After finding the pictures, I haven't showed anyone. I haven't told Grace, or Braxton about them. I just couldn't believe I found something to begin with. These pictures are from a long time ago, I was able to tell just by the way they looked. Also, Uncle Isiah and my Mom looked so much younger. There was something about my Mom in the picture, but I couldn't quite put my finger on. She looked like herself, but a bit different at the same time. Probably because she's aged now. She's not old, but she's not as young as she as she once was.
It was a Saturday morning, and I had the pictures with me in my back pocket. The only reason I carried them with me, I wanted to start showing them these. The first person I wanted to show, was Avery. She was the one who even told me to tell Grace and Braxton, and look how great that's turned out. I was going to see her today at school, since we were stuck hanging the stupid dance posters.
After Savannah pretty much demanded a dance, we all got to work on it. I mean no one was really into this class, until Savannah came along. She kind of put us all in check, and now everyone seems excited to be a part of this first school dance. I wasn't excited, I never even asked Savannah to go with me, but she's still coming with me. Avery also didn't seem too excited, and I don't blame for it either. That's another thing we have in common. We both aren't looking forward to that school dance.
On this Saturday morning, I had to give my shift to Grace, and I would get a double shift tomorrow. I open, and thanks to Grace now I have her afternoon shift as well. That was her condition. If I wanted her to open this morning for me, I would have to close tomorrow afternoon for her. It was fine though, I felt like I was use to double shifts. Plus, I get today off. I just have to get over this class, and I'm free for the rest of the day.
"Okay, everyone. I'll give you all three posters, and we'll hang them up all around the school. I want this posters by the gym, by the lunch lines, bathrooms. I need these posters to be the only thing I see around this school," Savannah stated. I rolled my eyes at her speech, she really was controlling.
"Are hanging them up in groups?" A red head girl asked. I wasn't sure what her name was, I don't really pay attention to my peers.
"No, individually. It's not too hard to put these posters up on our own," Savannah said.
Honestly, it kind of will be. She'll realize it when she's struggling to put the first poster up. Someone should at least be holding it, while the other person is taping it to the wall. I won't be the one to argue with Savannah though, I just want to get out of here.
Savannah handed the whole class at least three posters, some got one or two. Of course, Avery and I were the individuals that three though.
"Okay, let's put these up and we'll meet back in the classroom," Savannah said.
Everyone in the class got up, and exited. I did the same, and so did Avery. Before fully exiting the classroom, I leaned over to her and whispered.
"Meet me by the gym."
Avery looked up at me, but she slowly nodded. I don't think anyone saw our interaction, at lest I would not. Not that I'm embarrassed or anything, but don't want Savannah on Avery's case.
Everyone seriously spread out around the school, it was a big school and we had to pretty much cover every inch of it. I still hadn't put any of my posters up, I was just watching making sure everyone was distracted putting them up. I made my way to the back of the school, to meet up with Avery by the gym. No one would see us there, especially since it's only like twenty or twenty five students on the campus right now.
Once I was getting closer to the back, I noticed a girl walking the opposite direction. Once I was closer, I noticed Avery struggling to put a poster up. I quickly walked up to her, and once I reached her I placed the posters I had on the floor. I stepped on them by the corner, so they wouldn't fly away. I held the poster Avery was trying to hang, so she would be able to tape it on the wall.
"Thank you," Avery said in a low tone.
"You're welcome," I said still holding the paper.
"So, why did you want to see me back here?" Avery asked me.
Avery put the last piece of tape on the poster, and I slowly let it go. The poster stayed on the wall, and I was thankful for that. The last thing I want to do is put these posters up on a Saturday morning.
"I found something," I said to her.
I pulled out the pictures out of my back pocket, and handed them to her. Avery looked them over. She's never seen my Uncle or Mom, so I knew she was probably confused on what she was looking at.
"The blond is my Uncle Isiah, and the woman is my Mom. These pictures must of been taken when they were younger. This is proof there was something romantic between them. Maybe around the time my Mom got pregnant with Hope, that's when they decided to try things out again. Even though she was married already, to my Dad," I said to her.
"Maybe, I mean it's a possibility. They obviously were together at one point, but don't let this be the only evidence you get. You know they have DNA tests? You can order one online, send in whatever DNA you want, and it'll tell you the relationship between the people you're testing," Avery said.
"That's pretty cool, I should just order a DNA test. I'll test both Hope and my Uncle, it'll probably be easier to find out the truth that way as well. Obviously, Grace and I aren't finding anything good. Also, we told my cousin Braxton and we haven't heard from him either. I don't think he's found anything," I explained to Avery.
"Your Mom's really pretty, you look just like her," Avery commented. She handed me the pictures back, and I gladly took them. I put them back in my back pocket.
"Does that you mean you think I'm pretty too?" I joked with her. I smiled at her, but Avery blushed as she looked away.
I tilted her head towards me, and she quickly looked at me with her bright blue eyes. I felt like I gasped, at least I did in my mind. This girl is beautiful.
