, the thought of Marylyn always did that to me; especially after I had seen Chas’ wonderful family. How loving they were complete opposites of my monstrous step mother.
“I had no idea,” Zack looked extremely disturbed. He grabbed me and wrapped me in his arms. “I will strangle Marylyn if I have to,” he said patting my head.
“I just want her to love me…for once,” I sniffled.
I had succeeded in controlling my tears but I couldn’t control my snot. Very attractive I know, especially from a girl who knows how to attract any possible guy on earth.
He laughed.
“What?” I asked hurt. Why did he find it funny that I had an evil step mother?
“Even small boys can’t resist your charm,” Zack tittered.
I grinned and whacked him playfully on his shoulder.
“There is another thing Zack…” I whispered as that situation mortified me.
“What else?”
“Stacy…she is Bulimic.”
“WHAT?”
I nodded sadly. No matter how much I wanted to deny it, I couldn’t. Stacy needed help before this thing serious and Zack was the only person I knew who could really help her as he was so caring.
“Yeah…she pukes every time after eating…she thinks she is fat. And that stupid male Cruz fed that nonsense into her head after saying that her butt is big.”
Zack bubbled with anger, “That poor girl…Blaze just broke her heart two months ago and now this fool comes and says such shit to her!”
“I am telling this to you because I know you can really help Stacy.”
“I have to do two things on Monday…1. Fry Cruz’s ass 2. Talk to Stacy about this.”
Author’s note: Yay!!!! Zack and Tiana made up! I’m a little at peace now. Do you guys want me to Stacy’s POV? I read your comments on my last chapter and it seems all of us had gone through hell some time or another because of boys. I’ll tell you an incident…When I was in school, I don’t remember which grade but I was pretty young back then, a guy looked at my face and said, “You have a moustache!” Yeah from then one I started to get my upper lip hair removed from a parlour. That ass…GRRRRRRRR I would totally bash him up if I met him now. This reminds me of the movie mean girls: Random guy, “Nice wig...what is it made of?” Goth girl: “It’s made of your mom’s chest hair!” I know these aren’t the exact quotations but I just wanted to make my point. I guess we would live by the attitude of the Goth girl and come up with witty comebacks lol.
AIf you want to get updates from me type “StorySpinner” in the Facebook search tab and you will find me! The display pic is the book cover of this story.