THE INTERFERENCE

20.

"Thank you so much for dinner Tonya, it was really good" Mason says as my mom collects our plates.

"Thank you Mason, you are welcome here anytime" she smiles leaving the dining room.

"James thanks for having me over" Mason says and James sends a fake smile his way and leaves the dining room. Mason looks over at me.

"Something tells me your step-dad doesn't like me" Mason laughs.

"Stop calling him my step-dad" I laugh standing up.

"Sorry. But I should head out, I need to get home to finish some homework"

"Okay" I smile as we both leave the dining room and head to the front of the house. "I have plenty of colors we can go with so I will text you..." I start to say before I was interrupted by Mason's lips on mine. I was shocked and I couldn't help but to laugh.

"You'll text me tonight? Cool. I'll see you tomorrow Remi" he says leaving. I laugh and felt my lips and shake my head. It was cute. But it didn't feel the same way it felt when James kisses me.

"I'm going to go take a shower then we can discuss prom colors?" my mom says and I smile at her.

"Sounds good" I said and she smiles and heads upstairs. I hear dishes clanking in the kitchen and I walk to the back of the house. I walk into the kitchen and James was loading the dish washer. "Need help?" I asked.

"No" he says and I felt the cold shoulder.

"Okay..." I said leaning on the counter and he doesn't pay me any attention. "Did I do something to you? You've been rude all night"

"Do you... like him?" James ask looking over at me.

"What?" I said and he stares at me. I laugh and shake my head. "Are you jealous? Because I promise if you would have asked me to prom I would have said yes" I joke.

"Remi nothing is funny about this. And no I'm not jealous"

"Then what's your problem?"

"I just want to know?"

"Why?" I asked and he stares at me and laughs.

"So I know if I'm wasting my time"

"Wasting your time?"

"Remi if you're already messing with Mason, I don't need to be doing this with you"

"You're acting like everything you're doing is because I like it"

"Is it not?" he said and I stare at him.

"You don't like it? Because you seem like you like it... a lot"

"It's not for me, it's for you" he says and we both stare at each other. "We can stop" he says. I hate when he says that. He says it like if I don't listen to him, he's done. I stare at him and shake my head.

"I don't like him like that. There is nothing going on with us... I had absolutely no idea he was going to ask me to prom" I said and James turns around and looks at me. He leans on the counter and reaches over to grab my arm and pull me over to him.

"He's not good enough" he said and I stare at him. He moves my hair out of my face and leans down to kiss me. I hold onto his waist as our lips move in sync. I pull back and look at him and he stares at me. A little of me feels like I'm getting used. Like James has this control over me. He's allowed to do what he pleases but I'm so restricted. I turn around pushing my hair out of my face and leave the kitchen heading upstairs. I lay down on my moms bed as I waited for her to come out the shower. When she was out we discussed my prom colors. I had texted Mason a few times but he didn't respond to any of my messages.