Escaping Lights - A Greyson Chance Fan Fiction

Chapter 30: Casual Presence

"What is she doing here? Did you know each other?" An intense curiosity was bubbling up inside of me as I slowly picked myself up and faced Erin.

     "I guess it's time I tell you about some things. Although I never honestly thought that I'd have to go through this," the lady on the wheelchair replied, a sad smile overpowering her face. "I was wishing that you would just leave without ever knowing anything."

     "What do you mean? What things?" My breath quickened and I found my ears pulsating inside me. Or maybe I was just hearing the sound of my heartbeat going louder by the second. I had no clue about what I was going to find out, but I didn't like the way it made me feel. It was like getting a report card and the anticipation to see the grades you've earned was combined with the anxiety that maybe you'd gotten A's to B's.

     "Erin, are you sure about this?" Jemma interjected, her voice strong and firm. What did they have to hide from me? Did they know something about me all along that they never told me? How important was it?

     "It's fate that brought her here, and I'm not going to pass this chance up again. She's here for a reason," Erin pointed out, craning her neck sideways so she could direct her statement to her sister.

     I was getting even more confused. "What are you talking about? What does it have to do with me? What is my mom doing in this picture? I just want to know if you were associated with her."

     Erin focused all of her attention on me now, and she started answering my questions. "As a matter of fact, I know both of your parents very well. How can I ever forget them? We were the closest as we could ever be."

     "May I ask how?"

     "We were childhood best friends. Elena, Christopher, me...we grew up together, went to school together, and did most things together. When one was down, we would lift him or her up, and when one was triumphant, we would share that success. I can still clearly remember when Elena would do little shows for us. Ever since we were children, she loved the idea of performing in theater. She absolutely adored the applause she got from us. Of course, she achieved that dream of hers and I am so happy for her. You could say we were family. Elena was the closest to a sister I could have, apart from Jemma here, and..." She nodded towards Jared's mom who still looked sour. I was guessing this little story-telling of Erin's, per se, lacked much of her approval, but why would she care so much? I was only asking. Yet here was Erin, explaining things I never knew. "Christopher was more of a protector for us," she continued.

     "My mom never mentioned you to me. I thought she was very particular with her friends, the way she is with her colleagues," I thought out loud. It was true. She could go on for hours telling me all about the classy stuff her theater mates did, like how a certain Tiffany Lavoisier used to be her worst enemy when she started with theater, but was now one of her greatest friends. Or about her experiences in the past, like how Dad got into a huge and messy fight with another guy back when they were in college just because he didn't know that Mom was already seeing someone so he wanted to hook up with her. That ended with both guys in the infirmary. You could say that my mother was a person who loved going down memory lane whenever she pleased, because it made her happy whenever she felt nostalgic. When she was around, she always made sure to tell me things I needed to know, something she liked to quote, "You learn from experience, and learning makes you stronger to create a progress in your life. That's why I want you to know about these things, Phoebe, so you would know." It just felt definitely misplaced. She surely would have mentioned something about Erin if they really were childhood best friends. It'd be hard to miss.

     "Of course she wouldn't," Jemma, again, filled in without warning. Arms crossed, she spat out, "She wouldn't want to ruin the perfect little world she's created for you, would she?" What is with Jemma and her sudden bitterness? I didn't know if I was slow in catching up or I was too dumb to register things in, but I didn't understand the things she was saying. Because of that, she received a questioning glare from me. I wished I didn't appear too rude with that.