Trusting You

~Chapter 12

"Jesy, we have guests coming over this evening for dinner." My mom informs me. "They are a young couple with a son around your age and an eleven year old daughter."

"Does that mean I have to wear formal clothes?" I ask.

"No, you can wear something casual, but nice." She says, pushing a strand of hair out of my face, lovingly.

She is an amazing mother.

I love her a lot.

Sarah is on her lap, playing with her hair.

"How was the party last night?" Mom asks, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

I roll my eyes.

"Good. What did you and Jordan do with the girls?" I ask, changing the topic.

"We went to bed early, and then Sarah, Ara and Azima refused to sleep without seeing you. So, I pretended to call you and told them that you were on your way but wouldn't come home till they fall asleep. That did the trick." She says, chuckling.

I smile.

"Ayesha! Your phone's ringing!" Jordan yells from upstairs.

Mom sighs and holds Sarah out to me.

"Sweetie, can you hold Sarah for a while? I need to get some work done." She says, kissing Sarah's cheek.

I nod my head and she heads upstairs.

I love spending time with my sisters. Especially Sarah.

"Hi, I'm Jessica." I say, greeting the family before me.

The woman smiles warmly at me and pulls me in for a hug.

"I'm Louise Martin. Call me Lou." She says.

"And I'm her darling husband, George Martin. Call me George." The man says.

The couple look like they're probably in their late thirties.

The love they have for each other is clear, when they look at each other and smile warmly.

"This is our daughter Alex and our son Joel." Lou says.

I smile at Alex who is shyly hidden behind her brother Joel.

Joel gently nudges Alex out in front of me and I give her my best smile.

She smiles back shyly, and Joel chuckles, ruffling her hair.

"Nice to meet you, Alex. I'm Jesy." I say as politely as I can.

"Nice to meet you too, Jesy. Joel, can I play with her?" She asks, looking up fondly at her brother.

He smiles at me gratefully and nods his head.

"I have always wanted a sister." She says, out of the blue.

I quirk an eyebrow.

"Really? An older on or a younger one?" I ask.

"I love kids, so probably a younger one." She says shyly.

"I have sisters who want to see you." I say.

She grins widely, and says, "Let's meet them!"

I laugh at her enthusiasm and we walk outside onto the yard, where the girls are playing.

"Ara! Azima! Sarah! I'd like you to meet someone." I say.

The girls love Alex.

They bonded with her and treated her like an older sister.

Joel and I ended up talking and I found out that he goes to our school too.

We're now sitting at the dinner table eating.

"So, Jesy you seem to be really close to your sisters." Lou says.

I nod my head and smile.

"Who's that girl over there, in that picture?" She asks curiously, pointing at the only family photo we have with Aaliyah and Dad.

It was taken before Aaliyah's death, before Jordan, before, when it was the four of us. We were a happy family, until tragedy hit.

I squirm uncomfortably in my seat at the memory of Aaliyah. I took her death the hardest. I was the closest to her.

"That's Aaliyah. My daughter." Mom says quietly.

This is an uncomfortable topic for us.

For mom, because her daughter's dead, and she still misses her.

For me, because I was the closest to her.

For Jordan, because he never met her.

"Where is she now? Why isn't she here?" Lou persists.

I squeeze my eyes shut, willing myself not to cry.

"She's dead." Mom says, emotionlessly.

I get up and drag my chair back. My head starts to ache and I try holding in my tears.

"Excuse me." I whisper and bolt out of there.

I hear Alex whisper, "Mom! It's none of your business!"

Lou immediately apologizes and the topic changes.

Without meaning to, a tear starts to fall from my eyes.

How can they forget Aaliyah, like she never existed?

Dad and I were never close but I thought he still loved me, but then, after her death, he didn't even say goodbye.

He left us.

Jordan has been more of a father than he ever was.

I need air.

I need to visit her.

With that, I open the door and head to the cemetery.

This is where I come if I need advice or comfort.

Whenever I want to be alone I come here.

I sit by Aaliyah's grave, resting my head on the soft grass surrounding it.

Tears start to flow freely from my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Aaliyah." I whisper.

"Everyday, I think about you. I miss you. I wish for you every day. I wish I had someone to play with, to fight with, to annoy. Ara, Azima and Sarah are there, but they can barely talk. It's not the same without you, Leeya. I remember how we used to fight every morning before school for the cereal. You'd storm off to school, pissed at me and then after school you'd hug me and ask me about my day. You were the best sister I ever had. I always admired how you had such loyal friends, how you treated everyone properly, even though you were popular. I remember asking you for advice about my first crush. You told me that I should just be myself around him and if he really is worth it, he'd like me for who I am. You always had so much confidence in you. You taught me so much. I remember when that kid, Jimmy, taunted you and you were so upset, you asked me to help prank him. We threw paintballs at him from the bushes. He was so confused-" I almost laugh at the memory.

Suddenly, I hear a sound.

A chill runs down my spine.

Someone's voice.

I look around and spot a shadow talking to a tomb.

Who could it be?

A/N:- Creepy, much? Who do you think it is? Any guesses as to why Aaliyah is no longer alive?

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