𝐀 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 + tiana and romance

05 ~ abcdefu and ur mom and ur sister and ur dog

~~~
Biana's POV

It was easy to be brave when you didn't have to face it. Currently, I was sitting on my bed, in my fluffy pink pajamas, scrolling through Facebook. Kelly had already posted it, and it was all over Facebook. My phone chimed with dozens of texts.

Keefe_Sencen: ᴏʜ ᴍʏ ɢᴏᴅ, ʙɪ, ᴀʀᴇ ᴜ ᴏᴋᴀʏ? ɪ sᴀᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ 

Kelly_Gardener: ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ ɪᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇᴇᴘ, ʟᴏsᴇʀ

Crystal_Peters: ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ɪs ʜɪʟᴀʀɪᴏᴜs. ᴜʀ sᴜᴄʜ ᴀ ʟᴏsᴇʀ.

Fitz_Vacker: ʙɪ, ᴜɴʟᴏᴄᴋ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴏʀ! ᴡᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅ 𝟸 ᴛᴀʟᴋ!

And tons of others. Then came one that was actually surprising, because I haven't given her my number.

Unknown Number: ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴏʀʀʏ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. ᴛʜᴇʏ'ʀᴇ ᴊᴇʀᴋs, ᴀɴᴅ ᴜʀ sᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴄᴏᴏʟᴇʀ. ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ɢᴇᴛ ᴜ ᴅᴏᴡɴ.

I smiled slightly, then went back to wallowing in my misery. That's when my dad pounded on the door. "Biana Vacker, open the door this instant!" My dad ordered.

I opened it slightly. "What do you want?" I muttered, my nose stuffy. 

"Biana." I saw my mom and my brother standing there, and they both gave me a huge hug. Fitz, who was usually annoying and stuck-up, seemed actually sad for me. I felt so much better. My dad, however, was glaring at me.

"Biana Vacker, how dare you dishonor our family with that horrible video!" My dad shouted.

"It wasn't my fault, okay? I didn't know they were filming it!"

"It WAS your fault! You shouldn't have done that anyway!" He screamed.

"I was drunk. It was a party." I refused to cry, and my mom wrapped me in another hug, and Fitz patted my back.

"You are grounded." He said sternly. "Until further notice."

"Alden!" My mom cried. "You're being too harsh!"

Dad glowered at her, and she matched his stare, until Dad broke down.

"You will be grounded until you can prove yourself responsible again. You must be sober for 6 months, and you must hold a steady job for the same amount of time, starting next week."

"WHAT?" I shouted at the same time as Fitz yelled, "DAD!"

But Dad just stalked down the stairs, and I glared at the floor. My mom hugged me again. "It's okay, it's okay." My mom said, stroking my hair soothingly. "It's okay."

Then she left, leaving me to ponder: how was I possibly supposed to get a job?

~~~
Tam's POV

When Linh got home, I was still miserable. As per usual.

I was homeschooled because of my leg. It was in a brace, and I couldn't run, but for some reason, my parents overreacted. They said it was such a big deal, and I wasn't allowed to go to school. The only thing that allowed me to be social was my job at Candy Hearts, the sweets shop in town. It made me so happy to socialize, because for the first 12 years of my life, I was undergoing surgery after surgery, and my leg was always healing from something, so I saw exactly 4 people - Linh, my mom, my dad, and my golden retriever, Jackson.

Of course, when I turned 13, I finally got to go out of the house. I marveled at how many people there were - and this was a kid who had never seen anyone but his family.

Linh stormed into the room, her gentle face angrier than I'd ever seen.

"Woah. Where's the fire?" I asked, and Linh gave me a look.

"Tam, could you help? I have a... friend who has a bunch of bratty, toxic people around her. She's super nice, but those people made her feel really bad, and I'm afraid she's going to try to hurt herself. What should I do?" She chose her words carefully, and I cleared my throat.

"Linh, what's this about?" She hesitated for a moment. "I can't tell you. Just.. here's her number, can you help her? But you can't tell her your name, okay?" I was about to ask why, but she gave me a look, and I closed my mouth.

I sighed as Linh punched it into my phone. Then she walked out, and I stared at my phone for a second, but before, I got a text.

Unknown Number: ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʀᴇ ᴜ, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ᴅᴏ ᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴍʏ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀ?

Tam_Song: ᴘᴜᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴀs ᴍᴀx

I mentally face-palmed. Max? Who the heck was Max?

Unknown Number: ᴜᴍ... ᴏᴋ. ᴘᴜᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴀs ʟɪᴢ

Okay. I suppose.

Liz: sᴏ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ, ʜᴏᴡ ᴅɪᴅ ᴜ ɢᴇᴛ ᴍʏ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀ?

Max: ɪᴛ's ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢ sᴛᴏʀʏ. sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴜ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴀ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ. ᴀɴᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ, ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴏ ᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ

Liz: ɪ ᴅᴇ-ᴄᴏᴅᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴜʀ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴ ᴀʟɪᴀs

I laughed. This Liz girl, whoever she was, seemed like a really cool person. Maybe I wouldn't hate her.

~~~
Biana's POV

I was playing Roblox in my room when my phone chimed. A new number has been added to your phone! Wait, what? I figured it was Kelly, despite my numerous attempts to block her, so I texted: 

Biana_Vacker: ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʀᴇ ᴜ, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ᴅᴏ ᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴍʏ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀ?

Unknown Number: ᴘᴜᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴀs ᴍᴀx

I giggled. Okay, I guess. If he wanted nicknames, we could have nicknames!

Biana_Vacker: ᴜᴍ... ᴏᴋ. ᴘᴜᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴀs ʟɪᴢ

Ever since I was young, I'd always wanted to be Liz. On days were popularity felt way too crushing, where the weight on my shoulders felt way too heavy, that's when I invited Liz McCracken. A painter, with a small group of friends, and pretty, but not beautiful. No enemies, and an only child, with two perfect parents. She was the perfect girl.

And now I could actually be Liz.

Liz: sᴏ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ, ʜᴏᴡ ᴅɪᴅ ᴜ ɢᴇᴛ ᴍʏ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀ?

Max: ɪᴛ's ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢ sᴛᴏʀʏ. sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴜ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴀ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ. ᴀɴᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ, ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴏ ᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ

That wasn't comforting. I'd say that was rather the opposite of comforting. 

Liz: ɪ ᴅᴇ-ᴄᴏᴅᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴜʀ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴ ᴀʟɪᴀs

I mean, probably. I'm guessing that this Max character wasn't real. We spent the rest of the night chatting, until about 10:00, when Max had to sign off.

Max: ʙʏᴇ, ʟɪᴢ. ɴɪᴄᴇ 𝟸 ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴜ 😄

Liz: ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ɴɪᴄᴇ 𝟸 ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴜ 𝟸 😀

I tossed my phone onto my pillows, collapsing on my bed, sighing. There was a warmth in my heart that even Kelly's wicked glare couldn't stop.

I bolted up. I didn't like him... right?