Polar Opposites

Telling Her The Truth Is Hard To Do

After me and Alyssa got home, we got our bags out of the trunk and had to kick the door open in order to get in. Jack was in the living room, watching TV and mom was in the kitchen preparing something. 

"Hi girls! How was the mall?" she asks from the kitchen. Me and Alyssa freak out for a moment before I decide to answer back.

"It was just fine mother" I say, a little bit too casually. Alyssa hits me lightly with her Hollister bag and giggles when I stick out my tongue at her. 

"Oh really? Then why did the police call me five minutes ago saying that Alyssa's boyfriend was harassing you two?" she turns around and faces us both. She's holding a pot and slaps it on the palm of her hand. Alyssa gulps. 

"Uh...er..." she mumbles. I quickly step in. 

"Mom, Dawson is an idiot. He wanted to hit Alyssa but I stepped in between them and.. he hit me instead..." mom's mouth drops instantly and she dropped the pot on the ground, making a loud noise. Jack must have heard because he comes running in with a concerned look on his face. 

"Hannah... are you insane?! Are you hurt?!" mom yells, running over to my face and checking over my entire face. I pulled away from her. 

"Mom, I am fine. I was defending my cousin. There is no way I would let an idiot like that hit her.." I explained. Mom picked up the pot and put it in the sink. She crossed her arms and looked me straight in the eye. She was serious this time. I straightened my back up and looked back in her eyes. 

"You know Hannah? You are a true cousin." my eyebrows rise up in surprise and I smile in victory. She seems extremely proud of me. Alyssa takes my hand and we exchange glances. 

"She really is Aunt Mariana... I am so thankful for her.." Alyssa says, squeezing my hand and giggles. 

"Alright girls... you are both off the hook. But the next time something like this happens, you phone me immediately. Understand?" me and Alyssa both nod at mom then she dismisses us to go upstairs. Alyssa leaves the bags in her room and we go into my room, so I set my stuff near the closet.

"You know Hannah, I definitely had fun with you this afternoon... we should do this more often!" 

"Yeah I agree..." I had to tell her that I told Dawson about me seeing her with the other guy. I just didn't want her to hate me again. 

"You okay Hannah? It seems like you got something on your mind." she says, looking curiously at me. I gulp and smile weakly. 

"So, you know how I told you that I don't know who told me about you cheating on Dawson?" 

"Yeah..." she questions, raising an eyebrow. My hands fidget slightly and I scratch the back of my neck.

"Well... I do..."  she slams her hand down on the bed and looks me straight in the eye. She places her hands on my shoulders. 

"Who!!??" I gulp. 

"Me..." 

Silence. We sit there in complete utter silence. Her eyes are as wide as baseballs and her face is completely pale. Her hands drop to her sides and she sighs. 

"I know... I-i-i'm horrible.. please don't hate-" she cuts me off.

"No no, I don't hate you... I had a feeling you would've seen us..." she whispered, placing her head in her hands. I rested my head on her.

"Who was that guy?" I asked. 

"His name is Darius. He graduated from your high school last year, now he goes to university a few towns away. I met him at a party maybe just over a year ago. He liked me, I liked him. I had met Dawson a week before him though so I told him I was slightly taken. But one month into being with Dawson, he started to..." she paused. I furrowed my eyebrows.