The Love of a Foolish Girl (Hemlock Grove Fanfiction)

Chapter 4

"So it's this Friday?"

"Yes honey, the dinner party is this Friday."

"Well I don't know if you realize mom but that's tomorrow."

"Shit!" She immediately runs upstairs, grabs her purse and pulls me along, "We're going shopping!" She announces.

Roman, or my mother's boss, as I should probably refer to him, hasn't come to the store since his last visit. I can't help but wonder why he would've been out, while my mother was working away at the Institute.

When me and my mother arrive at the one of many clothing shops, she pulls out dress after dress, asking for my advice, she lets me pick out quite a couple of outfits for myself. Which is beyond my usual limit of how many I get to choose, she must be getting paid extremely well, but however she still claims the official back to school clothes shopping will take place next week. After my mother finds her dress, which has taken nearly an hour, just from the one store, in which the rest of the stores we went to took her at least 30 to 45 minutes in each to decide her verdict. Then she pushes me to find a dress, I'm not all that picky, but it shouldn't be hideous either and it's not like I'm trying to impress anyone. But I don't want my mother's colleagues to think poorly of her due to her unimpressive daughter.

I find a perfectly fancy dress, while not too fancy, and perfectly impressive sure to impress my mother and her colleagues at work. I pick a flower jacquard dress which makes my mother squeal as soon as she sees it on me.

Part of me hopes that tomorrow night I don't have to talk to anyone all that much because that's how much of an introvert I can be. I hope just to be with my mother for a little while, but then be able to sneak off and read a book or just be alone and think. Maybe that's bad to want but I just want to be alone and in general I've just never been good at conversing with people.

"So any plans for the weekend Eden?" Ruth asks me as I stack some books.

"Tonight I'm going to my mother's dinner party, it's for work, and I couldn't be more excited." I say sarcastically.

"Oh I'm sure it'll be fine maybe you'll meet a handsome young fellow?" She says nudging me with her elbow.

"And who would it be that you are implying, this handsome young fellow."

"Oh I don't know," she turns her eyes away from me, then looks back as if she has a sudden idea, "Perhaps a certain Roman Godfrey."

I find myself laughing, "My mother's boss?"

"Oh right forgot I'm supposed to be a good role model." She smiles.

I laugh again, "My mother suggested the same thing."

"Well then, maybe I'm not as bad a role-model now suggesting it. I mean he is a handsome young fellow." She says nudging me once again.

"Well I'm not looking for a handsome young fellow." I say as I nudge her back.

"Why is that?" She asks.

And, here we go. I have done this conversation before with some of my mom's friends, and they have praised me for being so wise. But when you're a teenage girl in high school and explain that to someone in high school, the conversation can take many turns. Hopefully Ruth won't think I'm pathetic. "I'd just prefer not to date, couples are awkward and make wrong decisions and I see no point in wasting my time in dating. It'll just distract me from my studies and I don't need that." I say and think for a minute, "I'm not like some of the girls at my old school and need a guy to make me happy which I've seen many cases of and which often doesn't go well. Nor have the incessant need to be liked by someone. Plus why spend my time thinking about being in a relationship when I can just read about it." I say as I'm holding an adult romance novel.

"While I will say that is wise and my usual line to my granddaughters, don't date boys, they're stupid. But don't you get lonely?" She says. That's a turn that one of these conversations has never taken.

"Doesn't everybody? I mean that's what friends are for, family, my mom and dad..." I stop myself.

"Darling are you alright?" She begins to soothingly rub my back.

I'm undecided if I want to open up to her, but it's not like I have anyone else to open up to. "My dad died." I plainly say. I notice her stare at me unsure of what to say or do. Instead she keeps rubbing circles in my back.

"Were you two close?" The question takes me aback, usually people say they're sorry and leave it at that.

"Yes, we were. I never knew what I did in my life to get a father as wonderful as him." I said, feeling myself shatter inside. When I begin to look up at Ruth, she is already pulling me in her arms. I'm mostly confused when it happens but I reciprocate the hug and am grateful. That's all I wanted.

As she pulls back she realizes the single tear I allowed to free from my eyes, she wipes it away, and smiles. "Why don't you grab a couple of books,  free and on the house."

"Oh Ruth, no I couldn't do that."

"Eden, it's fine. If you're anything like me, reading will make you feel better, and I would like you to feel better. So go on, grab a couple of books."

"But-," I begin to say, but instead Ruth cuts me off by taking the stack of books out of my hand, and pushing me aside to find some books. "Thanks," I smile at her.

***

Author's Note: Sorry it's yet again an hour delayed from the set date that I was to publish but I hope you enjoyed this chapter, this one is pretty short but the next chapter is going to be pretty great and hopefully not too long for you all. And yet again leave comments of praise, suggestions, or criticisms. Or vote if you really want more, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!