“Oh, you’re home,” my mother says. Emilia jumps away from me and I stiffen. My mom is standing in the hallway and looks at us through narrowed eyes. I smile at my mom awkwardly and she purses her lips. “Emilia has been helping me make chicken Kiev. I’m pretty excited about what it’ll end up tasting like. Looks good, anyway,” she tells me. I nod and follow her into the kitchen, grateful that she didn’t say anything about us hugging in the hallway.
I lean back against the counter as Emilia preps what looks like cauliflower mash. My stomach grumbles loudly and she laughs. I glare at her half-heartedly and watch her as she finishes up dinner with my mom. A strand of her hair falls in front of her face and I tuck it behind her ear gently.
“How’d you end up doing on your calculus test? You said you’d text me, but you didn’t.”
Her expression falls and I sigh. I figured she didn’t do that well on it when she didn’t text me to let me know her results, but I was hoping I was wrong. She pouts and focuses on her mash instead.
“I’ll tutor you, alright? It’s really not that hard. Don’t worry about it, Minx.”
She nods, but she looks worried nonetheless. Emilia has always hated not being good at something academically. She’s one of the few people I know that has always had her heart set on getting a scholarship, even more so since her dad told her that her mother took away her college fund. I know continuously failing calculus worries her endlessly.
I cup her cheek and make her face me. “It’ll be fine. I promise, Minx.”
She nods and smiles up at me, setting my heart at ease. Whenever she’s near me I get so absorbed in her that I forget anyone else is even around. My mother clears her throat and we both stiffen. Seems like I’m not the only one who forgot about her, because Emilia looks up at me with wide eyes. I smile and pull away from her.
“Kate just texted to ask if Gabby can stay for dinner,” she says. Emilia and I both look at my mother in dismay and she laughs. “Just say no,” I tell her. Mom shakes her head. “Too late. They’re already on their way – should be here soon.”
I groan and move to escape but my mom grabs my elbow. “No, you don’t,” she tells me. “I’ve barely seen you recently. You’re staying for dinner.”
Emilia chuckles but my mom levels her with a stare. “You’re staying too, young lady.”
Emilia’s expression falls and I burst out laughing. My amusement is short-lived because the front door opens and Kate and Gabby walk into the kitchen minutes later.
Gabby’s eyes light up when she sees me and I cringe subconsciously while Emilia tenses. “Oh hi, Carter!” she says. She practically skips towards me and throws herself against me before I can step away. She hugs me tightly while my arms lie against my sides limply. It’s awkward as hell.
I glance at Emilia. She’s gritting her teeth as she looks away. I sigh helplessly. I didn’t even do anything. I grab Gabby’s shoulders and forcefully remove her when she’s still hugging me ten seconds later. The girl has no shame at all.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she tells me. She hooks her arm around mine and tries to drag me towards the dining room. I glance at Kate, but she sends me a pleading stare that I struggle to resist. What the hell am I supposed to do here? Emilia looks more and more annoyed with every second that goes by while Kate looks happier with every second that I let Gabby cling to me.
“Uh, yeah. It’s good to see you too, Layla. Or is it Chloe? I can’t remember.”
Gabby freezes and she looks up at me in disbelief while Kate throws me a look that would’ve killed me outright if it could. Gabby’s expression falls just slightly and it’s almost like watching a mask crack. For just a second her inner harpy emerges, but she reins it in quickly.
“It’s Gabby, actually. I’m your sister’s best friend,” she tells me. I pull my arm out of her grip and place my palm on Emilia’s lower back.
“No, you’re not. Emilia is my sister’s best friend.” I glance at Emilia, my eyes running over her body heatedly on purpose before I glance back at Gabby. “And you, Abby, are not Emilia.”
She glares at Emilia, who bites back a smile, and then looks up at me. “It’s Gabby,” she says. I shrug and walk past them. I’m tempted to pull Emilia along with me, but I know she wouldn’t like it if I did that.
