*It takes like 5 hours to write and edit this stuff, so if you could spend only five seconds to vote for each chapter, it would be much appreciated.*
Just as I had assumed, back at school I was questioned nonstop about my Halloween travels. I didn't blame them, though, because who's ever heard of a tan in November?
After school, Lillia and I went straight home because she apparently had plans. Instead of questioning her antics, I used the extra time to complete the homework I missed on Friday.
Around seven o'clock, I decided to see if Joey wanted to get dinner with me. As I crossed the road, I curiously eyed Lillia's house.
I saw a tall, lean girl with a mop of curly, red hair. Even though I was staring at her back, a shiver of recognition ran through my spine.
Without a second thought about it, I immediately changed courses and walked in her direction. A few seconds later, Lillia popped out of the house and greeted her with a hug. Lillia noticed me on the sidewalk and she waved me over.
"Hey," I greeted as I approached the two ladies. My blue eyes locked with Ariana's brown ones, and the corners of her mouth lifted into a welcoming smile.
"Oh my goodness! Emily Brazki...is that you?" she rhetorically questioned in realization. She embraced me in a tight hug that nearly stole the breath out of my lungs.
"Ariana," I gulped, forcing a smile on my face. "I didn't realize you were coming back today."
"Well, I did inform you, silly!" she retorted with a bright, cheeky grin sewn onto her face.
"Woah, wait--you two know each other?" Lillia asked, twisting her face in confusion.
"Oh, um, yeah. We're, uh, friends," I forced. Luckily, Lillia hadn't noticed my stammering.
"Yeah, we use to hang out at parties all the time! How is Penelope doing?" Ariana pried without even a trace of a devilish smirk.
"She's, uh, great," I stammered.
"Why don't you join us for dinner, Emily?" Ariana invited.
"Oh, I was actually--"
"She would love to!" Lillia cut me off, answering for me.
Without further discussion, we climbed into Lillia's car and made our way to a nearby Applebee's. But throughout the entire car ride, my head was clouded with questions: why was she so cheery? What happened to her plan of revenge?
When Lillia excused herself to go to the restroom, I promptly seized the opportunity. I practically began probing Ariana the second Lillia's feet touched the ground.
"What's up with you?" I bluntly asked.
Ariana's face contorted into a look of confusion and humor before answering, "If you're referring to my note, just know that I had a change in heart. Trust me, I would have loved to get my revenge, but the second I saw Lillia, I backed out. Nothing I could do to you would go without affecting her. And, honestly, I can't do that to my favorite cousin. I--"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. You and Lillia are cousins?" You've got to be freaking kidding me.
Ariana smiled an angelic smile before nodding and continuing, "You can stop being so hostile around me. I realize that I should have stood up for myself that night. You and Penelope didn't force me to steal--it was my own choice."
"So what I'm hearing is that you want to just forgive and forget that everything even happened?" I suspiciously asked.
She nodded graciously before adding, "Besides, neither of us wants anyone to know about it. It's embarrassing for both of us, so I was hoping that it could remain our little secret."
In all honesty, I never looked at the situation from her point of view. Of course it makes sense that she wouldn't want anyone to know about her breaking and entering, getting caught, essentially being disowned by her mother, going to jail, and spending ten months in a boarding school...
"Deal," I easily agreed. "So, we're good now?"
Ariana nodded, just as Lillia found her spot back at the table.
"So, tell us all about your stay in New Orleans!" Lillia probed, biting into a toasty mozzarella stick.
"Why did you leave, again?" I asked Ariana.
Her face held a heartwarming expression as she spoke, "I went down there to aid my sick grandmother, but she's doing so much better now. Besides, I was getting super homesick!"
"Oh. Well, we're happy to have you back," I replied.
"So, will you be joining us at the cotillion tomorrow?" Lillia asked.
"I would love to! I'm staying with my dad, so do you mind if I get ready with you guys?"
"Of course! You can come over to Emily's," Lillia offered.
The rest of our dinner was ordinary. We had to inform her about Olivia's death, too which she was visibly distraught. I wasn't surprised, though. Olivia was her favorite out of the three of us; she always tried to talk us out of our schemes or left before it got ugly.
When I got home that night, I immediately called Penelope and Joey, filling them in on my latest news. And even after I hung up, Ariana was the only thing on my mind.
