Wait a minute, I can't be hallucinating. Those pills from Carlita never entered my body, so what am I seeing before me? Maybe if I close my eyes and open them again, it'll be gone.
Following my grandmother through the living room and down the hall to the front door, I blinked multiple times at the sight that was revealed when she opened it. A mix of shock, hurt, and anger boiled through my body when I eventually came to realize that it wasn't my imagination playing tricks on me.
"Who the hell are you?" She glowered, her eyes traveling down, then back up the visitor's body.
The corner of my mouth raised into a slight grin when I saw the older woman cross her arms over her chest, knowing that she would never take a liking to the person in front of her. Before our special guest could answer, Rhode stepped into view and did it for her.
"Good evening, ma'am. I'm Rhode Harper." He extended his hand to the older blonde who reluctantly reached to accept it. "Mrs. Martina is expecting me for dinner. This is my friend, Serene Meyers."
All possibilities of me and Rhode repairing anything was gone--done after that little stunt. I'd thought that a few times before, but this was the last straw. It just wasn't worth it.
"Huh," The skin around her eyes crinkled as she studied Rhode's face, leaning her head to the side as she looked. "I wasn't aware that you were going to bring a guest. You should have at least called, that way we made sure to cook enough food."
"I apologize. It was a last minute decision, and with the way Mrs. Martina has been so kind to me, I was hoping she wouldn't mind."
"Are you taking advantage of my daughter's hospitality?"
"I, I'm not-" He stuttered, his face flushing from my grandmother's little interrogation.
"Oh, mother stop it. Let our guests in, please. There's plenty of room and food for them."
Our dining room table was able to seat a lot of people, but they didn't need to know that. Leave it to my mother and her big mouth to let little things like that slip. If it wasn't for her, Rhode and his dragon wouldn't have even come, and I wouldn't have been feeling like there was a giant knife lodged in my back.
What happened to him taking care of the Serene problem? If this was his idea of dealing with it, he was more screwed up than I thought.
My parents stood above us on the stairs, watching the scene unfold, a smile gracing only one of their faces. Though he was sending daggers at Rhode's head--even making me a little uncomfortable, it made me happy to know that my father and grandmother would always have my back. I knew her intentions meant well, but my mother's need to see the good in everyone was more than just aggravating at times.
"Thank you, Mrs. Martina. This is my friend, Serene."
"Welcome to our home." My mother beamed, waving them inside. "Rhode, you remember my husband, Vince. And please, feel free to call me Shay."
Rhode nodded his hello to my father, placing a hand at the small of Serene's back and ushering her into the foyer. "Thank you, Shay. We appreciate it."
"Yes, thank you. You have a lovely home." Serene spoke, her eyes gleaming with what looked like sincerity. Turning to me, she said, "It's nice to see you again, Aubrey."
Did anyone else smell the bullshit floating through the air, or was it just me?
"Uh huh."
A strong urge to roll my eyes passed through me, but with everyone watching, I kept my answer simple. Rhode wasn't fortunate enough to even get that kind of response, so I didn't say anything at all to him.
"Well, since we're still waiting on someone else to arrive, how about we all go and have a little chat in the living room?"
A mumble of okay's and sure's followed my mother's question. On the other hand, I needed some air, passing by the group to walk out the door. Between everyone, the atmosphere was thick, suffocating, and making all these unwanted emotions rise inside of my body. I needed to get out before I did or said something stupid.
The cool, night air freed me from all the worried stares cast my way, like I was going to snap any second because the extra guest. It wouldn't have gone that far, but I still had to get some space.
I leaned against the black iron railing that lined the porch steps, secretly hoping that Rhode would follow, giving me some crazy explanation of why he showed up with a witch at my house. He'd tell me how he had a plan to get rid of her, begging me to listen to everything he had to say. Instead, someone about three times his age, came to stand next to me.
"Do you want me to get him in a choke hold so you can punch him?"
"As entertaining as that would be, I'm going to have to say no." I laughed, knowing she was crazy enough to do it, somehow saying it was a mistake and how her arm had a spasm. Years ago, an incident with a snotty waiter taught me to never cross my grandmother.
