Somewhere Only We Know

VII - Mrs. Greece

11:39 am

We arrived at the entrance of the building where Jesse was supposed to be filming a commercial. While Kinsley stepped out to speak with a guard in the parking lot, Chase and I kept ourselves entertained playing Uno in the backseat.

"Sorry, kids. Looks like Jesse already left for another shoot. Where do you want to go now?" Kinsley called back to us from the driver's seat.

Chase glanced at me, silently checking if I was upset.

"Can we go back to the apartment? I want to catch up on some sleep."

Truth was, sleep wasn't something I ever really got much of—I was a senior in high school, after all. What I really needed was an internet connection, to see if Mom had finally reached out. Or maybe Mica.

Within minutes, we were back at the apartment. Not wanting to talk to anyone, I headed straight to my room and locked the door behind me. I dug into my bag to pull out my phone and charger. I hadn't used my phone for nearly two days—to avoid contact with certain people back in North Carolina.

The second I powered it on, I was hit with a flood of missed calls, emails, and messages from both Mica and my mother. Even Greece seemed to have stirred from my rebellion. Before I could even open the notifications from the past 30 hours, my phone rang—Mom.

"Well hello, Lianne," I say with annoyance in my voice.

"Where in the hell are you? Did you run away? Is it because of Jesse? You better share your location right now." My mom blew up on me, attacking me with multiple questions.

"I'm in New York, Ma. With Chase and Jesse."

"Who is Chase? Is that your boyfriend? Let me talk to your brother. You two worry me so much. Neither of you would answer my calls. I would have sent the police to the apartment by now."

"Ma, Chase is Mica's boyfriend. He wanted to keep me company because Diane and Mica couldn't give two shits about me," I respond, walking back and forth. "And Jesse is busy shooting commercials all over New York so I don't know where he is right now."

"When he gets home, you better tell that boy to call me right away."

"Wait, Ma. Stop stressing. Don't you have a wedding to enjoy?" I stop pacing, waiting for a response.

"Maxine, listen. I have a meeting to attend right now, but we need to talk properly about this. You better tell your brother to call me as soon as he gets home."

I barely got a word out. "Mom, I—"

I tried again, a fragment of what I'd rehearsed forming on my lips. "I just want you to know that—"

Before I could continue, her voice cut sharply back in. "I don't have time now. We will talk later. Don't hide from us. I'm worried, Maxine. Be safe. Goodbye."

And just like that, the call dropped, leaving me staring at the phone screen in silence.

I groaned, tossing it onto my bed, frustration skulking behind my eyes. I didn't say nearly what I wanted. The conversation had been cut off before it even started. With a heavy sigh, I lay back, thoughts swirling about what I was supposed to do next. College suddenly seemed far away. Maybe I needed some time—to figure out what "next" really meant for me. Slowly, exhaustion crept in, pulling me into sleep's quiet refuge.

Jesse

I was posing for a snap of myself and a newly launched product when my phone buzzed unexpectedly. My assistant handed me the device with a knowing look. "Will you ever learn that phones are prohibited on site unless it's for filming purposes?"

"Go away, little boy," I shooed him as I accepted the call. "Hello, Jesse Davidson speaking."

"Jesse, you didn't tell me you were going to take your sister. I gave you that instruction last month. I thought you just forgot. Why the delay?"

"Oh, I'm good, Mom. Thanks for asking." I sighed. "I didn't have time last month, but now I do."

"Did you tell her I'll be back in a few months?"

"No, Mom. She only found out about you marrying Greece last night."

"Greece is not just one person, you know?"

"Sure. I have to go." I cut the call short before she could say more.

Though I stayed in contact with her, resentment lingered—for how weak she'd been when we were kids. She should have tried harder to protect us from that pasty abusive husband of hers, Ron.

Honestly, I hadn't wanted to take Maxine in. Nothing was keeping me busy last month; I just didn't want to go back to North Carolina. But the promise I made to my sisters to get us out of that hell kept replaying in my mind. Maxine was already seventeen, capable of taking care of herself, and I wasn't planning to consider taking her in seriously at first. Maybe I just felt guilty for never being there while she was growing up—no father figure, and a brother who walked out on her when she was a kid.

Just then, Michelle's voice cut through, shining her stupid laser pointer in my eyes.

"Chop-chop, Jesse. We have to retake a few clips. And please do us all a favor and let your assistant answer your calls so we can all go home."

A few hours later, I was driving back to my apartment. My phone buzzed in my lap, but I ignored it, placing it gently on the passenger seat to focus on the road. Moments later, it buzzed again. I sighed and grabbed the phone to answer a 'No Caller ID'.

"Jesse, where the hell is my sister?" The voice was muffled and whispering, making it impossible to tell who it was.

"Who's this?" I asked carefully, wary of giving out information to a stranger.

"Haha. Not only did you kidnap my sister, but you also kidnapped my boyfriend. What the hell, dude? Did you really bring them to New York?"

"Oh, Micaela. I did not kidnap anyone. They went onto my plane willingly. Mom told me to bring Maxine with me to New York."

"You're talking to Mom? Where is she? And more importantly, why would she let you out of all people to take Maxine?"

"Yes. Mom is in Greece. She's married now and living there. She didn't want Maxine alone in North Carolina. And honestly, she can't trust you. You're dealing or something, right? And as for Diane—well, we all know she's a bitch."

"Alright, fine. I get why you've got Max. But why is my boyfriend there? Are you holding him hostage?"

"I'm not a fucking criminal, you know? He just came with Max. It doesn't bother me. Max's two sisters couldn't be bothered to come along, so Chase stepped up. What a catch, Micaela."

"So what? They're just going to live there with you? Max is graduating in less than four weeks. She's got school on Monday. You better get her home in time."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll figure it out. Can you go away now? I'm driving, and your voice is making me want to swerve." I ended the call.

I don't know what I'm doing.

word count is 1180.