Holy shizballs
"How do I look?"
Crabapples
Ninang Kath, beside me, makes the sign of the cross and mutters, "Susmarysosep! Anong nangyari sa batang 'to..." (Jesusmaryjoseph! What happened to this child...)
-and sauce
"Ano po yon?" (What was that?) Eliza asks, not catching my Godmother's sped up sentence.
Ninang Kath makes an incredibly horrible fake laugh, while waving her previous comment off, "Wala Ineng..." (Nothing Dear...). She quickly turns me, mouthing, Parang may tama ang ulo ng pinsan mo (It seems that your cousin's head was hit). However, I am too shocked to even respond to her.
She unnaturally chirps, "Okay girls, I'll get back to my baking." before leaving us in the main corridor.
Through my peripheral vision, I see her shaking her head and her widened eyes that do not seem to be on the verge of blinking.
My eyes are so wide that I think my eyeballs may even roll out of their sockets. Eliza, on the stairs, is dressed like she's about to sneak into some sort of nightclub. A plunging v-neck black bodysuit sits over what I believe is (a very effective) push up bra, and is paired with skin-tight skinny jeans. She holds a pair of black heeled boots, dangling from her fingers.
My initial thought is, where can I get a good push-up bra like that, to help with my A-cup ladies?
Seriously though, can't this girl wear a Jersey to a hockey game like everyone else?
Her outfit concerns me mostly because:
Exhibit A: It's December and it's hella cold outside, therefore this chick is asking for frostbite.
Exhibit B: She's going out with my boyfriend and tried to dress as seductively as possible.
If those aren't red flags, I don't know what is.
The door bell rings and Eliza immediately pipes up, "I'll get it!"
I don't say anything more as I've had enough shock to give me a great heart attack at this point. Quickly, I put two fingers on my wrist, checking my pulse to make sure I'm still alive.
Yup, still here. Unfortunately.
She opens the door and James is there, dressed in possibly million layers, considering it's literally negative 40 degrees outside. At least someone knows how to dress, I think to myself.
"Hi James!" she basically shrieks. She might as well put a sign saying "BOYFRIEND STEALER" on her back. She's not even trying to be slick!
"Hey." he waves awkwardly, before looking at me. I just shrug.
"I'm just about ready, I just have to grab my sweater." she says, then proceeds to rush upstairs.
I know that I'm getting jealous again, and I also know that James literally told me that I have nothing to worry about...a few days ago. However, it is not a few days ago anymore. Maybe I'm not actually jealous anymore, I'm angry. Eliza's stepping into my territory now, and I can't play the role of the little angel anymore.
If she wants to play with fire, she better be ready for a whirlwind of hell.
If I wasn't clear enough, I am the whirlwind of hell. Maybe that was a bit confusing, you see I'm not really used to this kind of stuff, I usually am just an observer in relationship drama. Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit but...I'm just going to stop babbling and get to my whirlwind of hell stuff.
A whirlwind of hell.
I go towards James, who is probably trying to say hi to me, but I ignore that, and give him the sleeping child in my arms. "Take Maggie for a bit. I'll be right back."
"Wait, Lara-" he starts, but I'm already rushing upstairs.
I burst open the door to my own bedroom, where Eliza is busy rummaging through our shared closet. She can't seem to make up her mind about what to wear over her night club attire. I lean against the doorframe, waiting for her to notice my presence, but she seems way too absorbed in her fashion choices.
After a minute, she finally turns around and says, "Oh! 'Cuz, I didn't notice you here!"
Cutting the bull, I immediately state, "I know what you're doing." I cross my arms and attempt to stare her down.
She frowns, faking an innocent look that absolutely anyone could see through. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Don't do this. It's so obvious. You never dress like this." I tell her calmly.
"So? Can't a girl dress nice for a hockey game?"
I walk into the room and stand directly in front of her, which proves to be much less intimidating than planned, considering her tall, lean build. I'm starting to think that what I imagine happening in my head, won't actually play out the same way. "Eliza, stop trying to steal my boyfriend."