"C'mon, just this once. I've been taking self-defense classes and want to put my new moves to use. And if you want, I can even scratch his eyeballs out."
"I'm glad you found a productive way to spend your free time," Looking down at her, an amused smirk formed on my lips. "but you look like you want to do more than that. We all know that it wouldn't be self-defense, plus, I can't have you getting arrested for assault."
"You sure?" Winking, she nudged my arm, getting an 'are you serious?' look out of me. "Well, I guess you'd do anything to protect the people you love."
"Exactly, and I won't be visiting you in jail."
"You don't even visit me now," Her dark eyes rolled, making me feel guilty. "and I wasn't talking about me. I saw how bitter you looked when that girl walked through the door."
"That's crazy, and I don't love the guy. I haven't known him long enough to develop those kinds of feelings!" I laughed in disbelief at my grandmother's accusations, knowing deep down that there was some truth to them. Meanwhile, there was nothing but concern in her eyes. "I care about him, but it hasn't gone further than that. Plus, I can easily make those feelings go away."
She studied me for a moment, slowly nodding her head as she drew her sweater closer to her body. I'd seen that look in her eyes too many times before. It was scrutinizing, digging for information that I wanted to keep buried away.
"No? Then why did you run out of the house like that?"
"Like what?" I almost snapped, having to take a second to realize who I was talking to.
"Don't get smart with me, and I know you know what I mean. Take a few minutes to calm down, then come back inside. This family does not give up on what belongs to them."
That was easy for her to say. She most likely wasn't involved with a guy who had a psycho friend trying to trap him by throwing a child into the mix.
Scowling at my grandmother's retreating back, I decided to listen to her, but only the part about taking a few minutes to calm down. I was so lost in my thoughts for god knows how long, that I hadn't noticed my sister come to stand at the bottom of the porch steps, wearing an expectant expression on her face. A pair of matching, pink floral suitcases were gripped in either of her hands, both looking like they were stuffed with unnecessary crap, and knowing Alana, they probably were.
How long is she staying, anyway? It looks more like she's moving back in than visiting.
I mimicked my sister's raised eyebrows, waiting for her to do or say something. At that moment, she looked almost like a spitting image of my mother when she gave someone an order, then had to repeat herself.
"What?" My shoulders shrugged, but it was amusing to see her look like she wanted to scream at me while trying to keep her composure.
"I said that since you're sitting here doing nothing, you could at least help me carry my bags inside."
A tiny, almost nonexistent, part of me thought that I would miss my sibling, but after hearing her whiny voice for a few seconds, I was embarrassed to have even come up with those thoughts.
"Nah, I'm good." Smiling, I motioned toward the house. "You should hurry on in there. I think they're waiting for you."
"I see you haven't changed."
"I wasn't aware that I was supposed to."
Holding my ground, the two of us had a brief stare off. Whatever her problem was with me, I didn't know. Maybe if she asked, instead of telling me to help, I would've been happy to lend a hand.
"Whatever, Aubrey, just move out of my way. It's been a long day and I just want to go inside, eat, then go to sleep. If you want to continue being a brat, feel free, but don't do it on my time." Alana sighed, taking the steps one at a time, her suitcases thumping against the concrete.
Surprise crossed over her features when I yanked a case from one of her hands, pulling it up to the top where I was standing. I lugged it behind me and into the house, making sure to let the screen door slam shut once I was safely in. Holding it open would've been too nice, and I couldn't have her thinking that I actually was.
As quietly as she could, Alana entered the house, closing both doors behind her. Coming closer to me, I became wary of the pained look on my sister's face.
"What's wrong?" Her change in behavior was odd, confusing me. I thought she would've been happy to be back home. She might not have talked to me often, but she did keep in contact with our parents on occasion.
"I want to talk to you before I go in there." She frowned as she looked down the hall toward the living room where voices drifted from, grabbing her suitcase and moving over to the staircase. "Follow me up to my room."
