Wednesday 14th.
"We're going to have to get Hugo to help us out with all the planning," I said to Chester. My phone sat beside me on the living room floor, Chester's voice beaming through the it. It blared through the loud speaker and echoed out into the empty penthouse.
"I still can't believe Mrs. Edison is letting us have it at his house after last year," Chester thought aloud. Biting the tip of my pen I half listened to him as I went through ideas and preparations in my mind.
I scribbled another thing down on my notebook page, "Yeah, well it took a lot of convincing."
"I wish I could have seen it," Chester chuckled, mocking what had been an awful situation "I can't imagine you taking on Mrs. Edison."
"Well you could have seen it. But apparently you were too busy skipping lessons with my brother," I teased now less concentrated on our planning and more on getting the details of my brother's not so secret, secret date with Chester "How was it?"
Chester hesitated slightly, probably considering how best to approach the topic of him and Caspian. It worried me for a second that he thought he couldn't talk about it to me but I knew better that it wasn't the reason he was hesitant to talk about it. He must be so used to trying to hide that side of him that it would be hard to be open about it with anyone, even his closest friends.
"It was ok, I mean it was some dinner and a couple of beers at his place. You know, casual. We're just friends," Chester's voice was rough, pushing his words out in a rushed and unorganized manner.
I scoffed loudly, imagining the wat Chester and Caspian acted around each other usually. It was so much more than a just friend's situation, "yeah ok. And Thomas is like a cousin to me."
Chester cursed under his breath as if he were agitated with my taunting, "ok, Andra. You can stop with the sarcasm, I get the point."
I laughed him off knowing he wouldn't hold a grudge. An idea popped into my head suddenly and I quickly wrote it down, "How about for the party we hire a bunch of people to run around dressed up as scary characters?"
"I don't think Mrs. Edison's going to be cool with that idea," Chester guessed, his voice amused.
I scoffed, "Well it's a lot more exciting than an ice sculptor shaped like a spider."
"Hey, that was a great idea," He defended with forced offend.
"No, it was your idea," I stated, my eyes rolling back into my head, my tone disdainful.
"Exactly," He cheered completely ignoring my sarcastic tone.
A loud echoing sound chimed through our apartment and I stared up from my notebook. I could faintly hear as the elevator bell dinged outside our apartment.
"Give me a second Chester," I said through the phone. Standing up off the floor I brushed down my clothes and strolled away from the messy living room floor.
"Mum is that you? Mum?" I called as I made my way through the apartment. I walked down our plentiful hallway to the front door. Opening it, on the other side stood Asher.
His eyes were closed, and his stance was laid-back. He had one earphone plugged into his ear, the other hanging down his neck, a faint beat bursting from them. A black jacket was thrown over his grey t-shirt which had a bands logo printed on. The print was faded and I guessed that it was old. His hands were shoved into the front pockets of his black jeans. He looked entirely different from when I'd seen him with his father. He looked not so faultless in his own clothes, more real.
One eyelid lifted as he stared at me blankly. His eyes drifted down to my baggy black top and red checked pj shorts, his lips curling up in amusement. My arms rolled over my chest, crossing and I waited for him to the first one to speak.
"I'm not your mum," He responded flashing me his teeth briefly in a sarcastic smile before his lips thinned out in a straight line.
"I can tell," I bit back bluntly "Why are you here?"
"No need to be snappy Alessandra," He spoke condescendingly, his lips twitching at the edges. Despite the mocking remarks, he appeared in a much better mood to when I first met him and I wondered if it was because he wasn't with his dad.
"Do I need to ask you again why you're here?" I arched my eyebrows, angling them in his direction and leaned against the door frame.
"You just did," He replied with arrogance "but I guess this time I'll answer."
I waved my hand in a rushed, agitated manner for him to continue, "Please do."
"I'm here to drop something off for Jonathan, it needs to go to your mum," There some distaste on his tongue as he uttered out his father's name.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Something very important," Ash hushed across the small space to me teasingly. His breath fanned my face and I felt uncomfortable under his fixed stare. Leaning off the door I held my hand out towards him.
"You obviously aren't going to tell me so can I just have it and I'll pass it on?"
He chuckled and pulled his hand out of his pocket. A crumbled envelope sat in the middle of his palm. My brows furrowed together as I took it from him.
"It's donation money for the fundraiser the other night," Ash explained his voice free from his usual sarcastic and provoking tone. I nodded and thanked him. A moment went by and neither of us spoke, I stared down at the envelope over-inspecting the creased paper whilst Ash's eyes rested on me. I could feel him staring.
"Still angry I snuck into your room I see?" He inquired one of his thick brows arching in my direction.
