I stood from my chair, tossing my now moist towel over my shoulder as I did so. “Hurry up and get dressed. I don’t want to be late for my first time meeting your parents.”
I heard Lena grunt in response as I headed toward the back door to get dressed for dinner at the Snotty household. I was sure that this night would be an eventful one.
***
I tugged on the collar of my dress, feeling slightly embarrassed at my choice of outfit. I was obviously over dressed for the occasion of merely eating dinner and it was all Rose Forrester’s fault. Earlier when I had told my mom that I would be eating dinner with Lena’s family tonight, she had glanced over my outfit—that consisted of jeans and a t-shirt—with disapproval. She had made me change into a sundress that she had bought me at the beginning of summer break, but after wearing it once, I had “accidentally” lost it in a box of miscellaneous items that I placed in the back of my closet. Somehow, she had come across the dress, and had hung it up in her closet. I guess she had been waiting for the right moment to spring it on me.
So here I was, sitting on a plush couch in Lena’s living room, wearing a dress that showed way too much skin for my liking, had a torso so tight that it was constricting my breathing, and was a sickening pinkish-orange color. It honest looked like a cat had gotten sick from eating too much tuna, and had vomited all over my dress.
When we had first arrived, Lena had unlocked the front door with a key and led me into the living room to wait for a moment while she went to the kitchen to tell her dad that we were here. When she returned, she told me that dinner would be ready in about fifteen minutes, and then she proceeded to say, “I told you we wouldn’t be late.”
Not more than five minutes later, Lena sat across from me in an over-sized arm chair with an expression of foreboding on her face. An uncomfortable silence had filled the room, and I felt awkward just sitting there. When she noticed that I was looking at her, she quickly arranged her face into a plain mask to hide her emotions.
“Do you want a tour of the house, while we wait?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”
Lena stood up from the chair that she was perched on, and I immediately followed suit. Before leaving the room, she gestured around, saying, “This is the living room.”
“Obviously,” I said with a smirk, hoping to ease the tension.
She playfully stuck her tongue out at me. “I’m trying to be hospitable.”
“I don’t even know what that means,” I joked, even though I was completely serious. I’m barely passing English this semester. How does she expect me to have a wide knowledge of vocabulary?
Lena laughed and walked out into the hallway. We turned away from the front door and toward the staircase that led to the upper floor level. “I’ll show you my room first. It’s kind of…” she trailed off, searching for the right word to finish her statement, but obviously not finding one. “Well, I’ll just let you see for yourself.” She led me down a short hallway that had four closed doors in it. As we walked past the first door on the left, she said, “Bathroom,” and pointed at it. To the door on the opposite side of the hall she said, “Parent’s room.” As we neared the last two doors, she pointed to them, left to right, saying, “This door leads to Heaven, and that one leads to Hell. The red haired Devil resides there.”
My lips pulled back into a smile, showing my teeth as she compared Ella to the devil. Lena opened the door that led to Heaven, and walked in, leaving me to follow her. She kicked some stuff out of her way, paving a pathway through the scattered clothes that littered her bedroom floor. There were boxes that had yet to be unpacked, stacked up along one side of her bed, which sat in the middle of the room. The walls were covered in posters that ranged from bands to movies, and drawings that she had probably done herself.
I stepped over a small pile of crumbled up papers and walked toward the opposite side of the room, staring at one drawing that had caught my eye. It was a drawing of a woman with long, wavy hair that hung down past her shoulders and spilled down over her bare chest, hiding her breast from view. Her eyes were almond shaped, and heavily lashed. The nose was drawn small and thin, and below it were two shapely lips with a drastic bow that only added to the lip’s fullness. Wrapped in a blanket, and being cradled in the woman’s arms was a beautiful baby boy. He had the same eyes and nose as the woman holding him, except his lips were thin and curved upwards in a smile. The little bald headed baby was looking up at the woman with the look of pure elation etched onto his perfect face. The picture was breath taking.
