Love Invasion

Chapter 4

The click-clack of his sister's heels irked him to an extent he couldn't imagine. Normally, he would blow the sound off, minding his own business and letting Caroline Stone mind her own. But sitting in an empty kitchen with an engrossed mind, Nate didn't feel like getting distracted. He wanted his mind to work in a direction where thinking was desperately needed. He wanted to solve a puzzle named Jennifer Evans.

She didn't look badass in the slightest sense. The girl was thin, reasonably tall and pretty. But she didn't have a hardcore look in her brown eyes. If anything, all Nathaniel could notice was fear in those orbs of hers. From the moment he bumped into her, he could sense her fright from a decent distance. Plus, the fact that she barely interacted with anyone made him keener about her situation.

Jennifer was reluctant to befriend anyone and that piqued his interest more than anything. Not trying to be cocky or anything, but people did want to be his friend. Hell, they worshipped the ground he walked on. Therefore, the fact that the new girl was reluctant to communicate with the Stone twins was shocking.

Moreover, Nate was now more determined to be Jennifer's friend.

His sister's voice pulled him out of his reverie. "Hey brother!" Her echoing voice made him cringe a little and he turned around to confront Caroline with pursed lips. Caroline glanced at the bottle of Gatorade in her brother’s hands and then, looked at his thoughtful expression. “What’s wrong?” She moved forth to pull open the door of the fridge and plucked out a nutrition bar from inside, all the while waiting for the grey eyed boy to sputter something.

“I was wondering about Jennifer.” Nate declared in a wondering whisper.

Caroline took an astounded glimpse of his brother who seemed to be lost in Jennifer-world. “The new girl?” Nate nodded his head distractedly. “Why?” She asked cautiously.

The brown haired boy sighed and peered at his blonde headed sister. “I don’t know! She seems like a mystery to me.”

Caroline didn’t totally understand the meaning hidden behind Nate’s statement but she got a little part of it. “She’s not mysterious. She’s stupid! Why wouldn’t she want to be our friend? A very few people get the chance to be our friend.” Nate agreed to that part telepathically.

Nate was getting frustrated, thinking about Jennifer and the panic he’d seen in her eyes when they’d collided accidentally. Her petrified face was a sight to see. She looked like someone was going to stab her out of nowhere.

Why, he thought just as another person entered the occupied kitchen.

“Hey mom!” Caroline planted a sweet kiss on her mother’s cheek and simpered at her. Shaline Stone looked splendid in her Versace business suit which showed off her fine-looking figure. Her sandy blonde hair was tied into a neat ponytail and her make-up looked just perfect, accentuating her sharp facial features.

“Hey, my lovelies!” Nate rolled his eyes at the irritating word of affection and smiled at his mother blandly before gulping the drink from the bottle. “Anyway, I have to go right now. If I don’t leave now, I will certainly miss my flight.” She hugged her daughter and then, her son lovingly before kissing both of them on the foreheads. Checking the time from her expensive wrist watch, she smiled up at her children and said, “Love you!” Then, she bid them adieu and exited the kitchen at a brisk pace.

“How is she?” I rolled my eyes dramatically at Vanessa’s concern for me.

“Better!” My father responded neutrally while chomping down his carton of noodles.

“How is her school?”

“She says it’s great!”

The fact that they were conversing about me in front of me, as if I weren’t present there at the dinner table was ironically hilarious. Daddy had invited Vanessa to dinner when he had ultimately realized that I’d been pretty rude to her the last time we’d faced each other. He was correct to invite her anyway. But still, I didn’t like her given that she was trying to poke in my matters time and time again. She was trying to be my mother, suggesting things to me, advising my father about my severe condition but she didn’t understand that I couldn’t be the kid she never had.