"I think you're beautiful, did you know that?" I questioned her.
Avery smiled a bit shyly. She slowly shook her head.
"You don't have to do that," she said to me. I didn't understand what she meant, but I ignored it.
I placed my hands on either side of her face. My thumbs were on her cheeks, rubbing her skin gently. I just wanted to admire her beauty, and never look away. She was so natural, she barely wore any make up. If Avery was wearing make up, it was usually just lipstick. She would mostly always wear red lipstick, and it looked so good on her. Usually when girls wear that color, it makes them look weird, or like they're trying too hard. On Avery it was perfect. It wasn't a bright red, it was toned down, it was dark. It looked good on her.
"Do what?" I questioned her.
"Pretend like you like me. Just because we kissed before, you don't have to pretend," she clarified.
I smiled at her, and slowly leaned in to her. I placed my forehead on hers.
"Who said I was pretending?" I asked her.
Before she could say anything else, I closed the gap between our lips. It didn't take long for Avery to kiss me back. Our lips moved slowly, but in perfect sync. Although I loved our first kiss together, this felt better. It's like every time I kiss her, it just gets better and better. I smiled into the kiss, and tried to deepen it. I let go of her face, and slid my hands around her waist. I pulled her body closer to mine, until there was absolutely no space between us.
I wanted to keep kissing her, I felt like I could just kiss her all day. Avery slowly pulled away from the kiss. I tried to kiss her again, but she fully pulled away. Her body wasn't against mine anymore, and she took a few steps back from me. Did I do something wrong? I shouldn't of kissed her.
"I'm sorry, Avery. I didn't realize what I was doing," I said to her.
Avery smiled, and it looked like a genuine smile. She got closer to me, and started to rub her thumb over my lips.
"You have a bit of red lipstick on them," she said.
I smiled at her, and at her touch. I think she enjoyed the kiss as much as I did, but she just doesn't want to get caught. Maybe kissing in the school wasn't a good idea, since I'm still with Savannah too. I wouldn't want Avery to have problems with her, just because of me. I would leave Savannah in a heart beat though, if it meant I got to be with Avery.
"Hayden, what are you doing?" I heard a very familiar voice ask.
Avery quickly pulled away from me, and she walked away from me. She grabbed the posters she had left on the floor. She looked from me to Savannah, and I could tell she was scared. Savannah was a huge bitch, she could easily ruin Avery's life. I grabbed the posters I was stepping on from the floor. Once I fully stood up, Avery was gone. I didn't even see her walk away. I turned to face Savannah. She stood there with her arms crossed, as if waiting for me to give her an explination.
"I was helping her put a poster up. You should of put is in groups, not just expected us to put them up with no trouble," I said to her.
I tried to walk away from her, but she grabbed my arm. I turned around to look at her, and I could tell she was still pissed.
"Is that why you have red lipstick around your lips?" Savannah questioned.
I didn't flinch at her comment. I didn't even bother rubbing it off. I just handed her the posters. I was feeling pissed myself. It seems like lately Savannah just talks to me to yell at me. To tell me what I'm doing wrong, or what I could improve on. I was getting really tired of it.
"Put them up yourself, I'm done with this bullshit," I said to her. I turned around and started to walk away.
"You expect me to put these up on my own?" She asked. I laughed. I turned around, but continued to walk backwards.
"You expected us all to put them up on our own, you'll be fine. Besides, I have to pick up Grace from Java Beans. Have fun with your posters though," I said to her.
I turned around and continued to walk away from her. I wasn't even sure anymore, if I wanted to continue to keep trying things with Savannah. Maybe it was time to already break up with her. I was already getting fed up with her attitude, and I could tell she was already getting fed up with me.
~*~
I had sent both Braxton and Grace a text. I let Braxton know to meet us up at the public library, which he agreed he would. I sent Grace a text letting her know I was picking her up after her shift. She didn't ask why, she just said okay. Grace was off at noon, so she had a half hour to go. After I left the school, I went home. I just wanted to grab my laptop. Afterwards I made my way to Java Beans. I wasn't in the mood to deal with Selena, so I just stayed in the car. I parked away from the coffee shop, so she wouldn't be able to see my car. I still sent Grace a message letting her know I was waiting for her in the parking lot.
Being on your phone, really does make time fly. As creepy as it seems, I was on Avery's Instagram page. Avery didn't post selfies, she didn't post much at all. The only picture of her was her profile picture. Other than that, she posted about books and movies. I could tell she wasn't much into TV shows, she mostly went fanatic for books and movies. I smiled. Just looking over her pictures, she makes me want to actually read.
The passenger side to my car opened. Grace got in, and she sighed. She hates opening shifts. She always says they leave her wanting more sleep. She would rather get in a little later in the morning, even if she wasn't going to leave until mid afternoon.
"How was work?" I asked her.
"Fine, I guess. I hate morning shifts. So why are you picking me up? You never pick me up unless Mom and Dad ask you to, or you need something," Grace pointed out.
