Hearts We Mend To Break (Book I)

.11.

💫GISELLE💫

                "So, there is this video that Tam stumbled across from your school." Aaron announced after three or so minutes of dead air.

"What video?"

"Some guy and girl at a party."

"Oh. Yeah, there's always a party going on here."

"This was different." Aaron began to sound angry. He paused as If he were waiting for me to respond, but I didn't. "You were in it as well."

"What do you mean?" I knew exactly what he meant. The video started going viral last week, shared and viewed millions of times online. Doing my best to ignore the attention from it, the best thing I could do was pretend it didn't happen.

"You were watching a girl give a guy a blow job, Star. And he was watching you."

"Oh. That video."

"Come on. Don't play dumb."

"What do you want me to say?"

"You could start by being honest and not hiding things like this from me? Since when have you ever start keeping things from me, Star?" Aaron sighed a long, exaggerated breath. I could tell he was bothered by what he saw, but it was out of my control.

"What do you want me to say, Aaron?" I was practically yelling until I saw Maxine move. Then I began to whisper to keep from waking her.

"What's gotten into you? Why are you yelling?"

"Nothing has gotten into me, Aaron. I'm just tired of every time you and my parents call, you're checking me about something or trying to steer me in whatever direction you feel is best for me. I'm tired of being under everyone's control. I moved away for a reason."

"Forget it."

"That's a great idea. I'll call you later."

I thought I was over the hump of the day. I thought evading Aaron was the last of it, but like clockwork, seconds after ending our call prematurely, my parents buzzed in. First, my dad treated me like a junior high aged girl, changing his speaking voice and making unintentional promises that he could never live up to. Then my mom hit me with her twenty-one questions, even forcing me to pull up and checklist to make sure I was still "on track." A few weeks into fall semester and I needed to make sure I was "on track"? What a joke. My head was spinning in circles by the time their call ended, and all I wanted to do was escape.

"Are you ready to party?" Maxine grumbled.

"I thought you were sleeping."

"How could I sleep though all of that?" She joked, waving her hand in my direction. "What was that you were speaking, French?"

I laughed a little. "My mom is an animal. I'm so sorry."

"Your mom's an animal. And what does that make Aaron?"

"Equally, so."

"I want to see this mystery guy." Max hopped out of her bed and jumped into mine. Getting under the covers with me, she waited for me to entertain her.