Chapter 20 | Matchmaker
Lucas:
Here's your drink." Ivy thrusts a small plastic cup in my hand, filled with bright red liquid. I look down at the drink warily, swishing the juice around.
"What is this? It's so bright."
"This was all they had." Ivy shrugs. "This party is so lame, where's the alcohol?" She begins peering around the garden as Aidan stares at her dumbly.
"Um...you do know this is a children's party." He states blinking slowly. "Why would there be alcohol?"
"Ugh see," she turns to me. "Lame party."
"Just go home bitch no one wants you here." Dylan whines, plucking the cup from my hand and chugging the unusual liquid down his throat.
"Shut up Dylan, I'm only here because I'm getting paid. Why would I purposely want to be seen in this stupid ass costume." She tugs at the skirt of the purple Rapunzel costume and grimaces. "At least I still look good though. I think I'm the only one who can pull off a princess dress and still make it look hot."
"Isabella can too," Dylan points out.
"No did you see how it looks on her, it's super baggy and unflattering and her hair," she pauses to make a fake gagging sound. "Why would anyone purposely cut it that short."
I throw her an incredulous look. "She looks fine."
"Yeah," Aidan agrees and Dylan nods his head. "I like her hair, she reminds me of Dora the Explora."
"Go fuck her then if you think she looks fine." Ivy rolls her eyes. "I'm gonna get more Jello." She stalks off leaving Dylan and Aidan sending daggers at her back.
"God I hate her so much," Dylan snarls before pushing my arm. "How are you still with her toxic ass."
Aidan nods in agreement. "For real Lucas, she treats you like shit and is so controlling."
"He is too though," Dylan points out and I furrow my eyebrows. "Don't forget how he practically punched up Trent."
"He was touching up my girl what the fuck was I supposed to do?" I scoff, running a hand through my hair. "And that's not being controlling, I let her hang out with whoever and do whatever she wants but there's a line and he crossed it. You can't blame me for getting mad."
"Violence is never the answer." Dylan replies solemnly, shaking his head and acting like a wise scholar.
"Shutup," I say, shoving him playfully and rolling my eyes. "If you guys are finished chastising me, I'm gonna go find the bathroom, I need a piss."
"Get me a glass of water on your way back." Dylan clutches his stomach. "That drink tasted funny. I bet Ivy poisoned it or something."
I shake my head and chuckle. "I hope your death is slow and painful then."
"Dick." He narrows his eyes and chucks the plastic cup at the back of my head as I walk away. I look back and send Dylan a cheeky grin before throwing the middle finger in his direction before I go inside.
I weave my way through the gaggle of adults talking in the kitchen and head up the stairs to go to the bathroom.
As I'm walking across the landing I hear a flurry of voices coming from Isabella's room.
"Hey hey hey it'll be okay Bella, take deep breathes." I quickly recognise the voice as Grace's and her words pique my interest.
"C'mon you got this, take a deeeep breathe....now exhale it all out...now do that again." That was Mia.
Something is clearly wrong, both Mia and Grace's voices are laced with concern and worry. I briskly walk towards Bella's room to see what's happened.
The door is slightly ajar so I can see the three of them. Both Grace and Mia are huddled around Isabella who is perched on her bed, her arms wrapped around her small frame. She looks frozen, like she's completely out of it and my stomach drops at her state. Her chest is heaving up and down rapidly from the short, ragged breathes leaving her body and her eyes are rimmed red like she has been crying.
I shove the rest of the door open and the motion catches the attention of Mia and Grace. Mia's eyebrows draw together and she sends me an annoyed look.
"Now is not the right time Lucas," she says curtly but I ignore her, strolling past them both and taking a seat beside Isabella who hasn't yet acknowledged my presence.
"What's happening?" I ask the girls, my eyebrows drawn together in worry.
"Panic attack," Grace replies, chewing on the inside of her cheek.
I nod. "Hey hey hey, you're okay Bell, keep taking deep breaths like Mia was instructing before." I rub her back comfortingly. "C'mon inhale...and then exhale...inhale...exhale...inhale...exhale...good girl...see you got this...now lets do it again."
***
After a couple of minuets of helping Isabella steady her breathing she's calmed down. Her head rests on my chest and I find myself subconsciously stroking her hair.
"God...sorry guys," she croaks, rubbing her mascara smudged eyes.
Grace and Mia shoot each other a wary look.
"That was a really bad one," Grace comments, now chewing on her bottom lip nervously.
"Yeah." Mia nods her head in agreement. "Does...does this happen often Bell?"
Isabella looks as if she's about to nod but after taking one sly glance at me she shakes her head. "No, I-I haven't had a panic attack this bad in a while I don't know why-"
My eyebrows draw together in concern. "This has happened before?"
