Before Emma even realized it, it was New Year's Eve. In other words, it was almost her birthday in a few hours, along with her birthday party. She was in her bedroom, practicing her violin, wearing a light blue gown her mother loved to dress her in. It wasn't really her taste—she liked casual clothes—but her mother loved to dress her like a doll, so she would wear it for now.
She was practicing her violin; her parents would be back home soon, and she figured them coming home and hearing her playing was better than them coming home to find that she wasn't home at all, but instead at the loner boy's house just a block away, or worse, making out with him right in the living room.
Speaking of Blake, he was just here a few minutes ago but had to leave to take Alex back school shopping. School would be starting back soon. The summer break seemed to fly by right in front of her eyes, and soon she would have to go back to the mean girls, hard math homework, trash lunch food, and overall school vibes.
This summer had been crazy for her, definitely one of the craziest summer breaks she had ever had, even crazier than when she got her braces off in 7th grade. She had been getting college applications all through summer, which was pretty stressful because she knew her parents were looking over them together, probably throwing away the ones that didn't fit the plan they had for her life.
All her thoughts slipped from her mind as her fingers moved across the violin strings, her eyes closed. The sound of the front door opening had her heart racing and her eyes snapping open. Since the events that happened with the mysterious news clipping left for her, she had had some anxiety when being left home by herself.
She hadn't heard anything further from the police about the subject. She kept Ms. O'Connor's number on top of her desk just in case. She looked towards her bedroom door. "Mother... Father, is that you!?" she yelled slightly through the door, waiting for a response.
She was met with silence, making her hands start to sweat around her violin. "Hello? Father... Mother, is that you?" Her heart began to pound in her chest. She slid slowly from her bed, walking slowly over to her bedroom door, then creeping down the stairs.
"Hello...?" she whispered, still not hearing a reply. Her grip tightened around the neck of the violin.
When she finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, she saw someone with their back to her; it was a tall male wearing a long black coat. From where she stood, she couldn't tell if it was her father or not.
"Father...?" she called out to him. Surely if it was her father, he would respond. The male didn't reply, making her heart drop to the floor. With sweaty hands, she lifted the violin slowly over her head, sneaking behind him, ready to smash it over his head.
"Emma!? What on earth are you doing?"
Emma turned her head, seeing her mother standing in the kitchen, watching her wide-eyed. She was still in work wear: a long khaki overcoat with black earmuffs. Emma guessed she had just got home. Facing back forward, the man finally turned. It was her father, making her swallow hard, frozen in place. He was wearing earphones. His eyes widened, seeing his daughter holding a violin high in the air.
"What's going on here?" he asked, taking out the earphones, finally able to hear her.
Emma slowly lowered the violin, her parents looking at her weirdly. "I was practicing the violin," her voice slightly shaky as she turned, sprinting up the stairs. Her parents looked between each other, eyebrows raised in confusion. She stopped at the top of the stairs, looking back at them.
"Welcome home," she said before going into her room, heart pounding.
YOU ARE READING
It Started With Hello
Romance***** Emma Pear knew she wasn't the most popular girl in high school. Her nose was usually buried in a textbook, and her grades were as spotless as her reputation for always following the rules. "Nerd" was a label she'd long since embraced. Her pare...
