"Oh, Bianca!" Alisha was the only one who seemed happy to see her. Lamar and Jess looked a bit surprised, while Ishani was engrossed in finding a show and had just discovered House of the Dragon, mumbling that she was ready to trade moms since hers wouldn't let her watch such series.
"No need to introduce Bianca, I hope," I finally said. I could breathe a little easier. Heather was gone. Bianca was here with me, and everything should go smoothly, but why did I still feel so sad? Maybe because I couldn't trust Bianca anymore after her stunt at the birthday party? What if I made her so mad someday that she'd want to get back at me too? As for Heather — I felt a pang of sadness. I wanted to get rid of her today, but when she finally left, I missed her, just like I did the first year after she ghosted me. Maybe I shouldn't have acted the way I did. I gave her a reason, agreed to meet, and then tricked her into leaving...
"Are you okay, Mel?" Lamar asked. "You suddenly look so down."
"I'm fine. I'm the only one who was at school today, unlike you guys. I'm just tired."
"Alright, alright, we're the evil truants, we should all get detention and spanked with a ruler," Lamar joked.
"Lamar, she just didn't like Heather," my sister explained sweetly.
"Wait, I didn't get it," Alisha said. "We were all chatting so nicely... She seemed like a cool girl to me, we even exchanged contacts... I already followed her on Insta — her pics are lit."
"Come on, Alish, as if you don't know how it is with parents at home?" Lamar rolled his eyes. "Remember when cousin Jay crashed my birthday?"
"Yeah, ugh, got it. Parents were all over him, and we didn't know how to get rid of that creep. Even Jackie lost her cool, and she's from Catholic school."
"Don't think everyone from Catholic school is a saint," I sighed. "But you're right. Heather stopped talking to me a long time ago... and then she just showed up..."
"Heather left, and good riddance," Jess chimed in again. "Let me grab more cold bubble tea from the fridge. Mango for you, Alisha?"
"Your sister is so nice and not a ghost at all, Mel," Alisha smiled.
"Huh? What?" Jess asked, confused.
"Oh! Mel scared me with that."
"Did she tell you I was a ghost? Maaan... Mel, really? Again?!"
Bianca burst out laughing. It was the first time she had spoken up. Everyone looked at her and started laughing too, not because the queen bee laughed and her subjects had to, but because it warmed up the room a bit.
"I like your birthday way more than mine," Bianca said with a charming smile. She sat on the couch next to Ishani and grabbed a bowl of chips, sharing with her. "I watched this episode."
"Want to pick something else?" Ishani asked.
"No, no, the last scene is worth the wait," Bianca said, glancing at me, hinting at the very realistic and intimate kiss between two women. I happened to watch the episode too...
"I get to watch it when I'm at my aunt's, but I haven't watched the very last one," Ishani admitted. "My mom's such a pain when it comes to movies with a few steamy scenes. I wish I had parents like yours or Mel's. I don't know your parents well, guys, but they seem cooler than my bores."
"Nah, you're wrong. Once, Mom chased Alisha and me around the house with a slipper when we decided to play basketball in the living room and hit the new TV with the ball," Lamar said, sitting on the armrest of the couch and grabbing a handful of chips from the bowl.
"Surprised you're still alive," Ishani shook her head. "Oh, here he is, the hottie," she said, looking at the middle-aged man with shaggy white hair.
"Oh, you like Doctor Who? Is that your favorite Doctor?" Lamar asked excitedly. "My sister and I even watched the black-and-white classic Doctor."
"Aaaammmm, ummm," Ishani seemed caught. Judging by her expression, she had no idea what he was talking about. "Yes, of course. My favorite Doctor."
Bianca subtly rolled her eyes and looked at me, her gaze saying: this idiot is ready to swallow her pride just to impress a guy. A few days ago, I would have given her a knowing look and then laughed about it, but my anxiety didn't go away, even though I was in a positive environment with generally nice people. Sometimes I think that the unsettling events that happen to us, even if they aren't that serious, still leave a mark on our soul, and when everything seems to be settling down and you find the right people and everything seems fine, you still can't relax, always looking for a catch.
Alisha and Jess came back into the living room with trays.
"Looks like everyone's here," Jess said.
"No, there's still someone missing," I said confidently.
Check out chapters 58, 59, 60 on my PATREON PAGE. If you support my novels, you can also read bonus chapters: Heather's PoV and Bianca's PoV
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