"Annabelle!!" My mother, Jerry, yelled. "Your going to be late!"
"Okay, Mom! I'll be down in a sec!" I yelled back. Oh, I"m already ready! Hmm, I guess I do muti-task. Well, we (meaning my mother, father, and I) are going to meet Jake and his mother for a Christmas dinner. See, at school, I made Jake believe I wouldn't be able to see him during Christmas Break. I wanted to surprise him, so I called Marie and told her and she said she'd keep it a secret! Fantastic! I took one more look in the mirror. A simple light pink sweater and a pair of blue sweats. I know, weird look but oh, well. I don't have to impress Jake. He loves me the way I am. He told me so when we went to the Winter Formal dance, although he couldn't recall the name of the dance, it was still the best dance ever! The words he told me when I thought the worst. I mean I'd heard two rumors. One: He was or had been "with" Kristi, his awful ex. Two: He liked me a lot. But the real outcome was even better. I told him how I felt and he told me how he felt. The words he told me run through my mind again as I climb into our little red Honda....
"The rumor was that I like you. Anna-Bee, I love you. All of you. Your past, your present and your future. Your mistakes, your accomplishments, your goals. The way you smile and talk. The way you cry and get mad. I love everything about you."
As we drive down the street, I can't help but wiggle in my seat. I feel like a little kid who's eager to open his gifts on Christmas Eve. Man, how long does it take? Gee! Get there already!
"Mom, how much farther?" I whine. She shots me a look like "For real?"
"We just left darling...are you that desperate to see your best friend?" Oh, yeah...we are going to tell my parents at this dinner that we are together. I gulp. I hope this ends well. I sit back and zip my lips. Jake and I made this desicion and I'm going to stick to it.Of course, that was suppose to be in January when we tell them but he didn't know I was going to see him for Christmas...Oh, but I want to tell them so badly. I miss Jake though! I haven't saw him much really since the dance. Except once when I went over to his house at night when he texted me saying he needed to talk. I thought the worst. Then he asked me to be his girlfriend. He just came out and asked. He even asked for me to stay the night in his arms but I knew my parents were going to check in on me so I told him I couldn't.
Yay! We're here! At a quiet, little diner. It's a mile out from town and a lot of people we know don't come here. So, no huge chance of running into someone we don't want to talk to! I wiggle in my seat until the car is pulled into the parking lot. I open the door before it even comes to a complete stop and once my feet hits the pavement, I'm gone! I take off running toward the enterence and open the door. BAM! I fall straight down.
"I'm so sorry!" I manage, too excited to feel any pain.
"Annabelle?"
"Jake!" I look up and see him. He falls on the ground with me and embraces me. I hug him tightly. "Oh, I've missed you!" Finally, I decide to stand, believing we probably look like a bunch of retards sitting in the floor.
"Wow, I didn't expect to see you." He mutters.
"Still shocked! Ha!" I laugh at him. He just shakes his head.
"I thought you were leaving for Christmas Break."
"Leave you? As if." I say looking outside to see my parents making there way inside. "Oh, and my parents came. And I think we should tell them."
"Yeah, okay. Whenever you want." I walk over to a table with him. It's a round table for eight. His mother is sitting there all anxious looking. I give her a small smile.
"Nice to see you again, Marie." I say. She just nods and I send a questioning look at Jake but he's paying attention to my parents walking in. Okay, so it's my parents, me, Jake, and his mom. That's five. Why a table for eight? Is his father and siblings joining us? After everyone says their greetings, we all sit and look at the menus. Everyone is quiet. Too quiet. I'm sitting beside Jake and my mother. Of course, Jake and I are holding hands and we aren't even trying to hide it. I mean, my parents are about to find out anyway.
"MOM!!!" A voice rumbles through the whole diner. I look over to see a very slender female about 6'2 and blonde rushing toward us. Can it be? No.
"Gracie! Oh, my." Marie's voice cracked. I guess it could be Jake's sister. I mean she's in college and they get a bigger break for Christmas. Jake's face is priceless. He's completely shocked. Marie attacks her daughter with hugs and kisses and "Are you okay? How was your flight?"
After talking to her mother, she nods at me and my parents, then looks at Jake.
"Aww, Jakey-pooh! I've missed you soooo much!" She belted out. She rushed to him and squeezed his cheeks like an old granny would do. Then she pulled him up into a quick and tight embrace making him drop my hand.
