"I admit I shouldn't have talked about that boy that way, but you shouldn't be keeping secrets from us," Emma's mother said as she sat on the couch in front of them the next morning. Emma didn't care about even getting ready for the day. She was still in her light blue matching pajama set, her hair messy around her face. She didn't care if the mark on her neck was visible or hidden, but by the look on her mother's face, it was on full display. At the moment, she didn't care about anything.
Her head hurt from crying all night, and her eyes were still red. She didn't respond to her mother's comment because it didn't feel necessary. Her face remained cast downward "Are you on drugs or something like that? Is that why you've been this way?" her mother asked, making Emma's head instantly raise.
She saw her father glaring at his wife. "Melissa..." he said, sounding agitated before continuing, "What we're trying to say is we want you to be honest with us, dear, about how you feel." He said this while clasping his fingers together on his lap.
If they really wanted her honesty, they were definitely about to get it. "I don't like being in all these extra programs. The only one I actually enjoy is violin because I was forced into it at eight." she said straight out, making her mother's eyes widen. Her mother gave a fake smile. "But they look good to colleges. It's all for your best interest."
Emma crossed her arms, looking her mother straight in the eyes. "I don't care. I don't want to be a part of any of them anymore. Starting today, I want to be taken out of everything else. I'm okay with staying in violin, but I want to be taken out of everything else." Her parents looked between each other as if considering it. She continued talking, ready to do whatever it took to get her point across.
"I'm 18. I should be able to make some choices of my own. I want to try for my license. Blake has been helping me..." Her mother let out a sigh through her nose, hearing his name again. Seeing her mother's expression, she continued on. "I also want to hang out with my friends and live my life, and I promise to be honest with you guys from now on. And... I'm sorry for pushing you last night, Mother." She looked between them as they took in the newfound information.
Her mother nodded, looking over at her husband for support. "Fine, I'll take you out of everything but violin. It's your life, after all. If you want to ruin it like this..." she started, sounding annoyed and frustrated before her husband glared at her for a moment "But 100% honesty starting today," he said.
Emma smiled, feeling like for the first time she was finally winning over her parents. Of course, she wouldn't voluntarily give up all her information and business, but if they asked her a question, sure, she would answer it truthfully, depending on the question, of course. She nodded as her father leaned back, crossing his arms.
"Where did you go last night during your party?" She could see her parents were going to start questioning her right out of the gate. She played with the ring around her finger.
"I went for a walk," she said, trying to avoid the question. Technically, she wasn't lying; she did go for a walk.
Her mother rolled her eyes. "Did you end up with that boy?" she nodded, not hiding the truth anymore. "His name's Blake... and yes, I did end up with him." Her mother huffed softly. Her father noticed her fidgeting with the ring.
"Did he give you that?"
Emma stopped messing with the ring, looking down at it. "Yeah." A small smile made its way onto her lips.
"Can I see it?" he asked, holding out his hand. She hesitated for a moment before sliding off the ring and handing it to him. He turned the ring around in his hands while her mother watched beside him. Her mother noticed the inscription on the inside.
"What does it say on the inside?" she said while squinting her eyes to see the tiny writing. Her father passed the ring to her mother, who looked at the ring more closely "Will you be my girl?" Her mother passed the ring back to her, which she put back on.
"So you're dating him... I mean, you're dating this Blake boy?"
Emma nodded with a big grin. She liked him and was over hiding it. Her father watched her expression closely before nodding.
"And... I really like him." She looked at her mother, scanning over her face.
Her father clapped his hands, leaning back. "Well, I think it's time we meet this kid, don't you, Melissa?" He looked over at his wife while Emma's mouth dropped slightly. She was shocked they were actually willing to meet him.
"Not today, obviously. We wanted to take you back to school shopping today," her mother said, noticing Emma's expression. "How's this Friday?" her mother asked while Emma nodded. She would walk to Blake's later and ask if he was free. Hopefully, he was; this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance "I'll ask him later. I'll walk to his house; he lives right down the road," she said quickly, unable to control her excitement.
Her mother gave her a small smile. "Did you spend Christmas over there with their family? Is that where you got all that new stuff in your room?"
Emma hesitated for a moment and then nodded her head. She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "The stuff in my room is mostly from my friends. Blake gave me this necklace, though," she said, playing with the necklace around her neck with a smile.
Her father nodded before standing. "Speaking of gifts, your friends left you a few before they left last night. We just sat them on your bed. Be ready around three. We'll take you back-to-school shopping. I'm going to go outside and cut the lawn." He patted the top of her head before walking towards the front door.
Her mother nodded, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "And I have to go make a few calls. Taking you out of all these extracurriculars will take time." Emma stood watching her mother begin to walk towards the kitchen. She stopped her by calling out her name. Her mother stopped, turning towards her.
"Please give him a chance, Mother," she said, almost begging for her mother to see Blake the way she sees him.
Her mother just stared at her for a moment like she was analyzing her. "I'll try," she whispered before walking away into the kitchen. Emma let out an exhausted sigh, rubbing her hands down her face while making her way upstairs to her room.
When she got into her room, to take her mind off everything that just happened, she opened her birthday presents from her friends. Opening Kandy's first, she got her a light blue lingerie set with a note inside saying, "You can thank me later," with a winky face. She knew Blake would probably appreciate it.
Whitney got her a new book called See Me. It seemed pretty interesting; it was a short story so Emma guessed she could probably finish it in a few hours. Claire gave her a cute pink cat shirt with glitter on it, and in true Niki fashion, she gave her a little black dress. And Chris gifted her a pair of retro headphones. Needless to say, she really made out this year for her birthday.
Although her parents didn't give her any gifts, her friends really came through for her. Opening the presents helped her relieve some of the stress from talking to her parents. She couldn't wait until she stopped by Blake's house later and told him the good news: her parents actually wanted to meet him.
Mia note- I hope you like the story so far why not check out my others while I work on this one.
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...
