“So you and Ian are cool now?” Suzanne asked from the backseat.
I smiled and nodded. “Yeah, we’re okay, I guess. I think I forgive him… And I do love him. I’ll give him another chance.”
She nodded approvingly. “That’s right! If you love him, you should give him another chance. You’re getting wiser.”
I rolled my eyes at the same time when Miranda glanced at me. “Well, are you happy now?” she asked and I nodded vigorously. Of course I’m happy. Why wouldn’t I be? I feel so complete.
It’s a month after the beach trip and Ian and I are more than okay. We always hang out with each other and every night, he’d call me and we’ll talk about random things until we fell asleep. And when I wake up in the morning, I’d check my phone and see that he sent me a ‘good morning’ message. If it’s possible, it made me fall deeper in love with him.
“Ian and I are going to the movies tonight,” I said conversationally. “We’re going to watch The Amazing Spiderman.”
“Oh! Oh! I heard its good,” Suzanne said excitedly.
“Whatever with the movie,” Miranda said dismissively, making Suzanne scowl at her. “Anyway, Victoria, what are you going to wear? You better make an impression! You want him to like you.”
“He already likes her,” Suzanne said, shrugging. “And besides, Victoria is pretty with anything she wears.”
“Thanks,” I said. “But I don’t want to date Ian now. Maybe in the future, yes… if he asks. But if he doesn’t want to, well, I can’t make him. Anyway, the point is, I don’t want any relationships now. I want to spend time with Ian as friends for the meantime. And about what I’m going to wear, I was actually wondering if you two are going to help me.”
“Of course! What are friends for?” Miranda asked, winking at me.
“Absolutely! You need all the help you can get in your wardrobe,” Suzanne said, shaking her head at me disappointedly.
I rolled my eyes at her. As I opened my mouth to tell her that she’s really overreacting and it’s my wardrobe, my phone rang. I rummaged inside my bag and when I finally got hold of my phone, I pressed the Answer button. “Yellow?” I said playfully. Yep, I’m in such a good mood.
“Victoria, where are you?” Vince’s voice asked nervously.
I frowned in confusion. “Um, in the car. With Miranda and Suzanne. Why?”
“Are you coming home? Right now?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Becauseisuggestyoudont!”
“What? What did you say? And slow down! Why are you so nervous? Is there something to be nervous about?” I asked.
He took a deep breath. “I said, I suggest you don’t go home now. There’s some—someone you don’t want to see.”
“Who? Lance?”
“No. Someone who is worser.”
“Worser? Is that even a word?”
“No, but I think it really fits!”
I sighed. “Vince, enough games. Miranda is already parking in the driveway.”
“What?! Oh shit. Never mind.” And with that, he hung up.
“Who was that?” Suzanne asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.
“It’s Vince. He told me not to come home now,” I said, shaking my head slightly. “He said someone is at home. I wonder who it is.”
“Let’s better find it out,” Miranda said, unbuckling her seatbelt.
I did the same and opened the car door. I was the first one to be out of the car. I walked quickly to the door and turned the doorknob. I pushed the door open and the next thing I saw was blonde hair.
And not Vince’s dirty blonde hair, I’m sure of it. Because this hair is longer—like a girl’s. And this hair has the same smell of my favorite shampoo. There’s only one person who I know who has blonde hair and uses my favorite shampoo. My eyes widened at the thought.
Mom.
But—but she was in New York! She was in New York, working as a lawyer, to hand half of her salary to Vince and I every end of the month! But why the hell is she here?
“Oh my God, Victoria! You’ve grown! It was Christmas the last time we’ve seen each other, yes?”
Oh sweet Jesus, it is my Mom.
And she continued, “I’m sorry if I hadn’t called you or Vince that I arrived today. I want to surprise you! It’s not everyday you’re going to see your dear old Mother, would you? And where is your brother?! What took him so long?! I told him to prepare me a cup of coffee!”
“Mom,” I managed. “Why—why are you here?”
She raised an eyebrow at me. “You mean you don’t remember? Didn’t I tell you that I’ll be visiting for three days in May?”
“You did?”
“Of course!” she cried. Then she narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you saying that you are forgetting everything I tell you?”
I laughed nervously. “Not everything…” Then I smiled warmly at her. “I missed you, Mom.”
Then she smiled at me, her eyes tearing up a little bit. “I missed you, too. You don’t know how much I’ve missed you.”
And with that, she buried me to another hug. Yes, I love my Mom very much. We might not be close because she’s in New York and I’m living in Maine with Vince, but still. She’s my Mother and I love her. Even though sometimes she’s really annoying, I still love her.
