Barbie Transformation

Oh this is bad.

Hunter drops me off at my normal house. He gives me a questioning look but doesn't ask any questions.

We've been in a comfortable silence this entire drive home and I'm thankful; I need to wrap my head around the fact that I do indeed love Hunter.

I love Hunter.

I've never loved anyone besides my brother Jasper (he left to New York for college). But this sort of love is different.

I don't know how to explain it but I do sense a sort of happy fulfilment. It's like the part I never had, has been attached safety in my heart by Hunter.

After our short goodbye and kiss, I walk up the stairs and close the front door behind me.

My mother is sitting at the dining room. She stands up quickly and looks in my direction nervously, "Where were you?" She asks softly and I sigh, "at a friend's" I reply nonchalantly.

It's a white lie. She doesn't need to know all of my business, besides, it's not like she loves me so much that she cares to look for me.

My mother's hand rests on her heart in relief, "thank goodness, I thought..." Carol begins but halts the conversation when she realises what she was about to say.

"What? You thought that Max was going to kidnap me, again?" I ask in a subtle tone and she winces from the intensity of the word 'again'.

She doesn't say anything so I just roll my eyes, "Whatever...I'm upstairs. And by the way, Carol, if you really were worried about me, you would have texted me at least." I spit and immediately regret it when I see her eyes go a little glassy. I know it was disrespectful to call her Carol but I can't necessarily call her my mother if she doesn't treat me like a daughter.

Right?

I thought so.

"Jasper is coming today! He's staying for the week!" She shouts from downstairs.

Alright, so right about now you're probably wondering about my brother Jasper, right? He's two and a half years older than me (19) and he's a complete jerk but I love him. My dad adored him and never laid a finger on him. When my parents divorced, Jasper wanted to live with me but my dad wouldn't allow it. Jasper was forced to live with Max in another apartment until he left for college. Of course, we still went to the same school, but everything was different.

Before our parents were divorced, my brother and I were inseparable; best friends. But in middle school we drifted due to the separation of my parents and only became acquaintances.

Jasper moved to New York for college, but not before saying goodbye to me. My dad hated when we were together. I never understood why; probably because he was jealous that we had a better loving friendship than him and mother? Who knows.

Jasper hardly comes to visit us. But I do remember when Jasper turned eighteen, before he went to college. About a month or so after his birthday, he was so furious. He was so angry. He ran away from my dad's apartment and started cursing at my mom. He was angry as fuck.

No one told me why. I knew there were some secrets that I didn't know, but even when I did ask what was happening, no one told me the truth.

Jasper didn't know I was sitting in the lounge when he was yelling at mom. I didn't really know what they were saying because I was listening to music trying to block out their awful shouting but I managed to lip read most of the curse words coming from Jasper's mouth. Carol was crying. When I finally took my earphones off and walked up to Jasper, he was furious and even had tears in his eyes.

He hugged me and left.

After that, Jasper visited me every month or so; as much as he could, but I've always understood that he has too much coursework to visit us every weekend.