Come Home • cel

Chapter 2

The next day, my father officially announced his remarriage. Clara swore  the whole morning and argued with dad. It got really overwhelming and I just wanted to cry. I dialed Josh's number and asked him out. We met up at the Light Beyond the Dark (that's what I named Josh's secret 'hideout'). Josh listened to me pour my heart out and hugged me while I cried.

By the end of it all, I felt a lot better. The next few weeks were crazy. My dad was getting married in 3 months, my sister was barely came home anymore and school wasn't getting any better either. People had started to gossip about me. Though I didn't hear it personally, I could feel it. Every time I walk down the corridors, everyone would just suddenly stop their whispering and avoid my eyes. Some bolder ones chose to stare me down instead. It felt absolutely awful to be singled out like that. Tears always threatened to pour out of my eyes if I wasn't careful. How did the smart, elegant, popular Queen Bee end up like this?

My meetings with Josh became more and more frequent. We'd meet at our hideout immediately after school and talk until Josh had to go home. He never complained. Instead, he stayed by my side and wiped my tears till the tears stopped coming.

Three months went by quickly. My father's wedding would be held the next day. Annabelle, or Miss Ashby, as dad ordered us to call her, had been staying over the whole week. Annabelle was definitely not someone I'd want as a mom. She was bossy, braggart and luxurious. On top of all that, Annabelle also had absolutely no love for Clara and I. She's only marrying my father for his money. How many times had I warned him? How many times had he told me I was being stupid?

That night, Annabelle was causing a huge commotion in our house. I was always in charge of preparing dinner and that night, I had cooked up a simple spaghetti. When Annabelle saw my spagetti at dinnertime, she adamantly refused to eat it. Apparently, it was too simple and plain for her high-classed taste. She even threw out her whole plate of spaghetti right before my eyes. That was the last straw for me. I packed up a few sets of clothes and left the house, ignoring dad's pleas and Clara's yells. "I don't belong in that family," I thought as I walked along the sidewalk with nowhere to go, tears streaming down my face. Suddenly, rain started pouring down from the sky. People started running for cover, seeking shelter at the nearest building. I, however, continued to walk on, the rain drenching me from head to toe. My tears started flowing faster when I think about how screwed up my whole life was.

Finally, I reached a bench. I sat down with my head hung low, too tired to walk any further. The rain mixed with my tears and flowed into my mouth. It should have tasted horrible, but I tasted nothing at all. I sat there, on the bench, for awhile before the rain suddenly stopped. I could still hear it pouring, but I didn't feel the raindrop hitting my body. Weird. I to my right, into Josh's piercing blue eyes. They were filled with anxious concern and his arm held his only umbrella over my head, protecting me from the rain but letting himself get wet in the process. "Come over to my place. You don't want to catch a cold," he had said. I followed him home that night and met Kelly for the first time. She was a typical mother, couldn't stop worrying the moment we stepped into the house, both drenched. She would be the type of mother I'd prefer.

I stayed over at the Hyland's that night, chatting and laughing with Josh's sisters in their room. They weren't as bad as he made them to be, even lending me some clothing since mine were all wet. Josh came in to call us down for dinner after his shower and for the first time, I realised how his bright blonde hair made his beautiful blue eyes stand out clearly. He happened to turn towards me and I tried to advert my gaze as fast as I could, but he caught me staring. I swear I saw his cheeks turn slightly more pink.

That was the night I felt, for the first time, that perhaps we could be more than just friends.