New Beginnings

Chapter 1

It sounds weird as he says it. He doesn't sound himself. 'Do you really want to do that, Vale?', he asks her. I listen quietly. They aren't supposed to hear me. 'Yes, babe. I do want to have sex with you. I am scared, but nobody is home, right?', she answers in a high voice. 'No one's home. I promise, baby.' They are both wrong, I am home. And I am listening to them speak. Should I continue watching them have sex? It would be weird, wouldn't it? 'Let me put a condom on.', he stutters. Before you are traumatized, let's go back 1 week.

1 week ago...

The door rings. 'Can you get the door, Zoe?', my mum shouts. 'Yes!' I open the door slowly. A boy with his luggage stands in the door frame. 'Hello?', I say quietly. 'Ah, hey. I am Liam. I will be living in your house for the next 6 months.', he answers bravely. 'Uh, okay. Muuum! Liam is here.', I shout. My mum sprints from her bedroom to the door. 'Oh my God Liam. Hello. Let me guide you to your room for the next 6 months. Zoe, take his luggage.', my mum says nicely to him. Everytime guests arrive, she tries to act nice with me. But I am still only a failure for her. I grab his luggage and bring it upstairs. 'So Liam, this will be your room, quite pretty, right? It was Zoe's old. Now you two introduce to each other and I will cook us something nice. Be nice to him, Zoe!'. My mum never believed in me. I was just her daughter she never really wanted. My dad wanted a daughter and when I was 3 he died. That was 14 years ago, I am currently 17. Since that my mother never had any boyfriends or any other kids. But she doesn't love me either. She just didn't abort me because of my dad. 'Um, Zoe. Is everything alright?', Liam asks. 'Uhh, yes yes. I am sorry for not introducing me. I am Zoe, 17 and I love reading. What about you?' Reading always made me feel like I was in a different world, in a very good world. Somewhere else but here. I loved trying to get to know all the characters in the book, and feel what they feel. I love all those feelings. I also love romance books, probably because I never experienced love. 'Nice to meet you Zoe, I am Liam. I am 17 going on 18 and I like reading too.', he breaks the silence. A boy who likes to read? No way. 'What's you're favorite book?', I ask as fast as I only can. 'Well, I think mine is The Paper Palace', he answers. I've never heard about that book. I need to buy it. 'Never heard of that one. Mine is, uh well, If he had been with me. I personally love this book.', I answer happily. 'That book sounds great. Should I give you The Paper Palace, once you've read it, we can talk about it. Is it a deal?', he laughs. Did he say he wanted to talk to me about books? This handsome guy? I can't believe it. 'Yes, sure! I'd love to', I answer exited. 'LIAM, ZOE. FOOD IS READY!', my mother shouts. 'Let's go eat, then we can continue talking', he says and we go downstairs. 'And kids, have you found anything interesting you both like?', my mum asks. 'Yes, we both like to read books! Isn't that great mum? I never had any friends to like books!', I answer. In this moment, both of them stay quite. Did I say something wrong? Was I too fast? 'Okay, great. Let's sit down and eat.', my mum says to break the silence. We sat down and ate. 'It was delicious, thank you, Miss Hangston.', Liam says. 'I am glad you liked it. You can call me Eliza.', she answers. She looked at him like she was looking at her son. She never had that look on me. She looked down on me and she never even let me speak to her. I always only helped the maids to clean. I became one myself. But actually I was Zoe-Bella Hangston, the daughter of the richest family in our city. But no one at my school knew me, because I like to hide my identity. I hate being my mothers daughter, eventough I love her. Liam was actually super handsome. He had dark brown curly hair and green, blue eyes. He looked so handsome. If I could only date him. But that would never happen, because why should he date a girl like me. Ugly with her black her and grey eyes. I looked like a witch. 'Hey, Zoe. Would you like a sleepover today? We could talk and watch a movie, and we get to known better.', he suggests. 'Yes, sure. About 9pm? I will come to your room.', I say. 'Great, see you then.', he goes into his room and shuts the door behind him. I can't believe it, a sleepover. I've never been happier.