JUST....??

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Aven's POV

"You're crazy" he giggles and takes a sip of his mango juice. He's soo different from the cold, annoying, hostile Calix I met about two hours ago. This Calix is sweet, funny and jovial. At last my decision to follow him wasn't stupid. I'm myself and happy around him like I was around Adrian. It's been a while since I laughed my heart out. And this guy right here, sitting opposite me makes me laugh so much that my cheeks hurt.

"Hm...I did" I lick my vanilla ice cream as I narrate how I use to reject proposals from guys I didn't like in my former high school. "So what did he do?" he cuts a piece of the blueberry pancake sitting infront of him and puts it in his mouth.
"He didn't bother me again. But there was one who was determined to make me his girlfriend" I chuckle.
"And how did you get Mr. Persistent off your back?" he munches his food and my eyes involuntarily move to his round lips. There's a tiny blueberry stain on his pinkish lower lip.
"You have something over your..." I point.
"Hm" he stares at me. I move forward to wipe the stain on his lips but his long slender fingers wrap around my wrist, stopping me. My eyes lock with his.
His eyes seem to search mine, it searches my soul looking for the secrets hidden deep within it. What does he want to find? What does he want to know? Is it my past? The pain? Or my sadness?

He leaves my hand, takes a tissue from the tissue box standing on the table and wipes his mouth clean. "It's late...I should be heading home" he calls for the waiter and pays the bill. "You too" he gets to his feet and turns to leave. "Sorry" I stop him in his tracks. He turns to look at me. "I'm sorry" I stand.
"It's...would you like to go with me to the subway station?".
This guy surprises me everytime. One minute he doesn't want to see my face anywhere close to him. Another minute he wants me around him.
"I'm new here. I don't know anywhere...I'll just call my dad to come pick me up".
He nods and leaves me alone in this half empty café not turning back to even say goodbye. I stare at him till he's out of sight.

Calix is a closed book who is not willing to open up. It's like he wants to be alone but he also doesn't want that. It's like he forgets loneliness when he let's his guard down but it always catches up with him after a short while. Who are you Calix?

I call my dad but he tells me to pick a  uber since he's still busy with work. Soo like my dad. I call for one and wait for it to arrive. My wait wasn't very long. I board the car which is filled with audible silence which I'm glad for throughout the drive home.

The house welcomes me with silence and darkness. I guess mum isn't home yet. I turn on the lights and head to my room.

I take a quick warm shower, put on my lavender pajamas with unicorns stamped on every part of it, tie my hair into a messy bun and scroll through my phone.

"Aven Raquella Montoya Luis Omez" I hear my mum yell my name as I'm about to text Adrain.
Sheesh! She knows. I'm in deep shit. Before I can come up with a believable story, she appears infront of my door. "Mum" I place my phone on the dressing table and walk to her wearing a fake wide smile. "Where were you after lunch break?" she enquires. "School. Where else?" I reply. "Don't you dare lie to me", she gives me a deadly stare. "You missed a class on your first day. Do you know what that means?". Here we go. She's gonna lecture me on how important school is, studying, being the perfect daughter and an amazing student with good morals.
"I don't want to be there. I told you" I blurt out fed up of listening to her lecture to me. "You're gonna stay there if you like it or not Aven". I head out of my room,  upset. "Don't you dare walk out on me" she shouts, following me.

Where am I gonna go? There's no Adrain to go to? He's miles away from here.

"You always do what you want" I stop in my tracks when I reach the sitting room. "I do what's best for you" she faces me. "You don't know what's best for me. You just do what pleases you and if you had cared just a little bit Ian won't be in his grave because of you" these words flow out of my mouth before I'm even able to process them. I feel a hard strike against my cheek the next moment. This is the first time she has laid a finger on me. I look at her with eyes filled with tears. She walks closer to me but before she's able to touch me I quickly ascend the stairs wiping the tears streaming down my face.

"You're grounded" I hear her say as I lock the door to my room. She knows how to hide the caring side of her quite well. Always putting her strict mother self before the side of her I've always yearned for but never got claiming it makes you weak and weakness doesn't allow one to do the right thing. How can caring for your own family, your own children make you weak? I don't get it. Why did she have children if she'd make their life hell?

I sob till I'm able to finally sleep. My sleep doesn't last long. I wake up from another nightmare breathing heavily. Nightmares have been having ever since my fairytale with Leo turned into a bad dream which was made worse by Ian's death. I check the time. It's one in the morning. I lay back down in my bed staring at the ceiling and hoping for sleep to take me away but it doesn't. Before I know it it's five. I decide to go jogging, to refresh my mind. I put on my  pink sweatsuit and white sneakers. I quietly leave the house. I jog around not leaving the neighbourhood because it's the only place I know very well. It's been imprinted in my head. I head back home around six.

"Where did you go?" my mum's calm face and furious tone welcome me back. "I went out...to jog" I head to the kitchen for a glass of water. "You're grounded Aven". "That doesn't mean I can't go out for a run" I say after getting what I want. "You're a headache" she sighs. "Then why don't to kill me too" I say in an angry tone while heading to my room. I gulp the water when I get there and furiously throw the glass at the wall which shatters like my shattered heart.
"Aaaaaaa!!!" I scream out of frustration as if screaming can take the pain away. 

I walk into the bathroom for a refreshing bath. My phone rings loudly as I walk out of the bathroom completely soaked from head to toe with water, my body wrapped with only a towel. Water drips from my hair onto the floor as I search for my phone. I find it on the bedside table and pick it up.
"Who could it be?" an unknown number covers the screen. I pick the call and hear Chloé's soft voice.

Aven: Hello.

Chloé: You good?

Aven: How did you get my number?

Chloé: From your mum.

Aven: Oh okay.

Chloé: So...I was wondering if you'd make it?

Aven: Make it?

Chloé: Yeah. To the party. Tonight.

Aven: It's tonight?

Chloé: Yes. But if you can't...

Aven: I'll be there.

Chloé: Really? Thanks...See you then.

I end the call. I know I'm grounded and mum won't let me go out but who said I'm gonna ask for her permission. I won't. I'll just sneak out and I don't care if she finds out. I'm gonna show her how much of a headache I can be.