"Maybe," I muttered trying hard to suppress the small smile I knew me eyes weren't capable of hiding. I know I should've just said bye and closed the door but for some reason I didn't want to. I kept my head held high down and shook it as I sensed Ash smirking again. Small blurred noises sounded out from behind me and I tilted my gaze up. Asher's forehead creased and he looked past me into my apartment.
"Is there someone in there?" He asked me, his eyes bypassing me. I whipped my head over my shoulder, confused. Then Chester's muffled voice found my ears and I cursed. I rushed back to the living room picking my phone up from the floor.
"Andra, hello. Andra. You said a second, where'd you go? Andra!" Chester called out his tone bored. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Chester, sorry. Someone was at the door," I told him speaking into my phone. I turned back around to go towards to front door, but Ash had followed me in. He watched me, amused, from the entrance of the living room.
"Thought you'd ditched me with all the party planning," He puffed out a sigh sounding relieved.
I stared at Ash and then my finger began to hover over the red button on the screen of my phone, "Yeah about that, can I call you back in 10 minutes?"
"Wha-"
"Great thanks, bye," I sung quickly hanging up so he couldn't protest. My hand flung the phone onto the sofa.
Asher, more than entertained, studied the living space which he'd seen once before only filled with a hundred or so people, "you were busy I can tell."
His eyes scanned over the spread-out mess of papers, pens and empty water bottles on the rug. I stepped over the untidiness hiding it all behind me.
"I was, and you interrupted," I teased.
"Well I'll leave you then," He chuckled, his tone low, unoffended. I tried not to show any disappointment, shamelessly enjoying our exchange of wits more than I would allow myself to admit "wouldn't want to keep you anymore."
I nodded, silent as I walked behind him. He moved in front of me as we made our way to the front door. There he stepped out into the hallway and turned back to me.
"I'll make sure my mum gets the money," I assured him as he sauntered to the lift doors and stepped inside. He nodded as the doors creaked beginning to close.
"I'll see you around Alessandra."
*
Thursday 15th.
The next morning my mother strolled into the kitchen, smiling graciously. She held a brown leather folder in one hand and a wine glass filled with fresh orange juice in the other. Her heels clicked against the tiles as she strutted through the room.
"Morning darling," She acknowledged, her light and easy mood rolling off her in waves. I looked up from my bowl of cereal and smiled at her awkwardly. I swallowed the food in my mouth and took a sip of my drink clearing my throat.
"Hi," I replied watching her as she put her folder down on the counter and began preparing her breakfast. The other door to the kitchen opened and Lily shuffled in. She saw my mother and smiled a good morning to her.
"I can prepare your breakfast for you Cassandra," Lily said politely to my mother.
My mother shook her head as she started to cut up fruit, "It's ok Lily, I'm only having a small breakfast. I'm in a bit of a rush this morning."
Lily nodded and moved around the kitchen, continuing with small jobs.
"Where were you last night?" I asked my mother aware of keeping the question casual, unsuspicious.
"I went out for dinner with a few friends," She paused, glancing up at me "I thought I told you last week."
"I guess I forgot," I mumbled shoving my spoon past my lips.
"I spoke to your father the other day," She mentioned uninterestedly, placing the fruit into our blender and then moving to the opposite side of the kitchen island to me. Lily snuck behind my mother and continued to make my mother's smoothie. My mum barely noticed and grabbed her folder opening the cover and flicking through the papers inside.
"And..." I spun my hand round gesturing for her to go on.
"He'll be flying in for around lunch time today," She found something in her folder, pulling out a sheet and looking over it.
"He's coming home today?" I exclaimed, my cereal forgotten about as I stared at her, mouth slanted open as I waited for further explanation.
"Yes," She replied simply, staring at the sheet before putting it back in her folder.
"You knew and didn't tell me?" I fumed. My back straightened, shoulders grew taller.
"I've been so busy Alessandra, please can you not shout. It's morning."
I stood up from stool, to annoyed to sit still.
"Too busy to tell me my dad's coming home?" I argued, my face scrunched up.
"Oh, what does it matter, he's coming home. That's all you should care about," She looked at me again, her expression blank and detached.
I paused before speaking, reigning in my tongue from shouting, "well what time? I'll meet him at the airport."
Lily passed my mother her smoothie in one of my gym water bottles. Her manicured hand wrapped around it and she took a sip before replying.
"Darling your fathers going to have had a long flight, do you really think meeting him at the airport is a really sensible choice?" Her voice was condescending and I knew it was a rhetorical question.
"No, but I haven't seen him in nearly two weeks," I was not backing down in this. I was more concerned with breaking her down than I was actually picking up my dad from the airport, "so what time?"