I asked the question, even though I already knew the answer. “Did you draw this?”
Lena’s voice came from right next to me. “Yeah,” was all that she said.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmured, still in awe.
“It’s my mom.”
I turned toward her, my eyes roaming her face. I was surprised that I didn’t guess that. Lena had the same almond shaped eyes, bowed lips, and wavy hair. The only difference was the nose, lip fullness, and the fact that Lena’s nose was covered in a splattering of freckles. “She’s beautiful.”
“Thanks,” she replied, biting on her bottom lip and glancing away from the picture.
Although I didn’t want to annoy her with questions that she obviously felt uncomfortable answering, I still couldn’t help but ask, “Who’s the baby?” If the baby had been a girl, it could have been either Lena or Ella, but the fact that the baby was a boy is what threw me off.
Lena scratched at the back of her neck, still looking away from the picture. “It’s what I figured the baby would look like. If it’s a boy,” she added. “I hoped the baby was a boy. I don’t think I’d be able to deal with another sister. I drew this before we found out that my mom was having twins.”
I smiled, draping my arm over Lena’s shoulder. “If you ever change your mind about not wanting another sister, you’re welcome to call Lilly your sister. I bet she’d love that.”
Lena turned her head toward me, and gave me a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “We should go eat now. Dinner’s probably ready.”
As we headed out of her bedroom, I found myself saying, “Can you draw a picture of me someday?”
Lena bobbed her head up and down and smiled over her shoulder. “I can try.”
Once we were back in the hallway I pulled Lena’s door shut behind me. She pointed her finger at Ella’s bedroom and smirked. “Do you wanna see what Hell looks like?”
“Is Ella home?”
Lena shrugged her shoulders. “Who cares?”
“What if she’s in there?”
“Then you’ll at least get to see it for a few seconds before she kicks us out. Besides, I have to give her phone back anyway.” Lena patted the small bulge in her jean pocket.
“If she sees us, it was your idea.”
“Well, duh,” she said, dragging out the ‘uh’ sound. “Come on,” she ordered as she pushed the door open. It opened to reveal a room that looked as if a four-year-old had taken a bunch of highlighters and was allowed to run amok inside. The only thing that wasn’t colorful was the walls, which were all painted a solid white. The bedspread was a bright, neon pink color, while the throw pillows were an assortment of neon green, blue, orange and yellow.
Despite the house being in the same neighborhood as mine, Lena’s house was noticeably smaller. The rooms were smaller, and there were only three bed rooms, unlike the five in my house. Everything was neatly organized, except for Lena’s room, and the furniture was nice and modern. From what I had seen so far, the house was very cozy and homey.
Lena shut the door and the two of us made our ways back downstairs, but instead of going to the living room this time, instead I followed Lena to the dining room. She walked over to a chair and pointed to the one next to her, “You can sit here. Ella usually sits there, but she can sit somewhere else tonight.”
“Where is she?” I asked, curiously.
Lena shrugged her shoulders. “Pr
obably with that blonde bimbo Brianna.”
I smiled and nodded my head in appreciation as I said, “I see what you did there; alliteration.”
“I didn’t even do that on purpose. I’m just that good,” she responded, laughing a bit.
The sound of a door opening and closing met my ears, followed by the sound of footsteps. In a matter of seconds, a tall middle aged man with graying brown hair turned the corner. When he saw Lena and I, he pulled his thin lips back into a smile, causing his eyes to crinkle as he did so. In his hands was a large dish. “Hey girls!” he said as he neared the table. “Lena, would you mind placing one of the cooling racks in the middle of the table for me?”
“Sure.” Lena stood from the table and grabbed one of the cooling racks from the end of the table, moving it to the middle before sitting again.
Mr. Snotty placed the dish down on the cooling rack and sighed. “I’ll grab a few plates and silverware, and be right back!” he chirped happily.