“He’s such a dick,” I hear Gabby say, and I smile victoriously. Mission accomplished. “But that just makes him hotter,” she says. Wait what? What is wrong with this girl? How the hell does her brain work?
My mother laughs at my expression and shakes her head. She winks at me and I sigh inwardly. I just know this dinner is going to be hellish. At least Emilia will be there and I won’t have to suffer alone.
Chapter 25
Emilia
Carter sets the table while Helen and I finish up dinner. I try my best not to think of how Gabby must be clinging onto Carter by now. Just seeing her hug him annoyed me. I can’t stand her.
“Try this,” I say to Helen as I hold up a spoon for her. She takes a bite of the chicken Kiev and grins. “Turned out great, didn’t it?”
I nod and smile happily. I love it when we try new recipes or when Helen teaches me how to make a new dish. It’s our way of bonding together and lately we haven’t done enough of it. Kate has been pushing me away and I haven’t been coming over every single day like I used to. She’s been making me feel like I’m intruding and I’m worried I might actually have been. I never meant to, but I guess I got a bit too comfortable here. I overstepped.
Helen takes a bite of the cauliflower mash and sighs in delight. “This is amazing, Milly. I love this. We should definitely make mash more often.”
Carter walks into the kitchen with a stormy expression and looks at us. “Just shoot me now,” he says, and Helen and I both burst out laughing. Carter shakes his head and walks towards me. “Minx, I’m not joking. If she looks at me with those wide bug-like creepy eyes one more time I might actually cry. I’m terrified.”
His arms slips around my waist and he pulls me closer. I look up at him and giggle as I shake my head. Helen clears her throat and Carter steps away from me, startled. It’s like neither one of us realizes it anymore when we touch.
“You two… I’ve ignored this for as long as I could but I have to ask. Are you dating?”
My heart stops and Carter looks just as shocked as I do. My cheeks turn bright crimson and I shake my head embarrassedly. “I— no… we aren’t.”
Carter crosses his arms over each other and stares at his mother thoughtfully. “What if we were?”
Helen sighs and leans back against the kitchen counter. “I love both of you kids, but you’re just that… you’re kids. I know I’m not your mother, Emilia, but we did have an agreement that there would be no dating until you turn sixteen, which is still a couple of weeks from now.”
I nod and look down at my feet, wishing the floor would just open up and swallow me whole. I’m so embarrassed.
“So it’s fine as soon as she turns sixteen?”
I look up at Carter with wide eyes and shake my head to tell him to knock it off, but he ignores me.
Helen sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. “I’m sorry, Carter, but don’t think it’d be a good idea for you two to date. For one, you’re far too young. I wouldn’t be opposed to it once you’re a couple of years older but not now. And then there’s your sister. I think you know how she feels about the idea of you dating Emilia. Did you think about what it’d do to her if you started dating Emilia? You’ll be going off to college in a few months but Emilia and Kate will both still be here. Their friendship won’t ever be the same again because Kate will never get over it. She’ll view it as a betrayal, no matter how you try to explain. Do you want to be responsible for that? Besides, you’re teenagers. I’m sure you think your relationship could survive while you’re so far away from each other, but long-distance relationships are incredibly hard. I don’t think it’s even a good idea for you to be in any relationship at all for at
least your first year of college.”
I bite down on my lip harshly and nod. She’s right, of course. I knew she’d feel this way but I’m still upset, it still hurts to know that even Helen thinks Carter and I shouldn’t be together. I hate knowing that I’d be letting her down if I followed my heart. She’s the only mother figure I’ve got in my life and I can’t even imagine letting her down. Just the idea of her being disappointed in me breaks my heart.
Helen cups my cheek and sighs. “Milly, I love you as my own daughter. I always have. I’m not saying I don’t want you and Carter to ever get together, okay? Just not now. Not while you’re still so young and have so much of your lives left to live.”
I nod and try my best to keep my tears at bay. I’m not even sure why I’m suddenly so upset. Carter and I already decided to stay away from each other anyway. It’s not like we’re dating and she’s asking us to break up, yet it feels that way. Carter looks as upset as I am and runs a hand through his hair, messing it up.
