The Bad Boy's Melody

Chapter Three: You look like a pastel mess.

Chapter Three: You look like a pastel mess.

There was a car in the driveway when Andrew dropped me home after school. He asked me if I wanted him to go in. I told him it wasn't my dad's car. Although, it wasn't any better.

I walked into the house and shut the door only to want to open it again and leave at the sound of Joey saying his infamous line.

"How you doing," my mom repeated in an almost sob.

I stared at my cousin on the stairwell. Beatrice and I never were close cousins, but ever since the summer and dad left, she's been around more. Her mom, my mom's sister was always here to coax mom out of her room and out of the slump she's been in.

At the beginning when dad officially left, leaving a note on the kitchen counter that he wasn't coming home again and going to live with his new family, I tried to help mom alone. I realise now that I was focusing too much on her and her well-being and not my own. Beatrice was a constant reminder of that.

She two years younger than me, but looked two years older. She wore makeup and always dressed up. Her blonde hair was slicked back in a bun and her features were always highlighted by her makeup.

Whereas, I was always wearing sweats and on a good day, jeans. I didn't like makeup or having my hair up. My hair was too frizzy to do anything with other than leave it down.

"Hey," Beatrice smiled as she stood up from the staircase as I walked over to her, "I heard you went to school today."

I shrugged, beginning to think I should've stayed at home as I glanced into the living room. My mother sat up on the couch, a box of tissues beside her and my aunt hugging her into her side. My aunt sat where I usually did with the same concerned look on her face that was always on mine.

"She's getting better," Beatrice said, trying to lighten the air, "she didn't call until half an hour ago and mom says she's going back to work tomorrow."

"She's not ready," I said softly, looking back at my cousin. "I don't know why she's rushing it."

"Probably because you are too," Beatrice smiled softly, placing her hand on my arm. "How was today?"

I shrugged, "Eventful. There was a fight and Nicole tried to pick on me."

"You and Nicole were in a fight?"

I shook my head, making my way up the stairs to my bedroom. "No, it was a new guy, well actually he's lived here longer than me, but he's back from England."

"You're not talking about Austin Cole, are you?"

I turned around to my cousin, "You know of him too?"

"Everyone knows about him, Jess," she exclaimed and grabbed my wrist. She dragged me into my room and let go of me, basically making me stumble onto my purple duvet. "He's Austin Cole, aka the heir to the Cole empire. He's like the hottest boy on this side of the earth, I mean have you not seen his instagram?"

"He's an asshole," I muttered, "He stole one of my songs."

"What?" Beatrice shouted, "you spoke to him?"

I nodded, rubbing my temple. I think I was getting a headache from her yelling. "He's friends with Freddie so he sat with us at lunch."

"Freddie? As in Freddie Williams? You're friends with-"

"Can you please stop yelling?" I asked her softly, "and yeah, Fred has been my friend since the start of high school."

Beatrice gasped, "Do you know Reese Coxs?"