"The plane is supposed to land at 12," she raised her eyebrows and shook her head disapprovingly. Picking up her folder she placed the glass of orange juice in the sink and grabbed her smoothie again.
She strolled past me towards the door, "I'll see you later. Say hello to your father for me."
"Bye," I muttered as she left the kitchen. I went back to my seat and finished eating my breakfast, my nerves still tingling with irritation. Lily stood by the sink, pouring my mother's orange out.
She shoved up the sleeves of her plain black top and dove her hands into the water.
Lily was an old woman, in her 60's who had the energy level of Caspian and Oliver put together. She was forever on her feet and getting something done. She reminded me a lot of my father. Maybe that's why I had always liked her so much. She'd been working for my parents since as long as I could remember. To me she was more a part of our family than I thought my parents wanted to be.
"Are you ok Alessandra?" She asked sympathetically.
"Yeah, she just frustrates me so much," I moaned.
Lily nodded her head in agreement, "I know that she gets to you, but you have to remember that she just doesn't realize what she's saying half the time. And she's your mother, mothers tend to be annoying sometimes."
"Lily it's not sometimes, it's all the time."
Lily's curled grey hair bounced around her face as her head shook side to side, "You don't help the situation honey, you get angry very quickly."
"It's because I've grown up with her as my mum."
"You have to learn to control that Andra," Lily noted "It won't get you anywhere."
I sighed in defeat, I knew she was right, "if only I were more like you Lil."
She laughed softly, a kind, gentle sound, "You don't need to be more like me Alessandra, you just need to remember who you are. Not who you feel you need to be."
Lily took her hands out of the water, wiped them on a dish cloth and moved towards me. Her arms encircled my shoulders and she squeezed me lightly. I laughed and held onto her wrists.
"Thanks Lily," I whispered to her. She pulled away and went back to the sink.
"I'm always here for you poppet," She smiled to me. I said goodbye and left for school.
*
Skipping school was actually a lot easier than you'd think. By the end of fourth period I was waiting by the entrance of the airport. My dad's flight had landed 20 minutes ago and I knew he'd be out any minute. I leant against the car watching my misty breaths in the air.
People filtered out of the doors, all hopping into their cars and coaches. A crowd of people appeared and my dad came out behind them. He was with two other men in suits and he was pulling a mini suitcase behind him. He chatted animatedly, not noticing me.
"Dad," I called out, waving my hand up. Recognizing my voice my dad looked away from the two men and towards the rows of cars where I was. I leant off the car and speed walked over to him. When his eyes fixed on me, surprise appeared on his face.
"Andra, what are you doing here?" He asked curiously, as I wrapped my arms around him. His arms reached behind me and his hands rubbed my back.
"I thought I'd pick you up from the airport," I said grinning.
"Well that's really nice of you," He said, his words muffled through our hug. As his arms retracted I let go of him and stepped backwards. Acknowledging the other men, I said hello to them both.
"Andra, this is Joseph and Aaron. They're a part of our LA team."
The two men offered me a hello and both extended their hands for me to shake, which I did.
"I'll see you both at 4 at the office," My dad two shook their hands goodbye.
He then led us to the car and we both got into the back. The driver had gotten out of the front and put my dad's suitcase in the boot. In less than a minute, we were driving away from the airport and towards the city.
"So, what have I missed?" My dad asked me, smiling as he got his phone out of his jacket pocket.
I pursed my lips in thought, "well the fundraiser party mum threw was boring and then there was the other day when mum signed me up for the event committee with Chester."
"That sounds like something you'd be good at, no?" My dad's eyes were fixed on the screen on his phone as his thumbs typed something on the keypad.
"Dad, no. It's so stressful, I only started it the other day and I've already given up."
"That's not the spirit," He paused, sparing me a soft glance "what is it I always say?"
I huffed out a sigh and rolled my eyes. Forcing out robotically the phrase he'd always repeated to, I bit back a cringe, "struggle today, success tomorrow."
"Exactly," He smiled encouragingly "Don't do it because your mum and the school are making you, do it because you believe you can."
I smiled over at him in a way that said a silent thank you. He nodded in understanding and turned his head back to his phone.
"I hope you'll join me and your mum this evening for dinner," My dad said, his eyes quickly checking his watch. He puffed irritably when he saw the time.
"I guess so, where are you going?"
"I'm not too sure, your mother has made the plans," He informed me.
"I'll come if you tell me about your business trip like you promised last time," I put the offer out there slyly.
I could see a small smile flicker across my dad's lips, "I'll tell you about my trip."
"Then I'll be there."