"How long were you two deciding on hiding this from me?"For as long as we could."We were just waiting for the right time dad." I lie. Telling him was never on my agenda in the near future or at all. I'd hoped we'd go years and maybe even get married without him knowing.But his reaction to all this makes me feel stupid for hiding my relationship with Cody in the first place."I mean I kinda knew.""What?" Cody and I say in unison.We're visiting dad because he wanted to see me before my big graduation in a few days. This is also the first time we're talking about the events of the past few days at the graveyard, likely because we're all only now in a good mood - in a better mood. I'd been upset the past couple of days because I'd been really excited to finally celebrate my mother in the right kind of mood, the mood I hadn't been able to celebrate her in for too long.I'd been a bit hard on myself for the fact that I let the mess with Ezra and his fans keep me from being with my mo
I haven't been in a place filled with so many people in a while. I look around me to see too many familiar faces - some of which I used to be close with and some I used to just see around. All of which I haven't seen in a while.I let my eyes wander around the gigantic hall before they stop a little longer on a figure I could spot with my eyes closed. I feel my heart melt at the sight. She has her back turned to me and she seems to be having an interesting and genuine conversation with the person in front of her. I feel my cheeks forming a smile.I didn't know how much I'd missed her until now. It's been so long that I've learned to somehow live without her. She's looking really great, like herself again. For a while she'd stopped being the bubbly person everyone knew and loved, and well - I knew why.Liz went from being one of the most known and liked figures in our district to someone you'd be lucky to see at a grocery store.I know she took what happened very heavily but I was to
"Cody you better have washed your dish!" I scream to the man who likes to get on my nerves downstairs.This is a song I sing every day and I won't stop singing until he finally understands that leaving dirty dishes in the sink brings cockroaches."Yes babe!" I ignore the sarcasm in his tone.I love the man but could he possibly be more annoying? Why are men such babies? I swear mom got lucky with dad.I then smile when he finally comes to the bedroom to join me in bed not too long after."And..."I can't stop myself from giving the wide smile that paints my face.We didn't have dinner together because he was running late, and I'm only getting the chance to really speak to him now. To finally ask him the thing I'd been thinking about the whole day."I got it." He says with a shrug, confusing me. I thought he wanted this as much as I wanted it for him? "Wait... are you serious?"I practically jump from the bed to straddle his lap and give him the tightest embrace. I'm really proud of h
I rock my body from side to side to keep myself calm as I stand by a bench at a park that reminds me too much of my childhood. I remember mom banning me from coming here because Liz and I always got so dirty after our playtimes. It was also where I had my first major fall that landed me in the emergency room where I had a cast put on my arm for a month. I'd been in so much pain but that's an experience I'll never trade for anything.A lot of people drew and wrote a lot of things on my cast, a lot of random things that didn't mean anything. But Liz used to put stars on it every day. She never told me why she did that at the time but she'd eventually told me that every star was for every day that I got through it, every day I accepted my situation. She said that I was a star every day for making it through.What was so funny was that she also didn't know what it meant at the time. We were 6-year-olds who didn't know what was happening beyond playing, eating, and sleeping. But hearing he
"What did you get him?""This stupid gadget thingy he hasn't stopped talking about for pretty much this whole year."I say unconsciously rolling my eyes when I think about how he hasn't stopped mentioning the flying metal camera thing."What about you? What did you get him?"I ask and she sighs before,"I've been wanting to run this past you..." she says before pulling out a -"Oh. Uhm." I feel my heart tighten just a bit."That's lovely." It really is, it's just that..."Your mom's watch." She says taking the words out of my mouth.She bought dad a watch, which is really nice. But dad has never in all the years I've been alive taken off the watch mom bought him years ago. Even more so after she died. I think it's his way of carrying a part of her with him. And she seems to know that because,"Oh Alex, I should've come to you first. This is stupid, I obviously don't want to take the connection he has with your mom away. I don't ever want him to think that." She says sweetly and I give
"Hello!"I scream again on the phone to the person who's been calling me too many times but doesn't say anything. I know they're not butt-dialing me because I can hear them breathing through the phone. So the person is either nervous to say something or this is a stupid prank someone is playing on me."Hello!" I say again now getting annoyed. I'd thought if I give the person more time they'll eventually master up the courage to say something. But,"Listen here! Whoever you are, I gave you a chance. But if you're gonna keep doing this then I'm just gonna block your number." I finally say right before I remove my phone from my ear to hang up but,"She called me before she died. She wanted to see me but I had an event." He sounds so sad that I almost completely missed him, I'm not used to this emotional side of him. He was never an expressive person. I know who he's talking about, but when I saw him at the graduation ceremony he looked like he was coping, more than coping. He looked li
I lower my body down the car seat so my stalking victim doesn't see me gawking at her and I groan when my foot collides with the metal seat adjuster."She's not even pretty." I lie. She's very pretty."Yeah, definitely don't know what he sees in her," Liz says. I know she doesn't actually think that too but I appreciate her effort to make me feel a little less crappy. I also appreciate her joining me in something I know she had to really force herself to do. I didn't ask her to come with me but I know she came to make sure I don't do something stupid.This is something I want to be mad at but I can't seem to be, mostly because I don't know if I wasn't going to do something stupid had I been alone. Well something even more stupid because what we're doing right now is definitely up there in the level of stupidity."What did he say?" She asks and I don't respond immediately because I'm still trying to grasp the words he'd shook me with. But also because I know what she's going to think w
I haven't seen dad in a while. A part of me is surprised that he didn't blow up my phone with calls and messages after I'd left, but I also don't blame him. I think sometimes you just get tired of trying, and that doesn't necessarily mean you don't care or love the person anymore... at least I hope not.It hurts to think that dad might've given up on me but I guess I left him no choice.As I sit in the car on a driveway that holds too many memories, I wonder if I'm still allowed here. I wonder if he's going to welcome me back home or simply say I should go back to where I came from. That would be fair now, wouldn't it?Liz left me in the car to go inside the house after I'd told her I needed to take a breather before coming in. I'm imagining she's inside now begging dad to allow me to come back home. I hope he does because I don't know where I'll go if he doesn't allow me back. I wasn't really thinking much when I told her to take me home, but now that we're here I can't help my ranti