Vince and she are okay. Well, not that okay but at least they talk comfortably, just like the old times when Dad was still alive. But I know, deep inside, Vince is still angry with her for leaving us alone with our Aunt. And I know, somewhere deeper inside Vince, he had forgiven her.
As if on cue, Vince stepped in scene, a cup of coffee in his hand. Mom let go of me, grabbed the cup of coffee from Vince’s hands and sat on the couch, dragging me with her. “So tell me every little important thing that happened to you for the past five months!” she said excitedly as she sipped the cup of coffee.
“Oh well. Nothing much.” What I lie. A lot happened in the past five months—Lance cheated on me, I met Ian and his brother, Vince got dumped, Suzanne got cheated, they got together, Miranda changed her player ways and met her true love and of course, I met Ian. Wait. Did I say that twice? Whoa, I’m biased.
As if detecting my lie, Mom raised an eyebrow. “Really? Nothing much? I think a lot of important things happened, Victoria.”
Fortunately, Vince, Suzanne and Miranda stepped in the scene. Mom made an exciting squeal and put down her cup to hug Miranda. “Oh, Miranda, is that you?! You look very, very pretty! Last time I’ve seen you was… when was that again?”
“Oh, that was Victoria’s birthday last two years ago,” she said helpfully.
Mom nodded. “Yes! Last two years ago! You were still, say, fifteen years old? And now you’ve grown into a very pretty seventeen-year-old girl. Victoria is very lucky to have a friend like you. And not just because you’re pretty, but because I know she can count on you.”
Miranda grinned. “Thanks, Violet. That really means a lot.”
“So… you’re still a player?”
I groaned. Does she really have to bring the topic up? Really, she’s scarily like Vince sometimes.
Miranda shook her head. “Oh no. I’ve changed my ways.”
Mom smirked. “Fell in love?”
“Maybe,” Miranda replied, blushing.
Then Mom turned to Suzanne and grinned. “Suzanne! You look beautiful as always! Any boyfriends in the scene?”
“Um…” she said uneasily, glancing at Vince.
“Yes? I’m sure the football coach won’t mind,” Mom said, thinking that maybe Suzanne’s boyfriend is one of the football players and it would be awkward since the football coach is present.
“Anyway, Mom, you need to know something,” Vince said firmly, putting a hand on Suzanne’s waist. My Mom narrowed her eyes at that simple gesture but didn’t say anything. “Diane and I have broken up.”
Mom’s eyes widened. “What?! But she’s a really charming girl! A very, very pretty and smart girl. A girl like her is one-of-a-kind, Vince. Why did you break up?” Then she glared at my brother. “Is it because you were cheating on her?”
“No, of course not!” he said defensively, but I can see the guilt evident in his eyes. Somehow, it’s like he did cheat on Ms. Gregg. The day when Miranda and I caught him and Suzanne making out in the kitchen. “I would never do that to her.”
Mom’s expression softened. “Oh. Well… why then?”
“She has to move to London to teach next school year,” he said simply, without emotion. “And I practically understood. There’s nothing I could do. It was her dream.”
Mom raised an eyebrow. “So that was it? You let her go because she’s going to move out of town?”
“Um, not only out of town, Mom,” I butted in. “Out of the continent.”
“Whatever. Vince, darling, you need to fight for her. You need to beg her not to leave you. You should—.”
“The point is I’ve fallen in love with another girl,” he interrupted.
“You did? That fast?” Mom asked suspiciously.
“Yes. But she’s not an ordinary girl,” he said quickly. “She’s also one-of-a-kind. I’ve known her since she was thirteen, but I never did notice her until the day when she… when she told me to man up because of my relationship with Diane. Anyway, I fell in love with her and… and I fell hard.”
Mom nodded. “You did. I never heard you talk like Shakespeare before.”
Everyone snorted in laughter, except, of course, Vince, who glared at my Mom. “Do you want to know who she is?” he continued.
“Sure. I want to meet your girlfriend,” Mom said, nodding.
He took a deep breath and motioned Suzanne to look at him. When she did, he leaned towards and pressed his lips to hers. Suzanne kissed him back and when their kissed turned into a pretty intense one, Miranda cleared her throat and immediately, they stopped; their faces red.
I glanced back at my Mom to watch any changes in her expression. I frowned when I saw her with the same casual expression. “Um… Mom? Anything to say?”
“Should I say something?”
“Uh, yes you do,” Vince said, frowning at her.
“You haven’t told me who your girlfriend is.”