The three girls look at each other.
"What?" I ask flitting my eyes back and forth between the trio. "What is this all about? Why does this keep happeni-"
"Not yet," Bella interjects shaking her head repeatedly. She sits up and edges herself away from me, wrapping her ams around herself and a pang of hurt shoots through me. "I can't tell you, not yet."
I nod curtly. This is clearly a touchy subject and it kind of hurts that she doesn't trust me enough to tell me just yet but I respect her privacy so I let the subject go. "Um if you're okay now we better head downstairs before they start sending out a search party for us, we've been missing for quite some while now."
"Okay, you lot go down, I'm gonna go fix this." She gestures to her face and her messy makeup before grimacing. "I look horrible."
"No you don't," I respond quickly. "The smudged mascara is a...um...look."
Isabella gives me a blank stare. "Right...well, er, I don't exactly trust your input on makeup so-"
I grab a pillow and throw it at her head before she can finish her sentence. "Rude!"
She bursts out into a fit of giggles before chucking it back at me. I grin at the sight of her laughing and pick up another pillow from the bed and whack it across her arm and running out of the room before she can retalliate.
***
Isabella:
"Oh my god Ma!" My mouth falls open at the sight of my mom in her mother gothel costume...her very hot mother gothel costume.
She grins broadly and twirls around in front of me. "I look good right?"
"Um YES, you look stunning!" And that is the truth. My mom is wearing a burgendy dress with really nice trumpet sleeves and a pretty low neckline. The dress is on the tighter side so sits on her curvy frame nicely. She has curled her dark hair to match mother gothels and has streaked her eyes with eyeliner and has tainted her lips a dark red shade.
I wasn't the only one appreciating how my mom looked either.
"Er mija, is your dad looking?" My mother asks quietly, flitting her eyes over the guests nervously.
I scour the crowd in search for my father and finally spot him right at the other end of the garden, staring right at my mom. His mouth is gaped open and he has a mighty grip on the drink clutched in his hand.
"Yeah he is."
"Good." My mom grins wickedly before standing up straight and tugging own the front of her dress to reveal a bit more cleavage. She then sashays away. Yes, that's right she sashays away.
"Right can I get your attention everybody!" She calls out, although there was no need seeing as the attention was on her already. "It's time to eat cake!"
"I'd like to eat your cake," Dylan smirks from where he's standing beside my mom and she smacks him round the head.
Aidan shoves him to the side aswell. "That's inappropriate," he hisses. "She's Isabella's mom, also her dad is giving you a dirty look."
"Sorry Ms Quintero," Dylan mutters an apology before craning his neck to look at my father who was in fact sending Dylan a murderous look. "And Mr Fernandez."
"Okay where's the birthday girl?" My mom looks at the huddle of children running around on the grass and finally spots the smallest, brightest coloured child and plucks her up from the ground. "Here she is!"
My little sister is dressed as pascal, Rapunzel's pet chameleon. She's wearing the cutest green romper and has her short curly hair pulled into two bunches on the sides of her head. Her face is painted as pascal in face paint and she looks adorable.
At that moment my abuela, who is dressed as Maximus the horse, and Linh walk out holding the large Tangled theme cake and little screams erupt from the kids - and Dylan.
We all huddle around the table where the cake is, watching Sofia blow out her candles and 'cut' the cake. As everyone finishes singing the happy birthday song she squeals out in joy and grabs a handful of icing.
As slices of cake begin getting handed out, I quickly make my escape and sneak away to the comfort of my little hiding space behind the tree as even looking at the cake causes me to feel queasy.
Thankfully no one notices that I'm missing so I stay behind the tree, playing games on my phone for a little while.
"Where is Rapunzel?" My abuela shouts, gaining my interest and I poke my head out from the side of the tree. "Eugene is waiting for her!"
My interest quickly dies down at that statement eyes and I briskly head back into my hiding spot.
"Argh!" I scream out in shock at the sight of a snotty little kid standing in font of me, staring at me blankly.
"Why are you hiding?" He asks. "Everyone is looking for you."
"No they're not." I lie.
He nods his head vigorously. "Yes you're Rapunzel."
"No-"
"RAPUNZELS OVER HERE!" The little boy screams, grinning widely and running off after snitching on me.
Adults turn their heads in the direction the little boy had begun screaming from and my mom spots me sitting behind the tree. She storms over to my spot and hauls me up from the ground. "There you are!"
She ushers me back to the cake table and I inwardly groan. As we're walking back my grandma hasn't yet noticed me so continues calling for me.
"WHERE IS RAPUNZEL!" She yells, placing her hands on her hips. "This puta God!"