She simply laughs, "I find it so funny that James likes you, y'know? But here you guys are, together. I'd never try to steal him from my own cousin, but you can't say the same, can you?" She leans forward, her face so close to mine. I never thought I'd see the grin of a Cheshire Cat unclose, but there's always a time for everything.
"I never took anything from you." I tell her, my voice low, my eyes shooting daggers at her.
She purses her lips before heading to the door. At the door, she stops for a second before saying, "I still need to grab a jacket," and heads back to the closet.
She starts to rummage through my side of the closet and asks, "Lara, can I borrow a jacket?"
I don't reply, and continue to observe her actions.
She picks the large, black, leather jacket from the hanger at the the back and I feel my body start to tense. I can't feel anything. It's like I'm frozen, numb, like I've lost all ability to say anything.
She puts the jacket on, "Oo, love the oversized fit."
"Eliza, not that one." I tell her, assertively, yet still calm.
She doesn't say anything, but her eyes challenge me in every single way. Her gaze puts me under fire and suddenly I'm engulfed in flames.
A lump in my dry throat forms and I try to swallow. "Eliza, take that off." I demand, more aggressively this time, but she doesn't falter.
"I said, take it off!" I repeat, surprising myself with my loudness. I stride towards her and attempt to grab the jacket, but she swerves and I miss by a mile.
She moves to the other side of the room and in a mocking tone, she asks, "Why? Is this your boyfriend's jacket? Does it have some super, sentimental value to you, Sweetheart?" She pouts and I feel my cheeks burning up.
"Just take the freaking jacket off!" I scream, but she just laughs.
"No way in hell!"
I chase her around the room, both of us screaming things at each other that would get our mouth's soaped if our parents were here.
Finally, I grab her wrist and she has no choice but to face me. Her free hand tugs my hair and I let out a little yelp. I raise my other hand up to slap her away, but somebody grabs my hand in mid-air.
"Lara!" he shouts.
Eliza and I let go of each other and I turn around to see James.
I don't think I've ever seen him this unhappy.
"What are you doing?" he asks, but by the tone of his voice, I know that he already has the answer to his own question.
I don't say anything, and at the same time, Eliza slowly takes the jacket off.
"She was just about to slap me!" Eliza exclaims, breaking the awkward silence between all three of us.
"Yeah, because you were pulling my hair and I wanted to get away from you maniac!" I fire back, but all she does is roll her eyes.
"I just wanted to borrow a jacket! Jeez!" she huffs, flailing her arms up, as if I was the one being an unreasonable female dog.
"I told you to give that back to me, you-" I start, attempting to grab the jacket from her arms, but James beats me to it.
"Lara! Enough!" he shouts, taking the jacket from both of us.
My mouth starts to dry up and I don't know how to react to any of this. Why is it only me that he's yelling at? I've never seen him this pissed before, especially at me.
"How many times do I have to reassure you that you have nothing to worry about?" he asks me.
"But-" I start, but he cuts me off.
"I'll take my jacket now, thank you," he continues, staring right at me with his dark brown eyes. Let me rephrase, angry, dark brown eyes. "This might have been the stupidest fight you've been in."
Again, he gets no reply.
If only he realized what I was really fighting for.
~~~
Sunshine Park, Toronto~November
"Dude! You told me that we were going the mall!" I shout at James, as he lets the chilly air inside the car. Instantly, he closes the door again.
"I wanted to surprise you!" he exclaims.
"By letting me catch frostbite?" I fire back.
"Okay, okay, so maybe I didn't prepare you enough for this date, but you can use my jacket." He takes off the black leather jacket from his back and places it on my shoulders. "Here."
I push my arms through the overly long sleeves and zip it up all the way. It's still warm from his body heat.
We both get out of the car and head to our usual spot. We sit on the familiar bench, hidden beneath the trees. He wraps an arm around my shoulder and I lay my head on his.
