Fool For You (Sequel to Awakening) >> z.m ✔

Chapter Eight

[ Hey guys! Another update! Sorry if it seems like I do a lot of "Rachel's POVs", but it's usually the best view to put it to until the book starts to move along. I'll try to put it back to Zayn as soon as I can! ]

~Rachel's POV~

"Mom!" I shout, almost hysterically. It was just like I was a kid all over again. But this was different. I was almost twenty-one, and I get the whole "your mom is trying to look out for you thing", but this? This was an outrage! I could look out for myself just fine.

"What? He was making a move on you! He. Kissed. You." My mom said, pointing a finger to the door. Out the window, I saw Zayn descending down the driveway, with a sad look on his face. I could hear the scraping of the chair against wood as someone got up from the dining room table.

"What if he didn't kiss me?" I look her dead in the eye, confusion sweeping across her face. My dad walks over to my mom and lays a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"What happened, sweetie?" My dad asks, looking my mom in the eye, but directing the question to both of us. I look towards the dining room, where all my friends sat, confused. Especially Louis, who had no idea what was going on. He still thought Zayn and I were dating... Which we were. Wait were we? I wish my mom hadn't barged in like that and I would've been able to find out.

"What do you mean "what if he didn't kiss me?"" Mom shouts back, completely avoiding my dad's question.

"What do you think? I. Kissed. Him." I told her. By now, my dad was all caught up and stared at me in shock. But my mom, oh my mom, she was fuming. I heard a fork clatter to a plate in the dining room and turned towards Alayna, who was looking astounded by the fact we kissed after everything I told her. I had a feeling Gaby knew all along that this was going to happen (and Niall for that matter) so they looked at me like normal. Louis couldn't look anymore confused.

"I can't believe you, Rachel! I didn't raise you to be a slut!" My mouth drops open at my mom's words and I feel my eyes start to tear up. My mom has never even called me anything slightly offensive. Is this what she really thought?

My mom's mouth clamps shut once she hears my words and she hesitates to apologize, but instead walks towards the hallway leading to her bedroom. My dad looked at me with pity, gave me a pat on my shoulder, but never said sorry.

I turned towards the dining table one last time and now everyone had their jaws open in shock. Alayna was the first to get up, trying to comfort me, but I just shook my head and walked into our living room, switching the switch to turn on the fireplace.

I continued to stare at the flames until I felt the couch dip under someone else's weight. I continued to stare at the fire, not bothering to say a word. Not even bothering to move a centimeter. I just felt -and probably looked- like a zombie.

"Rachel?" Louis' soft voice asks, laying a hand on my leg. I finally turned my heads towards him, tears starting to fall down my cheeks.

"Am I really...?" I ask, not even bothering to finish the sentence. I never wanted to hear that word again. Especially from my own mother's mouth. I have only dated two guys in my entire life, one of which who cheated on me. But I still loved him. Was I really considered a slut for that?

"No! Of course not!" Louis says, his face appalled. "I don't know what happened, but surely you have reason."

"Do you really want to know?" I ask him and he nods.

"It all started right after you went to college. When Zayn and I were still together..." I started, trying to tell the story without the memory replaying in my mind, but it was too late.