She hates me. She hates me not.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My phone vibrated during my math class with a text from my mom.
We need to talk.
She couldn't have possibly typed a scarier combination of words.
Throughout the rest of the day, I couldn't help the anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. Even Lillia's attempt to calm me down with McFlurries was hopeless.
"Good Luck," Lillia shouted as she backed out of my driveway.
"Mom?" I called. "I'm home."
"In my office," she answered.
I dropped my bag on the kitchen table before making my way towards her. When I walked in, she was drowning behind her giant, oak desk.
"Sit," she ordered in a harsh tone.
The sliver of hope that this would be a good thing disappeared immediately.
I took a seat in the cushioned chair across from her as she spoke with narrowed eyes. "Do you want to come clean?"
I've heard this way too many times before to not know the answer to this question. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh, cut the crap," she scoffed, shoving an envelope in my face. "Read it and weep."
I shot her a confused glance before pulling out the contents of a torn envelope.
"Good Afternoon, Mrs. Brazki.
I hate having to be the snitch here, but you should know that your daughter has been secretly dating Joseph Blanzata. The information was recently disclosed to me, but I felt it was best if you knew. I'm so sorry that you had to find out this way, but I suppose it is for the best. If you do not believe me, feel free to contact anyone who has recently been to a party with them--they can't seem to get their lips off one another! Also, attached is a clipping from The Up and Coming, who wrote an article about the opening of the art gallery. Have a good day.
-Anonymous"
I gaped before staring at the cover of The Up and Coming, which was, sure enough, the photo of Joey and me locking lips.
How in the world was I going to lie my way out of this one?
"Mom, I know this looks bad, but let me explain," I began.
She huffed. "Do you really expect me to believe a single word that comes out of your mouth? I understand that you're going through a rebellious stage and all, but this is too far. You've known from the beginning what the plan was, and I do not approve of your change of rules."
"Don't I get any say in this?"
My mom rolled her eyes before answering. "Oh, please. You did--when you were an infant."
"Are you really going to make me marry Jake because I crawled to him as a baby? That's ridiculous! It has nothing to-"
"I don't want to hear any of your shit," she interrupted.
"Won't you at least listen to my side of the story?"
She sighed and focused her attention on her computer screen. "Imagine how Jake and Lillia would feel about this."
"They know, and they're handling it very well," I spat. Although this wasn't exactly true for Jake, Lillia sure was--
Holy bologna.
Jake's name was written all over this. He's the one that had the magazine article at the party!
"Who do you expect them to end up with now?" My mother asked, bringing me back to reality--I can deal with Jake later.
"I don't know about you," I snapped, "but last time I checked, arranged marriages were out of practice."
"Shut up, my God," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "Call Joey and break up with him."
"I'm sorry...what?" I choked out.
"You heard me. Call him. Now," she demanded.
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"Are you deaf? I said 'no'. And I meant it," I firmly replied. I was going to stand my ground on this, whether she liked it or not.
"Emily Ann Brazki, that is not merely a suggestion," she replied in a firm, steady voice. "It's an order."
"Sometimes I wonder if you even care about me at all," I muttered under my breath.
Now that finally returned her attention to me.
"What are you talking about? Of course I do. I'm your mother," she coldly laughed.
"No, you're the person who gave life to me and that's all," I spat out. "And that's all you'll ever be."
"You're acting as if you're a perfect, innocent little angel," she murmured. "But you're not. You're a spoiled brat."
"Trust me, I know I'm not an angel--you never fail to remind me!" I exclaim, exasperated. "Most mothers and daughters are best friends, but not us. Nope. We avoid conversation as much as possible."
"Honey, I would love to be your best friend but--"
I interrupted her, "But what? But you left for the first half of my life?"
"But," she continued, disregarding my remark, "you push me away whenever I try."
"You never try! EVER," I scream. "Besides, it's too late! You can't pick and choose when you want to be my mom," I retorted. "God, how many times do I have to tell you?"
"Emily," she sighed, "you're going to have to learn to forgive and forget one of these days."
"Well, we can start by you standing by my decision to date Joey."
"You have no choice but to break up with him," she declared.
"Don't you care about my happiness at all? I'm not happy with Jake, and I'm staying with Joey whether you like it or not."