Kate walks into the kitchen and freezes, her eyes moving between us as she takes in the tense atmosphere. Helen smiles at her and hands her a serving dish. “Let’s go have dinner, kids.”
Carter and I are both quiet as we sit down, both of us lost in thought. “So Carter, what college are you planning on going to?” Gabby asks. Carter looks up at her dazedly, his response delayed. “USC,” he says simply. My heart sinks from the reminder. Carter will soon be gone and I’m not sure I can handle that. The idea that he’s leaving terrifies me. He’ll forget about me and move on with his life soon. He’ll be at college and he’ll be moving on to bigger and better things while I’ll still be stuck here in Woodstock. I have no doubt that he’ll make it to USC in LA. Soon he’ll be so far out of reach that I’ll be lucky if we even remain friends.
“Oh, my cousin goes there. I might go see her and we can hang out then. How fun would that be?” Gabby says. Carter doesn’t respond and Kate glares at him, but he doesn’t even seem to notice, he’s as lost in thought as I am.
Gabby focuses her attention on me and smiles. “It’s kind of surprising that you’re always here, Emilia. Kate and you didn’t even hang out today. Do you have dinner here every day? That’s so weird. Don’t you have your own family? Doesn’t your mom make you dinner?”
I freeze, my heart twisting painfully at the memory of my mom. I don’t even remember the last time she made me dinner. The older I get the harder it becomes to remember her. I haven’t tried to get in touch with her since my dad told me she accused me of stalking her. She walked out of my life and I was a fool to hang onto her when she chose to leave me. I’ll never ever do that again. I won’t ever again cling to someone who leaves me.
I look down at my plate, unsure of what to say. Kate didn’t invite me to dinner and I’m still here. I’m old enough to be able to make my own dinner now so I probably should stop coming over every day.
“Oh wait, you don’t have a mother, do you?” Gabby says. William straightens and looks at Gabby furiously. “That’s enough. I won’t have you insulting or hurting Emilia in my house. You either apologize or leave,” he tells Gabby. I’m shocked and really touched at the same time. William is a man of very few words and he usually leaves Helen to solve issues however she sees fit. I can count the amount of times he’s scolded one of us on one hand. Even Kate looks surprised to hear her father speak up. She nods in agreement, but her expression clouds over when Carter speaks up.
“Leave,” he tells Gabby. “I’m done putting up with you. You’re no longer welcome in my house. If you want to hang out with Kate you can do so at school or elsewhere, but not here.”
Kate frowns. “That’s a bit harsh. Gabby isn’t wrong, is she? Why the hell would you ban her from the house when she’s done nothing wrong? All because Emilia can’t handle the truth?”
Carter looks at her in disbelief. “I can’t even recognize you anymore, Kate. Take a good look in the mirror and see if you can look yourself in the eye after the words you just spoke. I’ve never been more disappointed in you.”
Kate gulps and her eyes fill with pain. I hate that I’m at the center of this conflict and that there’s nothing I can do about it. Kate gets up with such force that her chair topples over. She looks at Carter with tears in her eyes and storms off.
“Kate! Stop right there,” Helen shouts. Kate glances back at her mother and then turns away and walks out. Gabby stands up to follow her and she glares at me before walking away, while Helen rises too and follows the two of them angrily.
Carter sighs and grabs my hand, smiling tightly. “Kate hasn’t been herself recently, Minx. Don’t worry about it, okay? You’re always welcome here,” he murmurs. I nod, but I know it isn’t true.
Chapter 26
Emilia
My doorbell rings and I frown. Carter is still at football practice and won’t be home for the next couple of hours, and Kate is meant to be at the shopping center with Gabby. I drop my pencil to my desk and make my way down. I’m surprised to find Kate at my doorstep and I’m not even remotely happy to see her.
Kate and I haven’t seen each other at all since that last dinner a week and a half ago. I don’t feel as welcome at the Clarke’s as I used to, so I stopped going, and Kate never reached out to find out why or to apologize.
