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Chapter 14

26, Nov. 2015 Thu
Thanksgiving

Natalie

  Messages

Natalie: I miss you so much!!! 😭💔

Jacob: I miss you too babe 😔

Natalie: I wish you could've spent Thanksgiving with me 😔

Jacob: Me too, but my parents wouldn't budge. said family came first. Maybe Christmas tho.

Natalie: yeah...

  Natalie stared at her phone as she waited for a response. Her room was darker than usual; another cloudy day. Mist floated around outside like dust in a breeze, gently falling on her balcony.

  Jacob must've gotten busy cuz there was no response. Then again, she didn't continue the conversation. The silence in her house irritated her. She was frustrated he couldn't be there with her. One Thanksgiving out of many he could have missed wouldn't have hurt his family. She blew air from her mouth and clicked her tongue.

  She returned to her phone, moving quickly to her recent messages with Emma.

Messages

Natalie: Hey queen, want to come over today?

 
  She rested her phone on her chest, still clasped between her hands as she waited. She didn't have to wait for too long. Emma's unique ringtone alerted her—a smile instantly appeared on her face.

Messages

Emma: Sorry babe but I'm on a cruise with my parents. Same one from last year.

Natalie: I remember, that was fun! How come I wasn't invited this time? You know I never do anything for TG

Emma: Aside from the dance last Friday you've been face locked with Jacob. You don't even text.

Natalie: OMG STOP! I'm sorry! You're right tho. But not just Jacob, then studying with Adrian and then helping Audrey with her stuff.

Emma: Don't even get me started on that Bitch.

  Natalie felt her brows furrow at the sight of that message. It was uncalled for but reminded her of their conversation two Fridays ago.

Messages

Natalie:  What do you mean??

Emma stopped replying instantly. Perhaps she was spilling all the details in an essay of a text. It got Natalie thinking of Audrey. She was very unassuming, practically invisible if you weren't looking hard enough. Emma didn't even know about her before writing club. So what did Emma know about Audrey that she didn't? Was Audrey keeping something from her?

  She waited a couple of minutes but didn't get any reply, not even a floating chat bubble that said she was typing. If she wasn't frustrated or annoyed earlier, she definitely was now. She took in a deep breath and released it all in an irritated manner.

  Eventually, the waiting and the silence got to her, motivating her to leave her room. Her house was quiet, except for the TV blasting in her mom's room; Some history channel junk Natalie didn't care too much for.

  She knocked gently on the door, creeping the door open slowly. It was around noon and her mom was still in her pajamas. She was in bed with a bag of pistachio nuts in hand. A small pile of shells sat on her bedside table.

  "Are we doing anything today Mom?" Natalie asked.

  Natalie's mom didn't move her eyes away from the TV. She cleaned her teeth using her tongue and made a clicking sound. "Not that I know of, your father is going to be home around 5, maybe we can get fried chicken."

  Natalie rolled her eyes. Fried chicken was the last thing she wanted. "Why don't we make a turkey or ham or something? Together."

  Natalie's mom laughed at the idea. An entertaining thought that took her focus away from the TV. She paused it. "We don't even have one, I'd have to go buy one and I'd end up doing most of the work on my first day off in weeks," she said with such casualty, but Natalie felt there was a hint of annoyance hidden just beneath.

  "Sorry, I was just thinking," Natalie said. She examined the door frame, walking her fingers up a path. She clicked her tongue with every tap of her fingers. Her mom played the TV again. Why don't you invite Jacob and Emma over?" she said.

  "They're busy."

Her mom peeled another nut, leaving the trash on the side. She spoke while chewing. "What about Aileen?"

  Natalie looked at her mother in confusion. "You mean Audrey?"

  "Yeah, her. Invite her over and I'll order pizza."

  Maybe. An interesting idea. Natalie didn't say anything she just gently closed the door and went downstairs. She sat in the living room, head craning to see the chandelier. Despite the dull atmosphere, it still shined and reflected the soft light from the grey outside. The clock ticked tocked all the while.
  The more she thought about it the better it seemed to just hang with Audrey. But Emma's warnings echoed through her head. What did she mean? As if somehow Emma had heard her telepathically, she called. It frustrated Natalie to no end that Emma kept her waiting like that. She almost wanted to ignore her call but she wanted to hear what Emma knew.

  "Hello?" Natalie said.

  "Happy Thanksgiving!" Emma said. Very upbeat and casual as if she didn't keep her waiting.

  "Yeah you too, what took you so long?" Natalie retorted.

  "Don't give me that, I was with my family, I had to find a moment to sneak away and spill the tea." An audible flush came from the background on Emma's side.

  "Are you in the bathroom!?"

  "No! Well yes, but that wasn't me! I had to be somewhere private!"

  Natalie's head hurt from all this. She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Look," she said calmly, breathing a heavy sigh. "Just tell me what you know."

  "If it isn't already obvious to you, Audrey is just trying to use you for your status, she just wants what we have,"

  "Audrey? The shy girl? The girl that was too shy to drink? The girl that likes to stay home and be stuck in a book? You mean her?"

  "I know! She's so boring and unexpected. Why else do you think she'd want to be friends with you? And rumor has it she has the hots for Jacob."

  Natalie winced at that comment. Her nose scrunched up subtly. "What are you talking about?"

  A barely audible door could be heard on Emma's side. Someone must've entered the bathroom with her because she started whispering.

  "Look, haven't you seen the way she stares at him? And now that you have him, guess who she's been dressing up as..."

  Had Audrey been staring at her man? Was everything just a trick? Natalie felt her throat start to knot up. It hurt to think about but she needed more evidence. The Audrey she spent so much time with didn't seem like how Emma described.

  "Tell me more," she demanded, her voice was stone cold—void of any feeling.

  "What's more to tell, the proof is in the pudding, look I have to get back to enjoying my Thanksgiving, maybe you should try doing the same." The phone clicked—no goodbyes or friendly departures.

  Natalie's frustration boiled over, barely controlling herself from throwing her phone at the wall. She dragged her hands down her face as she released a heavy sigh. She took a moment to collect herself. Then she decided it was better to get fresh air.

Authors Note
Heyo! No art this time! I know I'm sorry! I hope you enjoy this chapter! I love it a lot! What do you think will happen?

Editors
Elem
naomi14
Eric_Authority

Next chapter
Natalie decides to spend thanksgiving at Audrey's house.