For some strange reason, I actually followed the order from my sister. Maybe it was because deep down, I knew that whatever she had to say, might be important.
"What's going on, Alana?" I demanded, closing her bedroom door behind me. Saying her name out loud felt foreign, almost unreal since I hadn't directly spoken to her in quite a while.
She gave me a slight, unreadable smile, flopping onto her bed that hadn't been touched since the last time she was there.
"How's work?" Resting her palms on her thighs, she peered up at me. I crossed my arms over my chest, wondering where she was going with this.
"Fine." I began to get suspicious, squinting my eyes at her. She knew something.
"Are you sure? I mean, it's really unfortunate about what happened to your car." So she claimed, but the tone of her voice didn't sound so sympathetic.
"What happened to my car?"
How the hell did she even know? Instead of thanking her for her 'concern,' I acted as if nothing happened.
"Just because I'm not around to do it, that doesn't mean I don't have people watching out for you."
Since when did she care about my well-being? And if that was supposed to make me feel safe, it had the opposite effect.
"What are you talking about?" Eyeing my sister, I looked back and forth between her and the bedroom door, judging the distance it would take to get out.
"Sorry, that wasn't supposed to come out like that. I'm trying to say that whatever you're going through at work, you're not alone in it. You don't have to tell me everything, but just know that I'm here for you if you need anything."
"Okay." Dragging out the word, I didn't know what else to say, so I took a few steps away from her.
"I doubt you'll have to worry about Carlita for much longer. Elise should be close to done with taking care of everything."
On my way out, I froze in my tracks, my back rigid at the sound of Alana's voice. It was like everyone around me was in on all these secrets, leaving me in the dark.
"How do you know Elise?" Turning around, I ground down on my back teeth, hating that she was so calm with the way she spoke. If someone was out to get her, I would've at least shown a little emotion.
"Oh, Elle and I were roommates in college for two years." She smiled, her eyes becoming distant as she thought of what I guessed to be memories between the two.
"Elle?" I looked down at her, wondering what other cute nicknames they called each other. "Why the hell am I just finding out now that you know her?"
If she would've said from the beginning that she knew Elise, I wouldn't have been so creeped out by the two of them.
"Really?" Her arched eyebrows scrunched together, looking like she didn't believe me. "I thought she told you."
It wasn't Elise's responsibility to tell me anything. She wasn't my sister. If she was, there probably wouldn't have been any hostility between the two of us.
"No, she didn't, and why are you doing this? After all these years, why does it seem like you're trying to build a relationship with me now?" I paced the room, my voice cracking as a knot formed in the back of my throat. "There were times when I was alone and needed someone to talk to, but you weren't there. Was it that hard to pick up a phone to call your little sister, or would it have taken up too much time from being with your friends and traveling? Do you know what it feels like to think that your only sibling hates you?"
The list of frantic questions could've gone on, but my lungs needed air. Alana took that as an opportunity to stand and walk over to me, grabbing my shoulders to stop my movements. Fuck, I mentally cursed, seeing the same moisture brimming in her eyes that matched my own. I didn't follow her up there to have a heart-to-heart, sitting to talk about our feelings.
"Aubrey, I am so sorry. I never meant for you to feel that way." Her dark eyes burned into my own, pleading for forgiveness.
"You can say sorry a million times, but it won't change what's happened."
So what she apologized? It wouldn't mean anything to me unless she proved the sincerity behind it. I had too many thoughts and emotions running through me to just accept Alana into my life again. It would take time, but it did feel reassuring to know that she didn't have any hard feelings toward me.
"You're right." Her head hung, a few tears rolling down her freckled cheeks. "There's just so much you don't know, and since I'm back, I'll explain everything. I promise."
So much I don't know? Here we go again with the secrets. If people are trying to protect me, they need to stop. I'm not some defenseless little girl that needs to be hidden from the world.
Though still on guard, I nodded when our eyes locked. "Good. I'll be waiting to hear what you have to say."
"Of course, but for now, let's go down to dinner with--hold on," Pulling out her phone, Alana read from the screen, slowly pronouncing each word. "that little shit and a dumb slut."