Vince’s jaw dropped. “But—but I kissed Suzanne. Can’t you figure it—?”
Mom suddenly laughed out loud. “Of course I can figure it out. I was just messing with you. Jeez, can a mother have a sense of humor, too?” Then she stopped laughing and glanced at me. “You don’t have any problems with this? Your best friend and your brother… dating?”
I shrugged. “Nah. As long as they’re happy, I am happy.”
“That’s very selfless of you,” Mom said, smiling. Then she sat beside me on the couch again. “Why don’t we be comfortable and sit down? And oh, Vince, prepare some hot choco for our guests.”
“I’ll help you,” Suzanne suggested.
“Sure,” Vince said, smiling at her knowingly.
Miranda let out a disgusted sound. “Ugh. The last time you helped him to make hot choco, you ended up—.”
“Miranda, shut up,” Suzanne hissed at her.
Miranda and I laughed as Suzanne and Vince walked to the kitchen, leaving me, my Mom and my best friend alone in the living room.
“So… Victoria, when am I going to meet Lance?” Mom asked, smiling at me.
Instantly, my blood turned into ice. Oh my God. I forgot about Lance. Yes, I’ve been with Lance since I was fifteen, but my Mom had never met him. He always was busy and has other better things to do than meeting my Mom. I always tell stories about Lance to my Mom. She literally knows everything about in my relationship.
I looked at Miranda, panicked. She returned my panicked look and shrugged, as if telling me, I also don’t know what to do! I gulped nervously as I looked back at my Mom. Oh God, what will I’m going to tell her? I can’t possibly tell her that he cheated on me. She would have his head for that. My Mom is a fierce person and very, very dangerous.
“Yes?” she pressed.
“Um, Mom… the thing is… Lance and I… well, we broke up.”
Mom’s jaw dropped again, just like when Vince told her that he and Diane broke up. “But—but you were like a perfect couple! You told me everything that was happening in your relationship! You told me that you were happy. Oh don’t tell me,” she paused for dramatic effect, “it’s because of his college, isn’t it?”
“Kind of,” I replied, biting my lip. I hate lying to my Mom. She’s the only person who knows if I’m lying or not.
“Kind of?” she repeated, narrowing her eyes at me. “Why exactly did you broke up, Victoria?”
“Well, he’s just too busy for college, that’s all,” I said, shrugging nonchalantly. “He doesn’t have any time for me. Besides, he—.”
“He cheated on her,” Miranda blurted out.
The expression of my Mom might make me laugh but in this situation, it didn’t. At first, her jaw dropped, eyes widening. Then, her eyes softened and looked at me sympathetically. Finally, she glared at me as if I just committed murder—and believe me when I say, she’d seen a lot of murderers since she’s a lawyer.
“Cheated. On. You?” she said slowly, still glaring at me.
I slowly nodded my head, unsure what to say.
And with that, she dropped her glare and looked at me in exasperation. “Then why didn’t you tell me? I would have arrived here and kill him.”
“That’s the reason why I didn’t tell you.”
“But you should have said something!” Mom said, looking extremely hurt. “I want to know if something like that happens in your life. I might be living in New York and you here in Maine, but I’m still your Mother and I have the right to know on what is happening in your life. Even little things that I don’t care. I would be so, so happy to hear something from you. And you didn’t even remember that I’m supposed to be coming back. Neither did Vince. Oh, the look of his face when he saw me earlier.”
Guilt immediately flooded me. Of course I should have told my Mom even though I know she’s going to make a complete stupid solution. Of course I should have told her things—like, meeting Ian, for example—even though she’s far away. Of course I should have remembered that she’s supposed to be coming back today. Of course I should have done those things. But I didn’t and I feel guilty for it.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” I sighed sincerely. “I’m really sorry. I was just too busy… School is so hectic these days. Next month, it’s going to be June and going to be the last month. You need to understand why I’m really busy.”
Mom sighed. “Of course I understand. But it wouldn’t hurt if you just call me for, like, five minutes, right?”
“I know. I’m sorry,” I apologized.
“It’s okay. I know I should be the one to call you. But… I don’t want to be a bother, you know?”
“Yes, I know.”
“Oh well, let’s forget the past and focus on the present,” Mom said, winking at me. “So… where does this Lance lives? I should kill him in his sleep!”
I rolled my eyes. “No need for that, Mom. Miranda had already beaten him up.”
Mom nodded approvingly at Mirada’s direction. “Very good.” Then she turned to me. “Any new guys in the scene? I’m sure there is.”
Before I could answer, the doorbell rang. “I got it,” I assured Miranda as she got up to open it.