"Grace. Chill. I've missed you,too." He chuckles. She realizes that she made him drop my hand and her mouth forms an "o". And I just shake my head at her. She just takes her a seat on the other side of Jake sitting between him and his mother. Now, there's two empty seats.
"Well, I know we are here for a holiday dinner.." I say and glance at Jake and Marie. "But...I need to tell you guys something." I tell my parents.
"Well, honey. Do you know we are starved..could it wait." I just nod at them. Couldn't they at least, act somewhat excited or nervous? Do they even care about what goes on in my life? Jake grabs my hand and gives it squeeze. I give him a small smile.
We all order our food. And me, being too focuse on how I'm going to tell me parents, didn't pay attention to what everyone got. I do know Jake and I ordered a pizza to share. Half sausage and half pepperoni. Marie excused herself to the restroom when she recieved a phone call. A couple mintues after she left, I excused myself. The time to tell them just came nearer and nearer. What would I tell them? How would they react? Am I overthinking it? I mean, I am a freakin' Senior! I'm old enough to make my own decisions. I reached for the door but paused when I heard a loud voice. It was Marie.
"No...Vincent?...How?....Why now?...Damn it! George!....Please...Don't do this to us!....Not now!....No,....I won't sign them....I could careless....papers....how can....you know what.....no...fine!...good bye!" I heard her hang up the phone. I finally decided it'd be safe to walk in. I walked in and it looked like she litterally was pulling her hair out. It was sticking up everywhere and her eyes were blodshot. She looked like she aged ten years. Her eyes diverted over to me and they grew wide.
"Did you hear that?" She barely managed. I nodded shyly. "Please, don't say anything. I don't want Jake hurt yet. Not when he has you to worry about." I just nodded. "Who would do this to us?" She finally broke and was crying. I hugged her and finally got her to calm down.
"Come on, Marie. Let me help wash off your face." I rinsed off her face the best I could. I used her make-up to cover up where she'd been crying. She looks like she's been perfectly fine. I start talking about how Jake was younger and what he used to do. Like putting a bowl on his head and running around with a blanket tied around his neck that he claimed was a cape. I had her laughing which was good since we were making our way back over to the table. Jake smiled when he saw us. Poor Jake. When he found out about his parents getting a divorce and his father taking Vincent, it's going to kill him.
"What's wrong, Annabelle?" He mouths. I just shake my head and give him a smile. As we both sit down, I notice everyone is finished eating. I look at my parents and they are talking amongst themselves. So, I clear my throat. They both look at me.
"Honey? Are you sick? Dear, you shouldn't..."
"Mom, I'm fine. I just think it's best that..."
"Oh, thank Jesus! Don't scare me like that!" And she returned her attention back to my father. I cleared my throat again and she just shot me a warning glance.
"MOM, DAD! I have something to tell you!" I talk louder.
"Annabelle! Manners!" She gapes at me in horror.
"NO!" I stand up in my seat. "You never listen to me when I need to talk to you! You never pay me any mind. When are y'all going to.."
"Dear, you don't scream at the table nor do you say 'y'all'."
"Y'all! Y'all! Y'all! I'll say whatever I want! It isn't liek you'll hear me anyways!..."
"Honey, you shouldn't talk to your mother like that. You..."
"You know what?! Forget you! Why not just listen once? Huh? Why can't one important thing in my life matter to you! Huh? You know what you don't deserve to know now!" I explode on them. They just stare at me in shock.
"Annabelle, We are leaving, now. Let's go." She stands up and looks at Marie. "My appologies..."
"No." She looks at me.
"No? Excuse me? I..."
"No, I'm not leaving with you. Not today, not tomorrow. Not ever."
"Excuse me? You know what little..."
"No. I don't want to hear it. If you don't want to listen to me, I"m not going to listen to you." I tell them, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Fine. Good bye." They turn and leave. Stubborn butt parents. I turn to find Jake, Marie, and Gracie all staring at me.
"I'm sorry, guys..." I trail off.
"No." Jake says. He grabs my hand. "I'm proud of you. I don't see how you could stand that from them. I would have already said something. I love you so much." He said and kissed my cheek. Gracie just laughed.
"No need to be sorry." Marie says.
"They had it coming from what I know!" Gracie says. I smile at them. Why couldn't I had a family like them? No, wait. I do. They are my family. I'll love them forever.