The next day, I went downstairs for breakfast. Abigail was talking with Mrs. Ruth about her ex-husband and the whole process. It seemed he would be in prison for a long time. Maybe he would even be sent to Italy to serve his sentence there. Either way, we were all relieved.
I went to school with the driver, since Adam was still suspended and stayed home with Mrs. Ruth and Abigail. When I arrived, everyone was excited. Jhenna was handing out some papers to people. When she saw me, she quickly came over.
"Hi! This is an invitation to a party I'm throwing at my house next Saturday. It starts at 10 p.m. I expect you guys to be there, okay? You and Adam. This one is for him. You're my special guests," she said, handing me two invitations.
Emma approached us. Jhenna seemed uncomfortable, lowered her head, and handed her an invitation too.
"You're also invited. I know we didn't start very well, but I hope we can become friends eventually."
Emma took the invite and thanked her. Jhenna went on distributing the others.
Emma then looked at me, serious:
"We're going, right?"
"My dad won't let me," I replied.
"And Adam probably can't either," she muttered. "Since your dad thinks he owns him too."
I laughed.
"Luck Hollis doesn't think… he's sure."
We laughed together.
We called Adam and put him on speaker. He answered saying:
"Hello, mere mortals who are at school while I'm here at the pool…"
We told him about the party, and he got excited. Emma teased:
"Wow, Adam, so excited… all that just to see your silly little friend?"
He replied:
"No! I'm excited to go to my first party with my girlfriend."
Emma sighed:
"Aw, how cute. But… Mr. Hollis."
Adam then had an idea:
"Let's sneak out!"
Emma agreed:
"That's right! You guys are too tame. My parents don't even care where I go."
He asked:
"So… Mia, are we going?"
I took a deep breath.
"Let's do it! We have to break the rules at least once in our lives."
We laughed. We said goodbye to Adam and went to class.
During class, Katty kept throwing indirect insults at us. We pretended it wasn't about us. Maybe one day she'll get tired of it.
After school, I saw Chad arriving slowly on his motorcycle. He lifted his helmet and smiled at me. Emma asked:
"Chad, have you heard about the party?"
"What party?" he asked.
We explained everything. He looked at me:
"Are you going, Mia?"
"Yes," I replied.
He put the helmet back on, but before leaving, he lifted the visor and asked:
"Is your dad going to let you?"
"She's sneaking out," Emma answered for me.
I sighed and said:
"I can ask Jhenna for a ticket for you later."
"I don't want to be part of this," he replied, then left.
I watched him drive away, my heart tight. When I noticed, Katty was looking at me with a mocking smile. I turned away, said goodbye to Emma, and got in the car.
On the way, Adam sent a message:
"He didn't like the idea of the party, did he?"
I replied:
"No."
"You know he has a point, right?" he texted next.
I rolled my eyes. Chad had probably already complained to Adam. Deep down… I agreed. Still:
"I'm going to that party," I texted back.
"Me too," he replied.
When I got home, I went to my room and called Chad. I told him I didn't like his attitude.
"Mia, I know what goes on at those parties… drunk guys hitting on you," he said.
"I just want to have fun. You have to trust me."
He sighed.
"Okay, you're right. I'm sorry."
We talked for a little while longer. Before hanging up, he said:
"If you can sneak out to go to the party… you can sneak out to see me."
I laughed.
"I thought you didn't want to be part of this…" I teased.
He laughed too. We hung up.
Adam came to my room later and we watched a show together. He's like a brother to me. All that was missing was Pitter with us.
At night, I told Abigail that the next day after school, I would go out to grab a snack with Emma and Adam. She said:
"Ask your father."
I sighed. She grabbed the phone and called him. In the middle of the call, her expression changed.
"Who are you with?" she asked, serious.
She hung up shortly after and told me:
"He said you can go, but don't take long to come back."
I was happy… even though I wasn't going out with Emma and Adam. I wanted to see Chad. I texted him, and he got excited.
But something inside me was uneasy…
Could my dad be doing to Abigail what he did to my mom? She looked sad and worried after that call… and it bothered me deeply.
I went to my room, pacing back and forth, wondering if I should talk to my dad about how Abigail looked. Eventually, I grabbed the phone and called him.
He answered in a cheerful voice, but I went straight to the point:
"Dad… I saw how Abigail got upset. There's no way you're doing the same thing you did to Mom."
Silence.
Then:
"Mia, when I get home, we'll talk about this. I'm not with another woman. It was just my secretary. And please, don't get involved in adult matters."