I gasp at the sound of my grandma calling me a bitch and am about to make myself noticed when someone else does it for me.
"I'm here," Ivy replies boredly.
My grandma gives Ivy a blank stare before turning around and continuing to call for me.
"You're not Rapunzel!" One of the little kids laugh, pointing at Ivy accusingly. "Your hair is orange!"
She narrows her eyes at the kid. "It's strawberry blonde."
The little kid doesn't stop giggling. "Carrot head carrot head carrot head."
"Listen here you little-"
I decide this is the right time to interrupt. "I've been summonded!" I smile down at the little girl and ruffle her hair adoringly and she beams back at me in reply.
"The real Rapunzel is here!"
"That's right." I grin. I turn towards Ivy and my smile only brightens, "Now carrot head can you get some more spoons and paper plates from the kitchen please."
"No I will not!" Ivy growls. "And don't call me that you little bitch-"
The kid gasps from beside me. "Carrot head Rapunzel said a bad word!"
"Um no I-I didn't," Ivy denies, burning red as the adults near by turn and send daggers in her direction. "Okay I'm gonna um get those spoons for you."
I press my lips together to stifle a laugh as Ivy brisky rushes away.
I high five the little girl.
"Okay everybody!" My grandma clasps her hands together once finally spotting me. "Everybody over here for a picture!"
All the little kiddies that are far too high on sugar right now gather around together by Sofia to get ready for the photo. My dad stands right to the side - still eyeing my mom in her revenge outfit and Dylan, Mia, Grace and Lucas stand huddled together on the other side, signalling form me to come over. My abuela wraps her arms around my mom who is holding Sofia in the middle of the group and we pose and take a couple of shots with the birthday girl who is pretty clueless about what's happening right now.
After a couple photos are taken, the crowd disperses but right before I'm about to leave and follow Mia and Grace to the other side of the garden my abuela grabs my arm, hauling me towards her.
"Oww," I cry, yanking my arm from her deathly grip. I turn my body and see that her other hand has a hold on Lucas who looks as equally in pain as I do.
"Abuela you're hurting me," he winces.
She ignores him. "We need a picture with just Eugene and Rapunzel!" Grinning widely, I see an evil glint in her eye and I scowl, knowing right where this is headed, but before I can protest, my grandma shoves the both of us infront of the camera.
"Okay say cheese!"
She plucks Lucas's arm and drapes it around my shoulders before bopping me with her hip so I'm closer to him and because of our ridiculous height difference I'm literally shoved into his amrpit.
"Smile then," Lucas hisses through the side of his mouth. "You look like you want to kill someone."
I don't reply, instead I force out smile that I'm 99% sure comes out as a grimace. I can feel Lucas's body heat radiating off of him and his close proximity is making me uncomfortable.
Sure, keep lying to yourself.
The flash is blinding and I wince at the bright light, trying to subtly blink away the white spots that have appeared in my vision after every click.
"Okay last one," Mr Smith (from down the road who is photographing us) says with a smile after a couple of snaps. I bare my teeth one last time for the picture but my 'smile' drops abruptly at the shouts coming from the huddle of children drinking punch.
"KISS KISS KISS!" Some of the older kids chant and I narrow my eyes at them immediately. Ugh, middle schoolers.
"Uh no, thats okay," I reply curtly as the chants only begin to get louder, edging myself away from Lucas.
"NO YOU GUYS HAVE TO KISS ITS EUGENE AND RAPUNZEL!" Grace's sister Lucy screams with a huge smirk on her face and I narrow my eyes at her.
I stick my tounge out immaturely. "Shush or I'll expose your secret about your little crush on Dy-"
"NO SORRY SORRY!"
I grin wickedly as she burns red and scowls at me.
"No, Luce is right you guys have to kiss!" My abuela points out causing the chants to rile up again. and I fight the urge to slap my head into the wall beside us.
"KISS KISS KISS KISS."
I let out an exasperated breath. "No thank yo-oh."
My eyes widen as Lucas smacks a kiss against my cheek and I freeze. Before I even have the chance to pose the flash of the camera goes off and Lucas retracts his extremely soft lips from my face. He pats my head before stalking off with a silly grin playing on his face.
"Aw ya'll are so cute," Mr smith smiles adoringly staring at the picture and I flush pink.
I'm gonna kill my grandmother.
━
AUTHORS NOTE:
So I have my first real day of sixth form tomorrow and I'm so nervous eeek. I literally can't be asked for A-levels .-. (Wish me luck).
Love you all - Mai x
P.S I see Valeria (Bella's mom) as Sofia Vergara (I LOVE HER CHARACTER GLORIA FROM MODERN FAMILY)