Rolling my eyes, I knew exactly who she read the text from. With comments like that, at least there would be some type of entertainment.
It was all smiles and phony greetings when Alana and I made our way down to the living room. My dad and grandma were the only two excited to see her, my mother radiating off waves of tension when they hugged. Like she did to me on the first day we met, Serene sized up my sister, scowling when she thought no one was looking. The girl was seriously wacky, and I couldn't understand how Rhode wasn't able to see it.
"You're a stripper?" She wasn't fooling me or Alana with the sly glances cast our way, but the horrified expression on our grandmother's face was believable to the rest of the party. "It's okay, sweetheart. God still loves you."
After my father asking Serene what she did for a living, it was hard to contain my laughter when we finally sat down at the dinner table. Alana wasn't too far behind me.
If we were in a cartoon, Serene would've had smoke blowing from her ears. The pink flush in her cheeks was already darkening to crimson with each passing second.
"No, ma'am. When I said dancer, I didn't mean that kind." Her smile was clearly forced, a fork locked in a death grip with her right hand. "I give lessons at a dance studio."
"Whatever you have to do to survive, I guess." A small, wrinkled hand waved dismissively in the air.
"That's enough, mother."
After my own mom stopped the conversation, it didn't really pick up after that. When someone was asked a question, it would be answered with a simply reply, just giving the necessary amount of information.
I gave my mother credit for trying to do something nice, but the dinner was a bust. Maybe she'd give a little more thought into who she invited next time.
Rhode tried to get my attention on a countless number of occasions, even looking like a sad puppy, but I didn't stop to give him my attention. He'd be lucky if I ever did again.
<><><><>
"Boston?" My mouth parted, not sure if I correctly heard what was just said.
"Yes, Boston."
"Boston." I whispered, testing out the word on my tongue.
"If I have to say it one more time, I'm going to pick someone with better hearing. It seems you're having trouble with yours."
"Sorry, I-I'm just a little excited."
"Really? I couldn't tell." Tiffany snickered, pausing to apply a fresh coat of red lipstick. "So, what will your answer be?"
"Yes! Of course it's a yes."
"That's what I thought." The corner of her mouth lifted up into a slight smile. "We leave Friday morning, spend the weekend, then leave Sunday evening. Pack business and casual attire."
"Can I ask you something, though?"
Tiffany huffed out a loud breath, reaching under her desk to grab her handbag. It was the end of the day, and she looked eager to leave the office. I knew she wasn't one for small talk, but my mouth kept moving when I didn't want it to.
"Monty wants me to bring one of my writers with me. This is business, so don't go thinking we're going to become the best of friends during the trip." She stood, glaring down at my seated position. "Plus, I've already told you. I don't trust many people here, and you don't piss me off as much as the others. Does that answer whatever question you had?"
Coming from her, that was a compliment.
"Yes, and I'm happy I don't." Not quite sure how to respond, my sentence trailed off into a question.
"Me too." Opening her office door, Tiffany motioned for me to follow. "I won't be here tomorrow, so I'll see you on Friday. We're all going to meet downstairs at six before we leave. Don't be late."
Don't be late? There's no way I'm missing this.
When Tiffany was out of view, a voice from behind, startled my excitement. It was the same one that used to make my skin sizzle and tingle, but now it made it crawl.
"So, I take it you're going on that trip to Boston?"
Grinding my teeth together, I didn't turn around. Instead, I made my way over to my cubicle to shut down for the night. Rhode wasn't going to ruin the one moment of happiness I'd had lately.
With his footsteps trailing close behind me, it was enough to set me off.
"I don't see how that's any of your concern."
"It's not, but I just wanted to say good luck. I heard that if Monty likes you, you'll get a chance to choose if you want to stay at this magazine, or transfer to the one he's starting up there."
Thinking about what he'd said for a moment, I knew I had to make Monty like me. Boston could be my fresh start, away from all the drama and craziness. I'd never been given the opportunity to be on my own before, and the three-day trip just kept sounding better and better.
Screw making Monty like me. I'm going to make him fucking love me.