"Maybe Abigail could go out with someone too. Did you know my therapist's patient keeps flirting with her? And he doesn't seem like a cheater…" I said without thinking.
"Shut up, Mia!" he yelled. "We'll talk when I get home. Now go to sleep!"
He hung up. I froze. I didn't even know why I said that. It just came out. I regretted it immediately.
I remembered what my grandpa used to say:
"Words are like broken glass: once spoken, you can't gather the shards. Even if you sweep them up, there's always a hidden splinter left behind."
Anguish tightened my chest. I wanted to call again. I didn't have the courage.
The next day, I woke up feeling awful. When Adam saw me in the hallway, he immediately noticed and asked. I told him everything. He said:
"It was probably something you kept inside for years. It just came out. Your dad will understand."
I nodded, hoping he was right.
When I got to school, I saw Katty and Chad talking. Before he walked away, she brushed her hand across his shoulder. They looked way too close.
My blood boiled.
I turned away and left. Emma followed me.
"Now you get my hatred for Jhenna, right?" she said.
"I understand perfectly."
"He loves you," she added, rubbing my back.
I entered the classroom still choking on jealousy. Soon after, Jhenna came in laughing and asked me about Adam. I got irritated and snapped:
"Jhenna, know your place. Adam is Emma's boyfriend."
She looked surprised.
"Mia, are you okay?"
I didn't respond. The air felt heavy.
"You didn't have to do that," Emma said.
I took a deep breath. She was right. I looked at Jhenna.
"Sorry. I'm just stressed."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I thought we could all be friends. I think Adam is great, yes, but I would never do that to another girl…"
Emma sighed:
"Fine. We're friends. Let's stop this."
I approached Jhenna and hugged her. Katty walked in, watching us with disdain.
After school, Chad came toward me.
"Let's go?" he asked, hugging me. I stepped back and stayed serious.
"I know why you're mad. She only wanted book recommendations," he said.
I raised an eyebrow.
"That girl has never read more than one page in her life," I replied.
He laughed.
"You may be right. Come on. I have a surprise."
I grabbed the helmet and got on the motorcycle behind him. The wind against my face, my hands around his waist… one of those moments you wish you could freeze in time.
We stopped in front of a house.
"Here we are. My house. You've only met my mom… today you'll meet my family properly."
"How embarrassing…" I murmured.
"Embarrassing why? They're going to love you."
We went in. His sister Amber jumped into his arms.
"Did you bring me candy?"
He tickled her, laughing.
His mother welcomed me warmly. His brother, Will, was polite and shy.
Amber stayed in his arms almost the entire time. Mrs. Hannah commented:
"She's very attached to her brother. She sees a father figure in him."
I felt a pang remembering what he told me about his dad.
Before dinner, Chad took advantage of a moment when everyone was distracted. He held my hand and led me to his room. He took out a jewelry box.
Inside, there was a necklace with the infinity symbol.
"Since I can't give you a ring… yet," he said, smiling.
I turned around, lifted my hair, and he put the necklace on me and kissed the back of my neck. I shivered all over.
I turned back to him. We kissed. He laid me down gently on his bed… I could feel his heart racing. Mine too.
But I pushed him away when he leaned over me.
"Chad… I can't."
He immediately got up.
"Of course. Sorry," he said, looking embarrassed.
I lifted his chin with my hand.
"Have you ever…?"
He laughed shyly.
"No, Mia. Never."
"Neither have I."
He touched my cheek.
"And it doesn't have to be now. Your dad doesn't even know about us. I want to do everything right. At the right time."
I smiled. Relief washed over me. We went back downstairs and joined his family.
Dinner was light and full of laughter. Then he took me to meet Emma and Adam at the spot we had arranged with Abigail.
When I got home, I felt like Abigail and Mrs. Ruth had figured out our lie. I rushed to my room.
Later, I called Emma and we talked until I fell asleep without noticing.
I woke up in the middle of the night to my phone vibrating. It was a message from Chad:
"Good night to the most special person in my life. Thank you for today. My family loved you. I hope this lasts forever."
I smiled like an idiot.
Then my phone rang. It was Brandon.
I answered, confused.
"Mia… I'm at the front of your house. Can you come down? It's urgent."
I looked out the window. The wind was strong outside.
"It's late, Brandon…"
"Please. It's serious."
I put on a jacket and went downstairs, my heart racing… not having a clue what he wanted with me.