Carter stood by his word and refused to let Gabby into the house, and he refuses to be anywhere near her now. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gabby just stopped hanging out with Kate altogether because of it. I can’t think of another reason why Kate might be here now. I don’t want to be Kate’s second choice. Not anymore. I’ve always tried my best to put her first - I’ve always tried to put her happiness above mine, and even above Carter’s. I’m done.
“Hey,” she says. She storms into my house and plops down on the sofa. I follow her in and sit down next to her quietly. It’s somewhat weird to have her here. Carter has really started to feel at home here, but Kate never has. She has always insisted that I come to her house instead, and I’ve never minded it because it allowed me to spend time with Helen and Carter too.
“Gabby bailed on me when she found out Carter is at football practice,” she says. I nod absentmindedly. I figured as much. I’m pretty sure Gabby only really used to drag Kate to the shopping center so she had an excuse to get Carter to pick them up. The shopping center is close enough to walk to from school, but far enough from our houses that someone needs to go pick up Kate. The first few times it actually worked, but recently he’s been outright refusing to go get them, forcing Helen to go instead.
“That sucks,” I murmur, unsure of what else I could possibly say. Every time I tried to warn her that Gabby isn’t a real friend my warnings fell on deaf ears. Every time I spoke up, she’d send me a pleading look requesting me to stop. Kate has actively been pushing me away in her pursuit of Gabby’s friendship. And what for? Popularity?
“I messed up,” she says. She buries her head in her hands and breathes in shakily. “I know I did, Milly. I’m sorry. I just...”
She takes a steadying breath and sniffs. My anger melts away and I wrap my arm around her. I so badly want to stay angry at her, but I can’t bare to see her cry. As soon as I have my arms around her a sob escapes her lips, as though she’s just been trying to hold it in the entire time. She starts crying and I stroke her shoulder gently. I can’t stand seeing Kate in tears and my own heart feels like it’s breaking too. I was so intent on giving her a piece of my mind, but how can I when she’s crying like this?
“I know what you’re thinking, Milly, but she didn’t approach me because of Carter. She genuinely liked me for me. She didn’t even realize that I was Carter’s sister until I told her. He always ruins everything for me.”
I bite down on my lip to keep from snapping at her. Everyone knows that she’s Carter’s sister – our town isn’t very big. Most of us know each other, and everyone definitely knows Carter. She’s deceiving herself if she’s pretending Gabby didn’t know exactly who she was.
> “Kate, everyone knows everyone here,” I whisper. We might not know each other well, but we all do sort of recognize each other by face. Granted, Gabby is still relatively new here, but she’s been living in Woodstock for almost a year now. It’s impossible for her not to have known who Kate is. Kate shakes her head vigorously and looks up at me through teary eyes.
“No, she really didn’t know. She was so surprised, Milly. I wish I never told her. I only told her because I knew she had a bit of a crush on him and I felt bad keeping it from her. She would’ve found out eventually anyway and you know…”
I shake my head. I don’t know. I don’t understand. Kate rests her head on my shoulder and sniffs, her shoulders shaking.
“She just changed after she found out. She kept wanting to spend time with him, and as her friend I felt bad for not helping her out a little. It didn’t really hurt to create some opportunity for her, you know.”
My heart aches at the mere thought of Carter with Gabby. What would I have done if Kate’s ploys had actually worked, if they actually started dating? I can just imagine her sitting next to him in the car every morning, or seeing them together at the house. My heart twists painfully at the mental image I’ve conjured and I grit my teeth.
“I thought you hated it when your friends like Carter. Didn’t you stop being friends with Jennifer two years ago because she liked Carter?”
Kate looks away and nods. “Yeah, and I was right. Just once I thought it’d be okay, that my friendship wouldn’t necessarily be affected by her liking Carter, but look at me now. I don’t even get it. Every single time any one of my friends likes Carter, my friendships just fall apart. All they do is use me to try and see him or to get information about him.”
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