The Inside Stories

Chapter 4

After my little breakdown, I sat with him for about an hour more. We left only after everybody else left the school. He also gave me his jacket to tie around my waist. I offered to give him a lift but he wanted to walk. I got into my car, started the engine and gave him a small smile before leaving him standing alone in the parking area.

When I reached home, Sofia greeted me. Sofia is our full time maid and my nanny. After my mother married Rick, my stepfather, she became really busy. Rick being a well-known businessman has a lot of social events to attend to and my mom always accompanies him.

Sofia is in her mid-forties, a very sweet and kind lady. After my mom got married again and we moved into Rick's mansion, Sofia became like my second mother. "Would you like something to eat dear, perhaps some cookies?" She sensed my sadness and came over to me and hugged me. I hugged her back really tightly. "Yes please Sofia. Could you get them upto my room please?" She gave me a smile after which she went into the kitchen and I went up.

When I opened my room door, Popcorn came running towards me. He came and licked my legs and wagged his tail vigorously. But when I didn't seem to be very lively, he moved and let me go to my bed. I plopped down on the bed and buried my face into the pillow. He nudged my head but after that stood still. When I looked up at him, I saw that his eyes held a sadness, like he understood everything that happened. He probably did because he saw a lot of this happening to me in middle school. He's the only one who knows everything I went through, what I was like past and why I am bitchy today.

I went to my study table and looked for the most important thing in my life. There were a lot of things on the table, nail polish bottles, my laptop, chargers, pens but the frame wasn't there. Finally, after removing all the stuff I found it. My most precious possession. The frame with a picture of the person I love the most.

Poppy.

"Hey pops. Today wasn't a good day. I really wish you were here. I really wish you were here today to console me, to cuddle with me and to make me feel better. I miss you. And I miss mom too. She hasn't been the same after you left us."

Earlier, our family wasn't like this. My pop was a pilot and my mom was a nurse. Popcorn was a gift given to me by poppy on my seventh birthday.
When I was in sixth grade, he got appointed in the air force. My mom was apprehensive about the job due to the risk involved in it but we were really proud of him. He always made sure that he would come home over the weekend to spend time with us. I'd tell him all about my week then. We'd all sit in the living room, cuddle, eat ice cream and watch an animated movie. I was really happy.

But in the summer break before eighth grade, his plane crashed. He was injured really badly. My mom received a shock. He was in a coma for three days after which the doctor's declared him brain dead. My mom decided that he should be taken off all artificial support and his organs must me donated because that is what he would want.

After this my life changed. Mom was sort of composed till then, she didn't react much but the problem started later. She suddenly got this idea that dad wanted to leave us so he joined the air force. He didn't listen even though she was apprehensive about him joining. She started hating him for leaving both of us. She burnt all his photos but I kept one of it safe. The one in the frame. She even wanted to abandon Popcorn but a part of her couldn't.

Eighth grade was horrible after my pop's death. Mom met Rick during duty at the hospital. He was involved in some accident while he was drunk driving. When he went to the hospital with only a few scars, my mom treated him but she didn't inform the hospital authorities that he was drunk. He pleaded her and Rick being good looking and charming, worked his magic on my mom. After that he wanted to take mom out as a gift for saving him. This was when they started dating and after four months, they got married.

Rick is pretty nice to me. He doesn't pressurise me to do anything I don't like, he takes us out for dinner and all the usual stuff. But he can never replace pop. Mom told me that I shouldn't call Rick by his name as I did in the beginning but should call him dad. In the beginning I wasn't very comfortable but later I got around at it.

Sofia came in with a plate of cookies. The delicious smell of chocolate chip and cookie dough wafted in my room. She placed the plate of cookies on my table and asked me, "Who's jacket is that my dear? Is it Chris's?"
"Oh no Sofia, it isnt his. It belongs to Jeremy."
"Isn't he the same one who..."
"Yes Sofia, that was him."
"Well I think you should return it to him. I'll get it washed today and you can give it back to him tomorrow."
"Thank you so much."
I got up from my bed, went to the table and got the plate. Popcorn instantly jumped onto me and started licking me.
"Okay boy. I get it you like them."
I threw a cookie into the air and he caught it with his mouth after which he gulped the entire cookie at once.
I played around with him for a bit.

Today night Damien had a party. Though I don't like him too much and he reciprocates it, his parties are just AMAZING. The party would also take my mind off of my punishments. Saying that, I should really start planning about what I wanted to do to help myself.

I went into my closet and rummaged through all my dresses. In the end, I decided on a cream coloured lacy dress and paired them with red peep toes. I wore my dress, straightened my hair, put on some mascara, eyeliner and red lipstick. After taking my phone, clutch and car keys I headed out.

Just as I was about to get out of the house, I heard a voice.
"Where do you think you're going young lady? We have to catch up."
That was mom. She's usually not at home at this time, at a party or something. Her tone was serious and I'm more than sure that Mrs Peige called her up and told her all about the today's mishaps. This was going to be hard and I wasn't ready for more lectures.