"Get out of this rebellious stage already," she sighed. Although her face looked relaxed, her green eyes were stone hard and filled with disgust and judgment.
"Loving Joey is not part of a rebellious stage, Mom!" I screamed.
"'Loving Joey'? You don't know what love is, sweetie," she dryly laughed. "You know what? This is ridiculous. I'm going to call his mother right now and we are going to end this."
"Go ahead. I doubt Lauren will make as big of a deal of this as you are," I snapped before jumping out of my chair and running towards the door.
When I heard my mother mutter the words "such a disgrace", a few tears spilled down my face. If it weren't for the sobs I heard down the hall, I would have left the house and never looked back. But, instead, I turned my head in the direction of the noise.
My eyes landed on Anastasia who was standing a few feet behind me. She had obviously heard the entire conversation--hell, I'm pretty sure half the neighborhood heard it.
I turned away for a moment, just long enough to wipe my tears away and recollect myself, before turning back to my little sister.
I walked over to the fragile body that was shaking with sobs and embraced her in a tight hug. Her sniffles were muffled by my shirt as I pulled her even closer to me.
"It's okay," I whispered, not knowing what else to say.
"You're not a disgrace," she spoke in a soft, hushed tone.
I could feel my breath hitch in my throat. "Don't worry; Mom didn't mean it. She's just upset."
"What's going to happen now? Please don't run away. You can't leave me again," she begged. "You're all I've got."
I was all she had?
"Anastasia," I breathed, blinking away my own tears. "I'm going to Joey's for a little bit--him and I need to talk. I'm never going to leave you, baby. Don't worry," I assured her.
She nodded before pulling apart to look at me, those puffy, tear-stained eyes boring into mine. I couldn't even imagine how many times I've been the cause of her tears due to my selfishness.
"Do you really love him?" she whispered.
A smile freed itself onto my broken face. I slightly nodded, barely moving my head. "I love him," I affirmed.
I kissed her forehead as I wiped away her tears. I dried her face on my already damp shirt and grabbed a pint of ice cream from the freezer. I instructed her to lie in my bed and watch Netflix, and I promised that I would be home.
This was one problem that I was not running away from.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Do you really think it was him?"
"It wouldn't have been Lillia or Penelope," I reason. "It had to be him."
"Well." Joey sighed, running his hands through his hair. "What do we do now?"
"It's not like I'm gonna let my mom tell me what to do."
"JOEY! Living room, NOW!" Lauren screamed up the stairs, fury hidden behind each syllable.
From the way Joey instantly became fidgety, anxiously twiddling his fingers, I could tell he didn't in trouble much.
"Good luck," I said, watching him run out of the room.
About ten minutes later, I heard faint footsteps ascending the stairs. The door swung open quickly and my eyes met with Joey's sparkling orbs.
"You don't look angry," I observed. "Is it safe to assume it went well?"
"My mom and I talked it out civilly. She said that if this was truly what I wanted, then we can have her blessing," he admitted with a sheepish smile.
"That's so great!" I excitedly squealed, pulling him into a bear hug. He kissed the top of my head, tracing hypnotic circles on my back, while I buried my face in his chest.
"I love you," I whispered to his chest.
"What's that?" he curiously asked, tilting my chin to gaze into his eyes.
"I was just saying that I'm super excited."
Joey looked puzzled before mustering up a devious grin. He brought his lips to mine for a brief second, and then rested his forehead against mine.
"I love you too, Emily," he muttered.
If he had said anything else, I most likely wouldn't have been able to decipher it. But he did. He said it.
He loved me.
I stared at him in wonder, gaping at the swirls in his eyes. "You're not allowed to."
Along with the relief provided by those words, I was simultaneously worried and anxious. A shudder ran through my body as I realized what I would be putting him through. If he loved me, he would have to put up with all of my trouble and antics.
Was he ready to endure all of that?
"Hey, look at me," he whispered. "If loving you is wrong, then I never want to be right again."
———————————————
1. ARIANA'S BACK?!?!JKRFLD;SAJFKL WHAATTTTTTT!? WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN!? IS SHE BACK FOR BLOOD OR FRIENDSHIP!?
2. HER MOTHER FOUND OUT!?.....DUN DUN DUNNNNN. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF HER REACTION?!
3. AT LEAST JOEY'S MOM AGREES...RIGHT?