Mr. Snotty made two more trips to the kitchen, refusing help whenever Lena and I offered. The first time he went to the kitchen, he came back with plates, utensils, and napkins. The second time he went to the kitchen, he returned carrying a tray of four glasses filled with ice water. He placed the fourth glass of water at the empty spot across from Lena, before he finally sat down at the head of the table.
The smell of the food in front of me was mouthwatering. Mr. Snotty grabbed a huge serving spoon and began piling up everyone’s plate with lasagna; including the plate that sat across from Lena. When he passed me my plate, I made sure to thank him for the food. I said a quick prayer before scooping up a forkful of the meaty, cheesy lasagna. The cheese was so deliciously gooey that a string of cheese stretched from my plate as I lifted my fork up to mouth, chewing it hungrily. I hadn’t even realized how hungry I was until just now.
From the head of the table, Mr. Snotty smiled over at me. “How does it taste?”
“Like heaven,” I chirped, shoveling in another bite.
Lena turned her head toward me, smirking slightly before she proceeded to talk with her mouth full. “It tastes like my room?”
I laughed, nearly choking on the food that was in my mouth. I reached for my water, lifted it to my parted lips, and washed the food down my throat.
Mr. Snotty looked at his daughter, shaking his head with a smile on his face still. “When do you plan on cleaning that room, young lady?”
Lena regarded her dad for a moment. “When pigs fly,” she answered after a moment of thought before taking another bite of her lasagna.
“So, if Violet ever gets on a plane, you’ll clean your room?” I tilted my head up in surprise as Ella trudged into the room with a smirk on her face. She hung her tote bag on the back of her chair before she sat down.
“That wasn’t funny, Gabriella,” scolded her father.
Ella picked up her fork, cutting a neat square into the food on her plate and taking a slow bite. “I thought it was,” she said once she had finished chewing.
“That’s enough, Gabriella,” he said sternly. Turning to Lena and I, he added, “How was school today?”
Lena shook her empty fork as she said, “It was hilarious. These skanks that think they run the school tried doing everything they possibly could to get on my nerves, but it didn’t work. I just used big words knowing that their brains are too small to comprehend what I was saying, and they eventually left me alone.”
I thought that Mr. Snotty was going to reprimand Lena for saying “skanks”, but all he did was chuckle and say, “That’s my girl. Don’t let anything get to you. Like I always say,” he was about to continue, but he was cut off by Lena and Ella.
“Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words may never hurt you,” they chorused.
“Exactly,” he said, taking a large bite of food.
“My dad used to say that all the time,” I said, smiling.
Mr. Snotty nodded his head. “Your dad must be a wise man. Like I always say; great minds think alike.”
Ella pushed her food around on her plate, eating a few more bites, guzzling down her water, and excusing herself from the table before anyone else had even come close to finishing. A few minutes after she left, a buzzing noise filled the room. Lena dropped her fork on her almost empty plate and pulled Ella’s cell phone from her pocket. Glancing at the screen, she clicked on a few buttons before her eyes grew wide and she dropped the phone to the table.
Her dad stared at her quizzically for a moment before saying, “No phones at the table, Lena. Whoever it is can wait.”
Lena glanced at me as she snatched the phone off of the table and clicked a few more buttons before closing it.
“Thank you,” her dad praised as she tucked the phone back into her pocket.
I stared at Lena with my eyebrows furrowed. What the hell just happened?
Lena stuffed the last few bites of food into her mouth before jumping up from the table, and grabbing my arm, pulling me out of the room as she said, “May we be excused?”
Her dad stared at her with a confused expression, nodding slowly.
Lena dragged me into the living room and pushed me down onto the couch. She clenched and unclenched her hands at her sides, pacing back and forth in front of me.
“Lena?’
She turned her head, looking at me like a deer caught in headlights.
“What the hell just happened?”
