"I'm home," I announced as I shut the door behind me.
"Where were you?" My mother demanded. She stood near the kitchen counter, sipping a glass of juice. Most people said I looked like my mother, we had the same brown waves and similar facial features, though my hazel eyes were the same as Dad's. Mom's brown eyes were the same as the twins', and she was slimmer and taller than I was.
"Work," I answered. "I've got work on Fridays."
"What about before work?"
"School," I replied, confused. I was pretty sure she knew my schedule. So, why the questions now? "I work for the school magazine as well, Mom."
"But you were supposed to-" She was cut off by the bell. She sighed and indicated towards the door for me to open it.
When I did as asked, I was surprised to see a familiar young blond girl looking up at me. "Hey, Tiffany," I greeted with a smile. "What are you doing here?"
"Your parents called me to babysit tonight," she answered, looking slightly confused.
"Oh," I said, taken aback. "I wasn't aware that we were going out. But come on in." I stepped aside to make way for the sixteen year old who was called in to babysit my siblings whenever I was out with my parents or elsewhere and Victor and Violette needed supervision.
I sent a questioning look to my mother as I walked back inside. "You didn't tell me that we had plans."
Mom looked irritated. "I would if you are ever home. The party was just planned yesterday."
"You could have just called me," I suggested, trying to be as polite as I could. Just because I preferred to stay out of their vicinity, didn't mean that I didn't love my parents. I just really needed some space for myself.
"Well, I didn't," my mother stated. "Now, go get dressed. We leave in thirty minutes."
I stared at her with wide eyes. "But, I don't even have a dress picked!"
"I suggest you should do it now, Ariel," she said. "I will take only a few minutes, but you're another story. Wear something nice and be quick."
"Okay." I nodded and hurried towards my room. It was only when I locked myself inside that I realized that I didn't know where we were going. Instead of going back outside, I decided to heed my mother's advice and 'wear something nice'. She said it was a party, so I had an idea on where to start.
Fifteen minutes later, I was dressed in a strapless glossy dull gold colored dress with a scalloped edge. A golden rose was on the left side of the neckline in which the cloth was gathered towards the centre of the belt that was fitted below the chest. I wore red heels with gold sparkles on them along with a chained bracelet. I quickly ran a brush through my hair, leaving them in their natural waves, and was applying a layer of red lipstick to match my nails, when my mother knocked on the door.
"Ariel," I heard her call. "Are you done yet?"
"Yeah," I replied. "I'll be right out."
I heard the clatter of her heels fade as she walked away. Glancing once more at the mirror, I grabbed the chained red purse I had picked out and headed out the door.
My parents were waiting near the main door and prepared to leave. Dad planted a kiss on my cheek as I reached them. Out of everyone in my family, I preferred my father's company most, mostly because we were much alike. He stood at only a few inches taller than my mother, brown hair a shade darker than mine, and looking healthy against my mother's naturally bony figure.
YOU ARE READING
The Valdez Affair
Teen FictionAriel Watson believed that she had her senior year all sorted out. She would try out for Cheerleading. She would work regularly at the beauty salon in town. She would work for the school paper. She would also avoid her family as much as possible. It...
