Love, Mom

Chapter Two

Lily walked down the halls.

Lucas, next to her, spoke without interruption, but she didn't have the courage to listen to him. She was lettinv herself be carried away by the crowd, silent and empty of thoughts.

"Hello? Earth to Lily, I'm talking to you."

"Sorry," Lily whispered, blinking her thoughts away.

"You're awfully quiet," Lucas remarked.

Lily didn't answer, turning her head to glance at the poster announcing the homecoming ball. Lily wouldn't go. She didn't like parties very much, and she had too many things on her mind to care.

Lucas was, in a way, her best friend. Her only friend, in fact. But Lily liked to think that Elena was her friend, besides being her girlfriend, and that made her her best friend. She had known Lucas from the first day of high school, when he had settled down next to her after showing up late in the classroom.

Lucas was popular and loved by everyone and Lily found it hard to understand what he found in her. Either way, she had a hard time figuring out what anyone was finding in her. Lucas said that she was funny and kind and that her presence was relaxing. Lily didn't know if he was telling the truth.

For the moment, the young man was looking at her, narrowing his eyes.

"And you're weirdly calm. What's wrong?"

Lily frowned.

"I'm not sure something is wrong. And I'm okay, I promise. I just have a lot on my mind. But I'll be alright."

Lucas shrugged, dropping the case. He knew she could take care of herself.

Lily's gaze drifted down the hall, until it fell on the football team, the pride of the school.

Elena was in their midst, being shoved and pushing her teammates. She looked as happy as ever, but Lily, who knew her by heart, could tell the worry on her face. She sighed.

"Hey," Lucas called. "Keep it in your pants, you useless lesbian."

"I'm not checking her out," Lily replied, rolling her eyes.

"Sure you weren't. You've been crushing on her for two years now. Woman up and go tell her, or stop lurking around like an old pervert!"

Lily chuckled uncontrollably as she thought about how he had never been so far from the truth.

"What?"

"Yeah, yeah, I gotta talk to Destiny, see you in English!" She said walking away with a wave of the hand.

She crossed the hallway, taking one last glance at Elena's direction, which she caught watching her. She turned her head and walked over to the math and science building.

Destiny was laughing in the middle of her little yard of young girls and boys, laughing and joking in unison.

"Hey, you useless piece of shit," Lily called out.

"Hey, you shameless little whore," Destiny replied with a smile.

"Can you come here? I gotta talk to you."

Destiny left her friends with smiles and walked over to her, stepping back into a corner of the wall to turn to her older sister.

Destiny had as much confidence in herself as Lily was insecure, she was as beautiful as Lily was mediocre. Destiny was the queen of high school and no one could believe they were blood related. Her little sister turned to her with a more serious expression.

"Whatever you think I did, I didn't do it. It was Mateo."

Lily rolled her eyes.

"I don't think you did anything that bad, and even if you did, I don't care, it's not my problem."

Seeing her little sister's blue eyes, which they shared, Lily was tempted to tell her everything, right now. But she held back.

"I won't go home immediately after school. I've got ... Some stuff to do," she hesitated.

Destiny frowned.

"But dad-"

"I'll be home before dad. And I hope you won't tell him anything."

"Yeah, no, of course."

Of course she wasn't going to tell him anything. She owed her that after the number of times Lily had covered her when she was dating her boyfriend.

"I just wanted to tell you so you won't worry," Lily explained. "And if Hazel asks questions, lie. You know she can't keep a secret."

Destiny nodded with a chuckle.

"Where are you going?"

"Places."

Her sister raised an eyebrow.

"Riiight. You've been going out a lot lately. More than usual. What's going on? Oh my God, did you lose your V-card?"

This time Lily burst out laughing.

"Come on, go back to your friends, you dingus."

She turned on her heel and walked away, hearing Destiny screaming behind her back:

"That's not an answer, mop face!"

Lily was seized with such a fit of laughter that she had to stop to lean on a locker, under the stunned gazes of the other students. She couldn't help it.

She and Elena had managed to keep their relationship a total secret, and now the proof was installed in her uterus. It just didn't make sense.

Finally, when she was calmed down, she managed to reluctantly get to class, eagerly scanning the clock.