When I opened the door, Ian’s beaming face greeted me. He was wearing his usual casual outfit and he was smiling at me adorably. “Hey. Are you ready?” he asked.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised.
He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you remember? We’re going to watch a movie?”
“But it’s not yet six! It’s still five!”
Ian smiled sheepishly. “Well, I was too excited to see you.”
I laughed. “Cheesy much?”
He rolled his eyes as his cheek turned a little bit red. “There’s another car in your driveway. Whose is it?”
“Oh,” I said, biting my lip. “It’s my Mom’s.”
Both of his eyebrows shot up in amusement. “Your Mom? The one who is living in New York? She’s here? At Maine?”
I nodded slowly. “Yes. In fact, she’s in the living room.” I sighed and raised both of my hands defensively. “I’m sorry, Ian, but I think I can’t go to the movies with you. I need to spend time with my Mom. It’s been five months…”
“Sure,” he said, smiling reassuringly at me. “Don’t you want me to meet her?”
I raised an eyebrow. “You want to meet her?”
“Sure, why not?”
I sighed. “Fine.” I grabbed his hand and he stepped inside the house. I closed the door behind him and together, we walked to the living room, where my Mom was chatting animatedly with Miranda.
When she noticed me arriving, she looked up, a smile on her face. But when she saw that someone new was with me, her smile slowly faded and turned into a serious tight line. “And who must be this young man, Victoria?” she asked politely.
“Mom, this is Ian Jones. He’s a close friend of mine. Ian, this is my Mom, Violet Strauss.”
Ian smiled a charming smile at her and offered his hand for her to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Strauss.”
She smiled and shook his hand. “The pleasure is all mine. But call me Violet. Mrs. Strauss makes me sound so old.”
Ian laughed. “You don’t look old.”
“I already like you,” Mom said, laughing. “Oh please, sit down.”
Ian sat on the armchair and I sat beside my Mom. Miranda was trying very hard not to laugh. I shot her an annoyed look and then she stood up and said, “Excuse me. I better go and check Vince and Suzanne in the kitchen. God knows what they’re doing.”
And with that, she left, leaving me alone with both of Ian and my Mom.
Mom cleared her throat. “So, Ian… are you the new boyfriend of my daughter?”
“Um… not exactly.”
“Not exactly?” she repeated, raising an eyebrow.
“What he means is that we’re friends,” I quickly amended. “Really good friends.”
Mom nodded. “Ian, let me get this straight. If you want my daughter to be your girlfriend, you better not be a heartless bastard that will break her heart. Some son of a bitch already did that.”
Ian smiled. “Violet, you don’t need to warn me. Your daughter might not be aware of this, but… I love her. I love her so much and I desperately wanted her to be my girlfriend. But I know she just wants to be friends for the meantime and I completely understand that. And I assure you, I won’t be a heartless bastard that will break her heart. I will not be that kind of guy. I promise you.”
My mouth opened slightly in shock as Ian said that to my Mom. He just didn’t say that in front of my Mom, did he?
But he did.
He declared his love for me in front of my Mom.
He promised he won’t be like Lance.
He told me he loved me.
Before my Mom and I could say anything else, he stood up. “Excuse me, I’m just going to the bathroom.”
“Oh, let me help you—.” I began. I desperately wanted to talk to him privately about what he just said.
“I know where it is,” he interrupted, smiling at me.
When he left, Mom gave me a satisfied smile and she squeezed my hand gently. “Victoria, my dear, I think you found the most incredible guy in this crazy world.”
And I know I seriously did.
Hey there! :) Guess what? I watched The Amazing Spiderman today and it was AWESOME. So freaking awesome! And in my opinion, I think it is much better than the first one. Hahaha, no offense to those who like the first one. xD Anyway, now you've met Victoria's mother! So what do you think? :> Hahaha.
Anyway, I have something that I'm planning for this story. Another Wrong Turn has only less than chapters left. :( Nooooo. I don't want it to end because I really had a fun time writing this story! So that's why I'm thinking that after I write Victoria & Ian's story, I'm going to write Miranda and Evan's story. :) It's going to be in Miranda's POV and it's not going to be a long story. :> Maybe ten chapters will do it. It's like a bonus story, you know? And then after Miranda and Evan's story, it's going to be Suzanne and Vince's story. :) It's going to be in Suzanne's POV and it will be only like ten chapters. :)) Hahahaha. So what do you think? Okay? Let me know! :>
Thank you for reading and I hope you liked this chapter. :))
- Bella, xoxo.