We sit in silence for a bit until I catch him staring at me.
"What?" I wonder out loud.
He bites his bottom lip, then grins. "Nothing."
"Tell me!"
"You just look really hot in my clothes." he states and I frown, confused.
"I mean, the jacket's warm and all, but I wouldn't say I'm heating up. I mean, it's really cold outside. You really should have told me to bring warmer clothes." I tell him. The weather pretty chilly, but I thank God that there's not much wind.
"No, I mean you look hot. Like, I think you look really sexy."
I immediately blush, but try to brush his comment off. "I look really hot in just about anything. You gotta get used to it, Bryer."
He laughs, then changes the subject. "Remember how many games of secret agents we had here?"
"Yeah. We had a lot of fun. Can we go now?" I ask, rushed to leave because I don't want any bad memories coming back.
"Why are you in such a rush?" he asks.
"It's cold." I reply, hesitantly.
"That's not it. Tell me."
"This doesn't feel like our place anymore." I finally say, avoiding his gaze.
"Why?"
"You kissed Eliza here."
~~~
A month ago, we went to our old secret place from our childhood. That time, it was finally just us. I left my jacket at home, so he gave his leather jacket for me to wear. Since then, I haven't had the chance to give it back, nor was I really planning to.
James lets out a large exhale. "We'll sort this out later" he sighs, and gives me a sympathetic half-smile.
"We should go," Eliza jumps in. "We might be late."
James leaves the room first and Eliza follows. However, before she exits, when James is fully out of sight, she goes up beside me. Slowly, she leans forward, her lips brushing against my ear as she whispers words that are barely audible, but are as loud as a scream.
"Too bad he saw what a little b*tch you really are."
***
It's been two hours since James left with Satan herself, and I still continue to picture the argument we had. I grit my teeth at the thought of them still being together after everything. James still thinks that Eliza is fine with our relationship, meanwhile, she's doing everything to break us up.
I decide to make myself feel a bit better and start getting a few ingredients from the fridge. I grab some vanilla ice cream, strawberries, and milk.
If I'm going to be in a fight with my boyfriend and my female dog of a cousin, my stomach might as well not suffer.
As I blend the three ingredients in the blender, Brook and Bree come through the front door from the gym. They yell, "Hockey Night!" before slamming onto the couch.
I roll my eyes, but they continue to turn on the television.
I pour my milkshake into a tall glass and head towards the couch to sit beside them.
Brook is on her phone, scrolling through some app. I turn to her, asking, "So, whatcha doin'?"
She looks up, about to reply, but her face turns blank. She hesitates for a second. "I think you should be asking your boyfriend the same question."
"What do you-" I start, but Bree literally grabs my face and turns it towards then television. The view is only made worse by the announcer's voice.
-lovely couples we see! Look at that! I don't know what's better than taking your significant other to tonight's game...
They really had to make out on national television, didn't they?
I feel like I'm gonna get a bunch of threatening emojis here...
[Insert all the hate, anger, and sadness here]
On the bright side, I'm updating more frequently, aren't I? So what are your opinions on this turn of events. Are we still team Jara, or is the ship sinking? What will Eliza do next? Next time on HTBTBTW... Anyways, I'm writing on the plane, yet again. No kid at the back (thank my lucky stars) and scored seats in the emergency exit row! Yay for more leg room! I hope all of you are still breathing from the cliffhanger, and if you can't, well...sorry.
If you guys are on the edge of your seat for the next chapter, please gimme a vote and comment what you think Lara, James, and Eliza are going to do next! We're almost at 900K guys and it would be so friggin awesome if we hit a million this year!! If you guys enjoy the story, please share it to your amigas and let me know why you're still here (lmao).
-Summer :)
P.S. hit me up with some really good songs here and enjoy this pic of me :)
Them: Is that your boyfriend's sweater?
Me: LOL no I just like to shop in the men's section.