Vanilla Love : Book Two of the MARZ series.

Chapter 7 : The Parental Return

"Zaryia I can't allow you to keep doing stuff like this...you just keep messing up." My mom paced the floor in front of me as I picked at the whole in my jeans. I hated how small she made me feel when I was in trouble.

"Mom he needed a place to sleep...he came at midnight...what was I suppose to do, send him back home." I don't even know why I tried reasoning with her sometimes.

"Yes...that's exactly what you do when people show up at your house at midnight.", my dad chimed in.

"Daddy that's what he was trying to get away from."

"Why?" mom asked

"He and his parents aren't exactly seeing eye to eye right now..."

"Well that's what couches are for, right?" she always asked questions like that...just to prove her point. They only made me feel smaller than I already was.

"Yes ma'am", I said, satisfying her need to be right.

"Well now that that is settled, I think you two can survive a week without each other."

"But mom..."

She interrupted, "No buts...after this week is up, we'll have to invite him to dinner or something so we can really get to know this kid."

"Yes ma'am..." Invite him to dinner...with my parents? I wanted to scream but I couldn't in front of my mom...not now...

"I'm done now...you can go...", I got up and went to my room and jumped in my bed and buried my face in my pillows.

They still smelled like him. My pillows, my sheets, everything still smelled like him. As soon as my mom said a week without him, I'd already missed him...and this made it worse.

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"Yea mommy said a whole week." I said to Amaya and Mariah as we said in the food court at the mall.

"Dang...what are you gonna do?" Mariah asked

"I don't know...I don't think its gonna be that bad...I'll still see him at school...so I guess I'll be ok."

"What about him?" Amaya asked.

"I'll tell him tomorrow at school...I don't know...I just really think this is unfair...I mean...its not like they didn't do all the same crap when they were younger."

"Yea Zaryia, they did, that's why your mom is 38 and your sister is 20."

"Shut up Mariah."

"...all I'm saying is maybe there like that because she doesn't want to be a grandmother when you turn 18."

"I understand all that but its like they don't trust me or something. I would appreciate the benefit of the doubt sometimes."

"Well they can't give it to you if they see you laying in bed with a guy in his underwear now can they?" Mariah asked.

"Well when you say it like that..."

"Exactly" Amaya interrupted, still swallowing a piece of orange chicken.

"Nothing happened!!" I said trying to justify my situation.

"They don't know that...so it doesn't matter." Mariah said.

"I know...I just wish they would have given me more time to explain...that's all..."

After we finished our lunch and our shopping, Mariah took me home and Anthony came and picked up Amaya up.

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"My parents said I have to stay away from you for a whole week...I'm not sure if I can." As I told Jeremy this, his whole demeanor changed.

"Well at least we'll see each other at school." he whispered, trying to sound hopeful. We were watching a parenting video in Ms. Angel's class today. The video had done a successful job of boring most of the class. The only reason I was still up was because of Jeremy.

"Oh...and one more thing..." I paused.

"What's up? "

"My parents want to go on a double date with us..."

"What?! Oh my gosh....this just keeps getting better and better." note his sarcasm.

"Don't freak out...its really not that big of a deal."

"Maybe not to you.", he laid his head on his desk, and a few moments later, he was sleeping just like the rest of the class. But i couldn't sleep...I had way to much on my mind.

After about thirty more minutes, Ms. Angel turned the lights back on and stopped the movie. "Everybody wake up!" she slammed a text book on her desk, causing everyone to jump up from their naps. " Next week we will be watching the birth video. I promise...you won't be able to fall asleep on that one."

Jeremy quickly grabbed all his stuff and as soon as the bell rung, he walked out. I quickly gathered up my stuff and followed.

"Jeremy stop...don't be like that." I said finally catching up with him.

"Be like what?" he kept walking, pulling his book bag further up his shoulder.

"Your upset...I don't know why...but you are." I said looking up at him.

"No I'm not."

"Stop." I stepped in front of him blocking his path," talk to me." He was so stubborn.

"I just hate it that your in trouble because of me."

"I'm not in trouble because of you." I said trying to make him feel a little better. "your acting like my parents said I can't see you anymore ever."

"I guess you're right...but I'm still sorry Zaryia." He finally looked back at me.

"No apology necessary."

"You always say that...can you just accept it and call if a day like everybody else?"

"Sure I will....if you smile and give me a hug." I said, knowing he couldn't resist. He smiled his big perfectly white smile and pulled me into his arms. I kissed his cheek then laid my head on his chest, closed my eyes, and savored the moment.

"Stop all that PDA stuff," Ryan said as she walked passed us, "I swear...your so small and he's so big, it looks like he's kidnapping you sometimes."

"I'm not that big!" Jeremy said still holding on to me.

"Actually... you kinda are." I said, looking up at him.

That week was worse than I thought it would be. Yes, I got to see him at school and stuff, but I still missed him. His smell lingered in my bed for a little longer but after a while, it faded away. And I couldn't help but think about this whole dinner thing and how it was gonna go down.