Cold as Stone

47

I took a sip of my coffee and continued scrolling through social media. Two people sat in front of me while some other people were standing in front of me. I looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"If it isn't Addison Moretti." Brandon gritted out. I sigh and leaned back in my chair. I picked my phone up and typed a quick message to the person I was meeting with and put it away.

"That's my name. Don't wear it out."

"You disappeared and you finally resurfaced. Why?" Jordan asks, raising an eyebrow. I didn't say anything and took another sip of my coffee.

"Maybe she missed us. Nah, you're too heartless to miss us considering you didn't even say goodbye. You did to your family but not to your best friends." I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Maybe I came back because something happened. We may never know." I say, shrugging my shoulders. My phone buzzed and I looked at it. I put it away after I read it and looked back at the people.

"Or the only reason why you're back because you need something. What do you need this time? Money? Food? You broke? Everybody knows you only come around if you need something then you ditch them."

"That's not true and you know it." Maxim says, making them tense up. Brandon and Stephan got up while he sat down. He looked at them. "She ain't here for anything. Shit happened that doesn't concern any of you. If she wants to tell you, she will. Now, I suggest you get your facts straight. Hell, nobody besides her siblings and her father know why she left. Now, I'm gonna have brunch with my favorite niece while you guys scram. She will talk to you later." With that, he sat down.

After a few minutes of them standing there, they soon left. He clenched his jaw and I let out a sigh.

"Look, I don't care why you left. You kept in touch with me. You keep in touch with anybody else?"

"I tried." I whispered, looking away from him.

"You kept in contact with everybody besides your friends, didn't you?"

"It's not like I didn't try to contact them. They were pissed off with me before I even left. They never answered my calls or texts and soon, I gave up." I say, shrugging.

"We didn't talk much last night but who's kid is that? I know for a fact that it isn't Darius's kid. So who?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. I looked at him.

I took a deep breath and told him why I left. I told him everything. He was pissed. I knew he was and because his nostrils were flaring.

"You adopted her, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I couldn't let her be an orphan. I tried reaching out to her other family members. They didn't want shit to do with the kid. I adopted her." He sighs.

"You did a good thing, Adds."

"I don't feel that good." I mumble, crossing my arms.

"She'll thank you when she's older."

"But what if I fail her? I'm almost 18 and I can't even take care of myself. I mean, I can but a kid? I can't do this."

"Addison, you're gonna have bad days. You're also gonna have good days."

"Well this past week has been fucking bad." I mumble.

"Why?"

"Dad has cancer." I say, after a while. He tensed up. "Stage 1. He's getting treatment for it but still. I can't be in California while everybody is here."

"I'll tell you what, Adrian is going to turn 18 and go to a college. Everybody knows he's going to a college. Chris will also go to a college. Hell, he's already in college. Chase is gonna open up a tattoo parlor over in Oregon or California. Something like that. Now, Darius will probably be here considering he's now the boss of the empire. Marcus and Leo will probably either be here or in Cali."

"Chris is going to school?" I whispered.

"Yeah. He's going to some university here in New York." I let out a breath. "Adds, do what's best for Emily. Just let me tell you one thing, don't buy a mansion. Live in a normal house until you turn 21. Emily can have her own friends and not stuck up rich people friends. You're still gonna be rich, no matter what house you buy. Emily will thank you when she grows up without having rich people friends. Take it from me considering you hate rich people."

"I don't hate rich people, I just hate rich girls who are bitches." He laughs.

"Same thing but who bitchiness added to it." I rolled my eyes.

--

I watched as Emily played on the playground. I sat on the bench, with ice cream in my hands. She finished hers then went and started to play. A little boy chased her, making her squeal out in excitement. A small smile formed on my lips. She then chased him after a while, giggling.

I took another spoon full of ice cream and sighed. Someone sat next to me but I didn't care.

"Why are you still here, Addison? Shouldn't you be gone by now? Without saying a goodbye to us?" Shawn asks, making me look at him and the others who were next to him.

"What do you want from me? I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean to leave town without saying a goodbye to you guys."

"But you did though. You still haven't given us a reason though." Brandon says, frowning.

"Thought our friendship meant something to you." Stephan says, shrugging. "Guess not though."

"Mom!" Emily says, making me look at her. She came running over to me and I picked her up. "Can we go see uncle A now? He promised he would take me to go kart racing." I smile at her while the others tensed up.

"Yeah. He should be here by now. I'll call you when he gets here." She nodded and kissed my cheek. She scurried back to the playground with the little boy.

"You have a daughter?" Xavier asks, in disbelief. I looked at them.

"Yeah, I do. So what? What's it to you? I'm just a bad friend because I didn't explain my actions on why I left." I let out a breath. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye when I left but I couldn't, okay? I didn't want to leave. I really fucking didn't but if I didn't, then Emily would've been dead. I didn't want to choose between leaving here and him. I really didn't but in the end, I chose him. I chose him only for the sake of Emily. Didn't do me much good when shit got bad. I was planning on coming back. I really was but it was gonna be next year instead of this year."

"Why next year?" I tensed up and looked back at Emily.

"For her sake. She's not doing so well with the change."

"From what?"

"Of her stupid father figure dying." I grumbled out. They tensed up more and I looked at them. "Oh, don't worry. He was a bitch who should've been in hell the first time I tried killing him."

"Who?"

"Nobody important." I whisper, before looking back at Emily. I saw Adrian coming over to me in the corner of my eyes. I looked at him. He looked at me then at the people surrounding me. I stood up and looked at the group. "We should hang out soon before I leave town again. Should do something fun like old times. My number is still the same so just text me or whatever. It's up to you guys."

"Mommy!" Emily says, running over to me. She wrapped her arms around my legs and peered up at me. "You ready?"

"More than everything sweet pea. Let's go hangout with uncle A." We walked away from them, heading over to Adrian's car.

Xavier's pov

I threw my lap at my wall, shattering it. My door immediately opened up and my dad stared at me.

"Xav, are you alright?" He asks, softly. I shake my head and put my fist up to my mouth. Vanessa came in, looking at me with a worried expression.

"Honey, what's on your mind?" She asks, quietly.

"I-I love her." I whispered. "She broke me when she left a year ago but I can't lose her again this time."

"Who?" Dad asks, confused. I looked at them.

"Addison. Addison Moretti."

Oo, Xavier loves Addison. What do you think of that? How did you like this chapter?

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