Skeletons

Chapter Three

           

Lila sat on the edge of her bed with the back of her pencil rested between her lips. It was later the same night and she had changed into a grey cotton tank top and red and black checkered pajama pants. Compared to the other events of the day, homework felt so mundane and unimportant. But despite all the chaos that filled Lila's day, she knew she had to take care of her responsibilities. Austin wanted to interrupt and ruin her life and if she started to neglect even simple things like homework, she knew he would succeed. She couldn't let him have that power over her, not again.

As she tried to figure out the math equation in her head, she could hear the front door open and close and she knew her parents were home. She could hear them rustling about in the kitchen, probably putting away leftovers from the restaurant they both worked at. Both of her parents were head chefs at Le Banquet on the East side of the city. Their restaurant was beginning to gain popularity and attracting food critics from all corners of the globe. That meant for the last couple of months, they had dedicated much of their time on and off the clock to concocting new dishes, remastering old ones, and perfecting new menus. That didn't leave much time to spend with Lila, but she didn't mind. This was her parents' dream and if she could see them happy, she was happy for them. This had become the daily routine- her parents come home late, heat up some dishes from the restaurant, and they would all gather for dinner.

As she finished up her math homework, she heard a knock on the door and she pushed her notebook to the side. Her mom opened the door and Lila smiled at her.

Lila's mom was, by all definitions, stunning. She had long blonde hair that cascaded down her back in waves, although she usually wore it up in loose buns. She was curvy and had eyes that were as blue as the ocean and equally as deep. She was dressed so neat and presentable, wearing a lilac silk blouse and tailored black dress pants. But she must've forgotten to bring different shoes to work because she was still wearing her stained black working shoes, the only hint of having any kind of flaw. Anybody who saw her on the street would assume she was a model, not a chef.

Lila waved to her smiling mom but almost in an instant, her mom's face turned down into a frown and she quickly crossed the room to where Lila was sitting, holding her daughter's face in her hand.

"What happened to you honey? Why is your lip cut and your cheek bruised? It looks like someone hit you or something," her mom stuttered, inspecting her daughter's injuries. Concern filled her eyes and tone.

Crap, Lila thought to herself. She had forgotten about the damage that Austin had left when he slapped her. There was no way that she could tell her parents. If they found out what he had done this to her and in fact, had a history of doing to her, they would voice their anger very loudly and Austin would be livid. There was no way of knowing what he could possibly do in retaliation.

"Oh, that?" Lila said with a small laugh, trying to buy herself some time to make up an excuse. "It's nothing really."

Her mom shook her head furiously. "That's not nothing Delila Rose Tisdale. What happened?"

Lila shook her head from side to side slowly, letting out a little laugh. Her mom had used her full name. If she didn't come up with a good excuse and quick, her mom would question her until the world ended. "It was a mistake in the subway. Some guy was walking through the train car while it was moving, and he slipped, and he went to grab onto the pole and accidentally hit me. He was like super muscular, so he had a little too much force behind it. It's nothing really."

"Well did he apologize at least? People should really be more careful," Lila's mom said with a huff, smoothing out the fabric of her silk blouse. Her mom kissed her gently on the forehead and walked back to the door. "Dad and I are getting dinner ready. It should be done in ten minutes." She smiled and then left the room.