I reversed out of the parking lot, and started to drive towards the library. I smiled at Grace's comment, because she has right about everything. Those are the only reasons I pick her up.
"Well, I have an idea about what to do about the whole Uncle Isiah and Mom thing," I told her.
"What do you mean?" Grace asked.
"I texted Braxton to meet us up at the public library, which is where we're going right now. I have to show you two something, and afterwards I was proposal for you two," I explained to her.
"What's the proposal?" Grace asked.
"I'll tell you when we get to the library," I said to her.
It didn't take long for us to finally arrive. Braxton was sitting right outside on a bench. I parked in front of him, so he wouldn't miss my car. He quickly got up, and I unlocked the doors. Braxton got inside the back seat, and closed the door behind him.
"What's up? Are we actually going inside the library?" Braxton asked.
I undid my seat belt, and Grace did the same. I turned side ways in the driver's seat, so I could be facing the both of them.
"I have to show you guys something. The other day when I was in the attic looking for a suit, I found something," I explained to them.
I took out the pictures from my back pocket. I handed one picture to Braxton, and the other two to Grace. I watched them as they looked them over. Braxton looked over Grace's shoulder to see the other pictures, and Grace took the one Braxton held in his hand. I watched at their faces went straight to confusion. They looked just as confused about this as I was. They obviously knew who the people the pictures were, but they didn't understand what they were looking at. Growing up, we always knew Uncle Isiah and Mom weren't actually related. To us, he was just always Uncle Isiah because they were best friends. No one expected to see that once upon a time ago, they were more than that.
"That's my Dad and your Mom. I thought they were only friends," Braxton was teh first to speak.
"Yeah, they always just told us they were friends and nothing more. These pictures prove that at one point they were more," I said to them.
Grace shook her head, as if she didn't want to believe this. She handed me the pictures back, and I could this still wasn't enough proof for her.
"Look, maybe at one point they were more than friends. That's fine, I think that's normal. Maybe they realized it wouldn't work between them, but they still stayed really good friends," Grace explained.
"Yes, that could be a possibility. Another possibility is that they relapsed. Think about, some couples do relapse with one another. Maybe they had a weak moment, and Hope happened," I said.
"No, I don't think Hope is my half sister. That's crazy, Hayden," Braxton said to me.
"It really is, and what's crazy is that you'd believe Mom would do that to Dad," Grace said.
They weren't seeing the big picture here. I finally have proof they were once romantically involved. Weather it was a few years ago, or decades ago. There is proof that my Mom and Uncle Isiah had, or have feelings for one another.
"Okay, you know what I need both your help. Obviously, you two will never believe in my theory. That's fine, I won't force you to believe in it. Braxton doesn't want to believe it because he's in love with Hope, and you don't want to believe it because you don't think Mom's capable of doing that," I started to say.
"I really don't think she would do that to Dad, they're love story is epic. I hope to find one day someone I love that much," Grace said.
"Yeah, and also I'm not in love with Hope," Braxton defended.
I looked at Braxton, and I could tell he was nervous. He may not be in love with her, but he does have feelings for her.
"Okay, point is I'm not letting this theory go. I don't need you guys to believe me, but I would like your support in what I'm going to do," I said to them. "I want to order a blood test, they sell them online. I want to take a sample of Hope's blood, and a sample of Uncle Isiah. We send them to the lab, and they'll tell us if they're related in any way."
Grace scoffed. She didn't think was a good idea, I could already tell. Braxton still looked nervous. He was probably scared to actually find out that he's related to Hope.
"Then what do we do? Confront them? Hayden, listen to yourself. You sound crazy," Grace said to me. I shook my head at her. At this point I didn't care if I was alone in this, I was going to do it.
"Look, I know what I heard in that kitchen. I know what I see in these pictures. Let's be honest, we won't find any more proof than this. I'm tired of wondering, and waiting for one of us to find something. I actually did find something. Can we just off of this?" I asked them.
Braxton stayed quiet in the back seat. Grace's facial expression relaxed, and I knew I had roped her in. I smiled small, and Grace rolled her eyes.
"Fine, we'll order the stupid blood tests. How are we getting their blood?" Grace asked. This time, I smiled wide at her.
"Simple, school project. Are you in Braxton? We need a yes from you, or it'll be harder to get that sample of blood from your Dad," I said to him.
It took him a while to answer, but he slowly nodded his head.
"I'm in. Just order the stupid tests," Braxton said.
I know neither of them are happy we're doing this, but I am. I hope these blood tests come out positive. I hope they prove my theory right, because I'm kind of tired of the judging me for it. I know my theory is kind of crazy, but it makes sense. At least to me it does.
I opened my lap top, and took out my wallet. I knew where the money for this was coming from. My idea, my financial responsibility. I didn't mind though, as long as it proved me right. We looked through multiple different blood tests companies, until we decided on the most ranked one. I placed the order for two kits; one for Grace and I, and one for Braxton to take home. Now, we just wait for them to come in.