Lies, Secrets and Apple pies

Chapter 34

"What was that?" Lillian said waving her arms around in a frenzy. She was covered in ketchup and mustard. Her food on the ground beside us.

 "That was me de-escalating a fight between you and your baby sister. Hunter was very sorry." 

 "He also pelted me with my own food and they are not babies. There in the second grade."

 "And you're in the eleventh grade so act like it." I said before realizing that Lillian just needed gentle reminding that her siblings weren't the enemy. 

 Hunter appeared with a handful of napkins to which he offered his sister, "I'm sorry Lillian. Are you mad at me?" He whispered. 

 Lillian's eyes melted slightly and she accepted the napkins, "No." She replied. Dhe used the napkins to wipe her face and bathing suit. Hunter waited patiently beside her and took the napkins to the trash. 

 He came back and stood in front of Lillian. "What?" She asked after he hadn't left. 

 "Can I have the ball back?" 

 Lillian picked up the medium-sized rainbow ball and made a move away motion with her hand. Hunter went back and Lillian repeated the gesture. Hunter went back some more stopping at the side of the pool. Lillian did the hand movement again and Hunter got into the pool. Lillian threw the ball to Hunter who caught it. "So you do play baseball." She teased him rather playfully. 

 Hunter laughed before replying, "Yeah, you should come to my next game." 

 Lillian's smile turned upside down and she pushed her hair aside. I kicked her lightly with my foot and smiled. My eyes move to Hunter, "Sure just remind me."

 Hunter nodded his head eagerly and went back to playing with Henley and the other kids. Lillian and I relaxed into a peaceful silence. Mr.Anderson stood with a group of men a few feet away. Something told me he saw the heated sibling exchange because he came over after a few minutes with King of Pop Popsicles that a man was selling. He passed me a chocolate sea salt, a cookie and cream for Lillian and had a key lime pie for himself. 

 "Lillian used to eat three of these every time we came here when she was a kid. I had to buy her a whole case of twelve when she got the chickenpox." Mr.Anderson said as we all noted our cool treats.

 My chocolatey popsicle tasted absolutely devine with a hint of sea salt to counterattack the mass of chocolate, "That's so sweet." I replied.

 Lillian finished her popsicle first. She licked her lips and her stick clean. "I also still love them. Can I have money for one more?" She asked Mr.Anderson palm held out.

 He handed her a twenty. "You know you'll want more than two." He said. I laughed at Lillian's embarrassed face and finished my own pop.

 We stayed for another two hours at the club. The twins swam and then ate lunch. Lillian, Mr.Anderson and I continued talking with me, letting the two of them do most of the chatting. It was a lovely evening and we headed home around three. Mrs.Anderson would be home soon and I was free to go. 

 "Stay Mi'a. Stay." The twins begged me when they realized I would be leaving. "We can play Mario Kart." Said Hunter. He ran to set the game up while Henley grabbed some snacks from the kitchen. 

 "If you can stay longer Mi'a we'll pay and tip nicely." Mr.Anderson offered. I shook my head in agreement. I didn't have any other jobs this week yet and was already here. 

 The twins even convinced Mr.Anderson to play with us. I didn't see where Lillian had disappeared too but figured she was upstairs in her room. I lost track of time and was having an absolute blast playing with the twins and their dad. He was actually pretty good and the twins beat us both each time. I was letting them win. I don't know about him. At one point Mr.Anderson and Hunter were neck and neck and then Mr.Anderson dropped a banana in front of Hunter's car which spinned around in circles.

 It caused us all to laugh because Henley unleashed a blue shell that took out them both and she won the race. "I'm home." Mrs.Anderson called from the front door. 

 She appeared in the living room and the twins ran to her. She bent over to hug them both as they rushed to tell her about their awesome day. "Mi'a. You're still here? Is everything okay?" Mrs.Anderson asked in a shaky tone. 

 Mr.Anderson and I went to explain before a voice spoke up from behind Mrs.Anderson, "Why is something wrong with Mi'a still being here, mom?" Lillian asked. I couldn't see her with Mrs.Anderson blocking her but I didn't like how she posed that question. 

 "No, not at all. I was just curious. Mi'a has her own life and I'm sure she doesn't want to be here all day. You can leave now, Mi'a." Mrs.Anderson explained. 

 I stood up to leave, "Thanks for the lovely evening. I'll see you all next time." 

 "Why don't you stay. In fact why don't you both explain this!" Lillian roared as she threw a pink object to the ground. It fell near my foot and my heart pounded furiously. It was my pink book. My head spun from the wave of emotions I was now feeling. Guilt, fear, sadness and a tinge of anger. This book was in my bag which had to mean Lillian had gone through my stuff.

"What's that?" Mr.Anderson asked as I slowly picked up my book. The twins looked just as confused as he did. I looked up at Mrs.Anderson and the guilt she saw in my mocha brown eyes soon reflected in her own cotton candy blue ones. 

 "It's a book of lies, secrets and betrayals. A book of-"

 "Of fiction." I interrupted Lillian. The lie escaping my lips before I had the chance to come up with something better. 

 "Fiction?" Lillian asked either a cross face. She wore nothing but her bikini still and her anger left a rancid taste in my mouth. 

 "Yeah fiction." Mrs.Anderson added shaking her head up and down. She didn't know what was in the book but she was doing her best to fix the situation. 

 "So my dad coming here is fiction." Lillian said. She read it. I didn't know how much but she read it. "My mom paying you money is fiction." Everyone was silent as Lillian spoke. "She paid you to keep my dad secret and you went with it. How could you?"

 My heart broke and I didn't even know I was crying until the tears fell from my chin. Mrs.Anderson was shaking in her heels as the truth came out. The twins wore sad expressions as they tried to piece the scene before them together. I couldn't even look at Mr.Anderson. He was standing beside me was all I knew.

 "What is Lillian talking about?" Julian spoke in a seriously scary tone. He approached his wife and waited for her to answer. 

 "Go on. Tell him. Tell him how you kept my own father from me. You bitch!" Lillian cried a stream of tears flowing from her eyes. "Tell him how you paid our babysitter- my girl-" Lillian paused at what she was about to say.

 I didn't have a right to ask her to keep it a secret. She was mad and if she wanted to tell she would be in the right to. Well deserving to unleash it. She must have seen the vulnerability in my eyes because she didn't. It was more kindness than I deserved than I had given to her. 

 "Tell me Kennedy." Mr.Anderson whispered. Mrs.Anderson remained silent. "Tell me!" He shouted. Hunter and Henley jumped as they ran to their sister. Lillian looked shaken as well but held her ground. She was waiting as well.

 "I didn't let him see her because he didn't have a right to. He chose money from your grandparents instead of seeing you Lillian. He chose wrong." Mrs.Anderson sighed. 

 "He chose me now." Lillian muttered. "And you prevented him from seeing me. I don't want to see you ever again." Lillian said as she detangled the twins from her legs. "Or you." She said to me. 

 It was a swimming kind of day that ended in a terrible kind of way.