**gif of Isabella (Amara's mom)**
VALENTINE'S DAY
The silence was deafening. Isaac hadn't said anything for a few minutes and I was starting to get embarrassed. Had I made a mistake? Telling Isaac did lift a huge weight off of my shoulders, but maybe he wasn't the right person to tell. Maybe, I should've waited longer or just given him a brief overview about what happened. I kept glancing at him, trying to read him, but as he ate his fourth donut, I couldn't get a read on him. Finishing my sixth donut and hot chocolate, I was about to propose that we start to leave when he spoke.
"I never did like Lakeview guys. They've got a superiority complex from daddy's money."
I nodded.
"I understand why you did that, and I'm sorry that happened to you. None of it is your fault."
"But I made the decision to keep going..."
"Amara, listen. What he did was sexual coercion; it's his fault."
"I don't know what to do."
"I can drive you to the police station."
"Thanks but you're the first person I've told about any of this, and I'm still trying to come to terms with everything. I'll think about it though."
"Of course." Isaac checks his phone. "We should probably get going."
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing."
Isaac folds the picnic blanket while I throw away our empty hot chocolate cups. The only sound comes from our shoes on the ground and the donuts that are left in the box.
"Isaac," I start before he gets into the car.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you for listening. It means a lot."
He smiles. "Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me."
5:45 PM
"Kayla said that Bethany likes Caleb, but Caleb likes Tristan, and Tristan...is oblivious."
"That's great Rosie," mama says from the driver's seat.
"Is Tristan a boy or a girl?" Papa asks.
"Boy." Rosie answers.
Papa nods thoughtfully. "Does Tristan like boys?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure, but I guess we'll find out when formal comes around. Maybe someone else will ask Bethany to go with them so that Caleb can ask Tristan."
"Do you have someone you want to go to the formal with?" I whisper.
Rosie scrunches up her nose. "Ew, no. No one is at my level."
"We're here!" Mama announces, turning off the engine after she parks at Nazario's.
"I call the window seat at the booth!" Rosie shouts.
"You mean the corner?"
"Yeah, the corner. Now scooch a mooch, I'm hungry." Rosie shoos me out of the car.
It's a bit crowded when we get inside the restaurant since it's Valentine's day but luckily, our usual spot is open. It shouldn't be surprising since papa's friends with the owner, but sometimes on holidays, it has to be given to someone else.
"Why aren't you y papa doing something together for Valentine's day?" Rosie questions, settling into the booth.
"We are. We're eating together with our children." Papa smiles.
YOU ARE READING
Beneath the Surface|COMPLETED
Teen FictionAmara Holland is ready to fly by senior year as painlessly as possible. Isaac Coleman is ready to graduate and leave a town that thinks he's someone he's not. They've been at the same school since they can remember and yet have never had a real conv...
