I Trusted You

Chapter 1

Imagine this, it's the very first day of year 1. Your first day of school ever. You're waiting by the gate for that familiar bright pink Mini Cooper to pull up. It's your mum's pride and joy. Always so clean it glows, so you know you'll be able to see it from where you're standing. You wait, and wait, for 3 hours. She never shows and you never see that Mini or it's driver ever again. No one knows what happened to her but you have faith. So you wait, and wait, for 5 years. Praying that little Mini will pull into your driveway but it never does, so slowly, you give up on your faith, hope and love for the phantom you once called Mom. So does your dad and 10 years after she disappears, he remarries.

 Now you know (sorta) my life story, hi!! I'm Elizabeth Tanner, call me Lizzy. Currently, I am standing on a very unstable looking wooden box being fitted for a bridesmaids dress. So in other words, I am being pricked with thousands of tiny pins while trying to keep the (probably creepy looking) smile glued to my face.

 As you can probably tell, I'm a total tomboy so this pains me immensely. It's the worst form of torture ever invented. And my stepsisters-to-be know that. The moment we stepped in the store they bustled around finding my size in every. Single. Dress. They then insisted I try them all on so we "find the perfect one".

 Perfect one my black denim clad behind. All the dresses so far have made me look like various vegetable mutations. My thoughts drifted and landed on my mother. I feel the prickling sensation in the back of my eyes and the tears threaten to cascade down my face. Not because of the pin currently protruding from my thigh, but because sometimes I actually miss her. Absurd right?

But back to the torture chamber (fitting room). Another dress pinned and ready for display, I, much to the shop attendants distaste, jump off the box and trudge over to the shoes set out for the dress. After putting the 4 inch death traps on my feet, I shove the curtain out of the way before walking out to face the criticizing eyes of my step siblings and step mother.

Bridget (my new step mum) gasps and drops her jaw so far I'm surprised it doesn't break. My twin step sisters, Ami and Kay, promptly follow their Mums example. All 3 are gaping at me while I search around my face for the sushi morsel that must be stuck somewhere. What other excuse do they have to stare at me? I turn to consult the mirror and my jaw drops so low I look like a whale shark fishing for plankton.  

"Well? What do you think Liz?" Ami blurts out. "It's gorgeous." I sigh. Kay looks at me with an odd look on her face before loudly proclaiming "We have converted her to a semi-female!" I glare at her through the mirror before going back to the dress.

 It's a beautiful deep red off the shoulder dress with lace sleeves to my elbows and a small lace panel on the chest. It hits just above my knee and has gorgeous pleats the full way round the skirt. I am star struck. This dress makes me look like a princess and, for the second time today, I tear up. This time however, the tears are of happiness.

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Back at home, I lay the dress out on my bed. I can't stop staring. And for the first time, I feel excited for the wedding, the change and for having a proper family. I get an idea and immediately grab my laptop from beside my bed on the bedside table and open a new Google tab. My fingers fly over the keyboard at an alarming rate as I plan the biggest, most thoughtful surprise in the history of the entire milky way galaxy. 

I find the number for Dads travel agent and call him to cancel all the previous plans that Dad and I had already made for the honeymoon. The guy is skeptical at first but when I tell him my new plans, he gets so excited that he spins around on, and falls off of, his chair.Once we have both successfully recovered from our fits of laughter, we get down to business.

I have decided to, out of my own pocket, pay for the both of them to fly to Paris for two weeks. We had originally planned for them to take a helicopter to an island off the coast but I know that Bridget had always wanted to go to France and Dad had always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower and were is a better place to honeymoon than the city of love?

As an added surprise, I booked them into the Shangri-La Hotel for their entire stay and booked the Eiffel Tower restaurant fully for their second night for dinner. They would have the time of their lives. I was sure of it. 

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The next day, I went to see the travel agent to check everything was running smoothly. I had left the rest of the planning up to Tyrell, my Dads travel agent since forever, since he always planned my trips perfectly. 

When I arrived however, Tyrell hadn't arrived at work yet. His assistant directed me to his desk with a smile on her face. Like, a creepy as hell smile. I started getting worried. What if she had murdered him brutally and she was leading me to his mutilated body? I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard someones voice and realized we had arrived at Tyrells office. I gulped but pushed my irrational thoughts aside and opened the door.

The office was completely empty. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding and turned to his assistant. She simply pointed at the desk and walked away. I frowned at her strange demeanor but stepped into the office further so I could see what she had been pointing at. 

Aside from the usual office supplies, the only thing on Tyrells usually immaculate desk was an envelope. I picked it up and saw my name written on the front. Inside was a full itinerary of everything he had booked for the honeymoon and the flight tickets.

My face exploded into a full blown joker grin, only not as creepily awesome as the Clown Prince of crime. Tyrell had thought of absolutely everything and he had done all of it overnight. A slight squeal of delight escaped my lips as I thought of all the fun the two of them were going to have. I was ecstatic as I started the long walk home, clutching the envelope to my chest and grinning like a loony.

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Authors note:

Surprise!! An early start to our adventures in the life of Lizzie Tanner. This is my first story that I'm very serious about and I hope you can bear with me throughout the bad grammar, bad jokes, smiles, (hopefully) laughs, some tears and absolutely imminent frustration. I would love to know what you people think so don't be a silent reader! Speak your mind!! 

I love all of you!!!!
Jayde ❤