The One || Chris Schistad

Chapter 20: Second Chance

WENDSDAY 6:49PM

At that moment Alicia didn't want anyone to contact her, anyone to comfort her in any way or even ask her that stupid question everyone just loves to ask 'are you ok?'. She wanted everyone to just leave her alone, so Alicia searched for shelter in her Grandma's house and turned off her Iphone so no one could really reach her at all.

"You liked the cookies?" Amelia sat down next to her granddaughter.

"They are delicious, as always."

"Now," The woman put a hand over the girl's one, "was it Thomas?"

"No." Alicia chuckled between tears, "It was all me."

"Was it the boy you were so afraid would make you change?"

"He did." The brunette sniffed, "He did make me change."

"I told you, Alicia. Change is necessary." Amelia told her.

"No, he changed me into this... horrible person." Alicia shook her head, "Just like him."

"You're not a horrible person." Her grandma argued, "Not at all."

"Well, how come he changed me but I couldn't change him? Not even a little bit."

"Sometimes, people we can't change end up changing us." Amelia shrugged.

"I'm... so lost." Alicia closed her eyes, letting a few more tears escape, "I don't know who I am anymore. What I believe in."

Her grandma pulled her to her chest, caressing her long brown hair with love. Alicia allowed herself to be comforted, to be advised by the old woman she so admired.

"You know what I think, Alicia? I think you're stuck. Somewhere between who you are and who you want to be. All you need it's time." Amelia sighed loudly, "Time to figure out who you really are and what you want from life. And once you do, I guess things will just fall back into place."

"What do I do with my heart in the meanwhile?" She asked, confused.

"You leave it aside." Her grandma told her.

Alicia looked up to meet the woman's wise eyes, "Can I leave it with you, grandma?"

"It doesn't belongs to me, hunny." Amelia chuckled, "Does it?"

Alicia sighed deeply, knowing full well her heart didn't belong to herself either.

"How are my two favorite girls?" Peter walked in the living room.

The brunette straightened on the couch, wiping the tears from her face. Her lips formed a smile in the man's direction.

"All good."

"We were just having women talk." Amelia gestured.

"I can help." Peter took his place on his big chair.

"What do you know about women, shut up." Her grandma teased.

"After fifty years with you, I can say I know a lot."

The ring coming from the home phone interrupted the conversation. Amelia got up to answer it, leaving the other two behind. From the talk, Alicia realized it was her one of her moms, probably worried about her. When the call ended, Amelia turned to face her granddaughter.

"You moms want you home, Alicia."

"What's wrong?" The brunette noticed her Grandma's expression.

"You really need to go home, hunny." The woman swallowed.

Nothing more was said.

Alicia knew it wasn't just concern that made her moms call, something else was up and by her grandma's face it was something serious. Peter had took her home on his old car, the brunette knew Amelia had told him what had happened before they left, and that was why her grandpa couldn't even look her in the eye.