Lena grabbed two fistfuls of her hair and stared down at me with a sad expression on her face. “I just saw something that might make you really angry.”
“What is it?” I questioned.
“You have to promise that you won’t freak out.”
“I won’t freak out,” I promised. Now I was nervous about what she had to show me. If she thought that it would make me angry, and cause me to freak out, then it had to be pretty bad.
Lena pulled Ella’s phone out of her pocket, pressed a few buttons, and then handed the phone over to me.
I peered down at the tiny screen. My heart pounded as I read the message from Brianna.
You better do as I say, or I’ll send this picture out to everyone in school, and everyone will know how big of a slut you are.
There was a picture attached to the message, and my hands shook as I opened it.
My breathing hitched as I stared down at the picture that was now on the screen. It was a picture of Blake and Ella. The straight red hair was unmistakably Ella’s, and I would recognize Blake anywhere. His arms were wrapped around Ella’s waist, pulling her close to his body. Her arms were reached up over his shoulders, hands tangled in his dark hair, holding his mouth to hers.
My eyes ran over the way that their bodies were pressed together, etching the picture into my mind. They looked so comfortable wrapped in each other’s, and from the way that they were holding onto each other, you could tell that it wasn’t merely some innocent kiss. They were in the middle of a full on make out session. My mind raced as I stared down at the picture. I didn’t want to look at it any longer, yet I couldn’t summon the strength to look away.
Chapter 22
Lena draped her arms around me, resting her head on my shoulder. “I can't believe that Ella would do something like that,” she said, more to herself than to me. “Don't worry, Forrester. We'll come up with something to get them back.”
Earlier, before her dad had dropped us off at my house, Lena had forwarded the picture from Ella's phone, to mine and hers. On the way back to my house, Lena had given the phone to her dad, asking if he would give it to Ella. The only time I spoke again after seeing the picture was to thank Mr. Snotty for dinner. I had even feigned a smile, but from the look on his face, I was sure that it looked more like a grimace. As soon as Lena and I had gotten into my house, we went straight up to my room. It'd been over an hour, and we were still sitting here, talking about what we had seen on Ella's phone.
“That's the thing. I don't want to get them back. I just want to understand.”
“I know.” I bit my lip to keep it from trembling. I hadn't cried yet, and I didn't plan on it. Crying is for broken limbs, and funerals; not for boys. “I need to talk to him.”
Lena slid off of the edge of my bed, and walked over to the dresser, scooping up my cell phone and tossing it at me. It bounced on the bed, landing next to my thigh. “No, I want to talk to him in person. Not on the phone.”
“What's the difference? He deserves to be dumped over the phone. He cheated on you, Violet! What don't you understand about that?”
“We don't know that for sure; maybe there's an explanation for the picture. Maybe someone super glued their lips together.”
“Yeah, or maybe he thought that she was you,” she mumbled. Her words were dripping with sarcasm. There was no way that anyone would ever mistake Ella for me. I was tanner than she is, taller than her by a good three inches, and not to mention the drastic difference in hair color.
“Maybe a poisonous snake bit her lip, and he was sucking the venom out. Maybe Blake's a hero!”
Lena scoffed. “Yeah, you and I both know that's not true. Brianna had to have a reason for blackmailing Ella, and I'm sure that it didn't involve Blake being a hero.”
“I know. I was only kidding,” I said, huffing out a sigh.
She smiled, jumping back onto the bed and tossing one of the pillows at me. I effectively dodged the pillow right before it made contact with my face. “Do you think Brianna was blackmailing Blake too?” she asked suddenly.
Shrugging, I said, “I honestly don't know. I can't believe that I didn't figure it out before. I thought that it was Brianna who liked Blake. How did I not see that it was Ella?” After thinking about it for the past hour, I realized that it was so obvious. Ella was always mean to me for no reason, or so I had thought. That had to be why she hated me so much; I was dating the guy she liked.
Crush: A YA Romance Collection Page 40