Royals

Chapter 4

The remainder of our non-official date went swimmingly.

At Olive Garden, everything was ordinary, normal, and routined. From my usual order of chicken alfredo to when I threw noodles at Jake for his numerous failed attempts at trying to eat my food.

After our meal, my date dropped me off at my house—bidding me goodnight with a swift kiss on the forehead—before driving down the street to his own. I guess those were the perks of the four of us living within three blocks of each other.

"Emily, come in here for a second," my mother ordered as I stepped through the door.

"I haven't even been home for a minute, what could I have possibly done?" I grumbled, throwing my shoes beside our rumpled welcome mat.

When I entered the living room, she cleared her throat and began, "Did you get into a dispute with Penelope last night?"

"Define dispute..."

"Ugh," she grunted, rolling her eyes. "Well, I have sources that say that-"

"Sources? Like, you're stalking me?"

"Will you stop?" she retorted. "It was brought to my attention that there was a conflict between the two of you."

"By whom?"

"You don't know her," she replied uninterestingly. "Anyways, I talked things over with Penelope's mom, and we decided that it would be best if the two of you worked through your differences. You used to be such great friends!"

I gritted my teeth. If only she knew.

"Fine, I'll call her," I lied.

"You aren't fooling me for a second, young lady," she coldly laughed, shaking her head. "Mrs. Ricorda and I discussed various solutions before deciding that it would be most ideal for them to stay with us this weekend."

"Sounds great," I dismissed, glad that I had previous engagements. "But I'm going to Annabel's Friday. I already agreed to sleep over."

"Call if off; we have company," she muttered, waving me off.

"No," I huffed. "And stop acting like you're doing this for Penelope and me. It's quite obvious that you're only doing this to protect your image."

"Excuse you," she scoffed, disbelief clear in her tone. "I am your mother and you will obey me."

"That's funny because the last time I checked, being a mother wasn't a temporary job. You don't get to just take time off whenever you get tired of it," I snapped.

She sighed, "I've apologized dozens of times, Emily. I don't know what more you want from me."

She realized her mistake as soon as it left her mouth, and I couldn't even be bothered to hold back my laugh.

I stomped up the stairs, repeating my monologue in my head for the dozenth time.

I wanted a mom who was there for me, who was actually present when I came home from school, who would laugh along with me, play with me, teach me things...You know, the basic things a mother is supposed to do.

I wanted a mom who loved and cared about me. But you know what I got? I got a mom who was only home for a few days a month. I would wake up for school to find a note on the counter stating which country she was off to that time.

I was raised by nannies.

My mom was never there. And that's all I really wanted--a mom who was there.

As I plopped down on my bed ungracefully, I let my tears cleanse my face. I couldn't believe she had the nerve to ask what I wanted from her—she basically abandoned me as a child. I was stuck with my dad, who worked for hours on end, and a nanny.

Drying my face with my fist, I grabbed my phone and sent a quick text to Ashlynn.

Me: Can you pick me up on Friday?

Ashlynn: I'll be there by 6.

Me: Ash, you're a lifesaver. THANK YOU!

Ashlynn: It's no biggie, glad you can come. See you then!

I put my phone away and spent the rest of the night in my room doing homework and watching Netflix.

Aside from Lillia coming over, my night was pretty uneventful. She came up to my room carrying a plate of food, which was probably sent by my mother, and told me about her date with Joey.

"Are you and your mom fighting again?" She randomly asked in a sympathetic tone, too which I nodded. "I'm sorry."

Although she didn't ask for details, she knew exactly why we were arguing—it was the same quarrel we had time and time again.

After she left, I took a shower and quickly paid a visit to Anastasia's room.

"Night, Ana," I whispered, unsure if she was still awake. "If you have another nightmare, just climb into my bed--you don't even have to ask."

She turned to face me and kissed the tip of my nose. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too. And don't worry about mom and me; we'll be fine."

"I hope so. She's trying really hard, you know," she remarked, her voice cracking.

I gulped. Ana was my weakness.

Being only five years younger than me, she struggled without our mom until she was five. And although I tried my best to be a maternal figure to her, it wasn't the same.

My grudge against our mother was much stronger than hers. In fact, when my mom told us that she was going to refrain from traveling as much, Ana—being only a toddler—forgave her instantaneously.

Although I would never admit it, it upset me that she gave in so easily. But that was strictly between my mom and her; it wasn't my place to offer my sour opinion.

"I know, Ana. I'm so sorry, I'll try harder, too," I comforted as I kissed her forehead and tucked her into bed.

As much as I hated to admit it, I had made an empty promise.

Don't get me wrong, I did want to forgive my mother, I just needed her to make the first move. It's not like it was inappropriate for me to be holding this grudge. She deserved it just as much as I deserved a genuine apology.

And with just my luck, I ran into my mother on the way out of Ana's room.

"Emily, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" She began, attempting to insincerely apologize, but I knew it was only because she didn't want me moping around.

"I know," I acknowledged with a fake smile, walking straight past her.

I didn't think my standards were too high: I just wanted her to be truly sorry for her decisions. Was that too much to ask for?

I've said it once and I'll say it again: her words won't mean anything to me until they begin to mean something to her.

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You got the basis of why her and her mom don't get along! Any opinion?

Thoughts on Penelope or Ashlynn?