"Why can't you just trust me?" I yelled.
"Because I can't, okay?" she screamed back at me. Our faces were close as we spat venom at each other. "How do I know that you're not getting with other girls behind my back? You're a player; you always have been and always will be." Her words cut deeper than a knife, but a little wound wouldn't knock me down. "Okay then, if you're so worried, why don't you just leave?!"
"You know what? Fine!" Angrily, she picked up her bag and began to storm towards the door. Then, she stopped next to the kitchen table. She picked up a glass of wine and spun around to throw it all over me. What she did next was unexpected to say the least: she threw the glass at the wall next to me, sending clear shards flying straight at my face. "I didn't cheat on you!" I called out to her as she opened my front door. As the door slammed shut, I slowly raised my hand to my face. When I removed it, it was a deep shade of red. Perhaps this wasn't just one, little wound.
After cleaning myself up, I lay in bed, staring at the sparkling ring. There goes my one chance to finally make dad proud. The buzzing of my phone sent a shock through my body. I reached to get my phone, only to be met with a message that didn't help my current mood:
Darren
Hey dude, since when did you and Katie break up?
Like 20 minutes ago, why?
I'm sorry bro.
???
Check the news.
You might want to go to +1 to get the full thing.
***
Frantically, I scrambled to find the TV remote. My stomach dropped at the words coming from the speakers as the TV flickered to life:
"This just in: modelling sensation Aiden Turner reportedly split from girlfriend months ago! How have we only just found out?! Katie Taylor has been spotted holding hands with a mysterious man over the past few weeks, but it looks like Aiden is choosing not to move on just yet."
"Oh. My. God." I muttered to myself under my breath. I scrolled through my contacts, desperately searching for her name. When I attempted to call her, I was only left to find out that she'd blocked me. "You've got to be kidding me." Seconds later, there came an agitated knocking at my door. I sped down the stairs, wondering who it could possibly be. "Hey, I was-" she cut herself off when she laid eyes on my face. "Woah, what happened to you?"
"It's a long story." I said quietly. "Come in."
"Is everything okay? I heard about you and Katie, so I wanted to check on you."
"It's not everyday that you see a fourteen year old coming to check on a fully-grown adult." I joked.
"You know that I'm always here for you, even if I'm like half your age."
"Why didn't you just call?" I asked, closing the door behind us.
"I-"
"What do you want, Riley?"
"Do you promise not to freak out?" There was a change in the tone of her voice.
"Look, I've already had a crazy night, so let's make this quick. What's going on?"
"You might want to sit down for this one."
"Well? Are you going to tell me or what?"
"Do you happen to know someone called Emily Duncan?" The name rang like bells in my ears as it brought back a flood of memories. She's the one Axel was shocked about me bringing her home without anyone knowing. That's when yet another memory unlocked itself: Axel.
"Yeah, I went to school with her," I said, brushing it off. "But she dropped out just before we turned 15. Why the sudden ask?"
"She's my mum."
"Okay, that's cool, but why would this be of any importance to me?"
"It hasn't clicked? I'm fourteen."
"Yes, I know." I said, pulling a confused face.
"Aiden, do the maths: you're my dad." My stomach dropped to my feet.
"No, that's not possible-" Only when the words had left my mouth did I realise that it was indeed possible. Regret, guilt and shame stabbed me in the stomach like a sword.
"You're 28, I'm 14 and my mum dropped out of school just before you turned 15."
"No, you're lying."
"I'm not lying."
"How long have you known?"
"I found out just after I first met you at the studio."
"You've known for almost a year and didn't say anything?"
"I couldn't! You were with Katie and I didn't want to ruin things!" I could hear her voice beginning to tremble. Slowly, I stood up and edged towards her. I pulled her into a warm hug as her tears soaked through my t-shirt. Her bright, ginger hair moved slightly as she sobbed quietly. "Listen to me," I told her gently. "What do you think about putting a room together for you here? You know you're welcome whenever you want."
"Do we need to talk to mum about this? Together?" she sniffled.
"Definitely."
YOU ARE READING
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Teen Fiction⚠️THIRD BOOK IN SERIES⚠️ Years have passed since we last heard from our favourite group of teens; it's been so long that now, they're all grown up. The incident with Joker was far from the last creep they've had to deal with, but last year, there wa...
