Choosing You

Chapter 5 💃🏼

Elise Layton 👠

I wake up on Saturday morning and stare blankly at my white ceiling. I really need to ask Aunt Donna and Uncle Max if I can decorate my room. I need to add my own touch if I'm going to be staying here for a while.

Thoughts of all the people I've met while I've been here flood through my mind and I smile. My time here so far has been mental, but it's trivial things i'm dealing with here.

Back in London things got too serious; too quickly. It was real and it was a nightmare. I think of my ex-boyfriend Dan and the things he got me to do. The things he told me I should be doing if I really loved him. The memories make me nauseous every time.

I was so naive in the beginning and then I had no choice but to grow up fast...too fast.

I shake my head in an attempt to get the memories to leave my mind and I flip the duvet cover back.

I take a shower, dry and curl my long blonde hair and start hunting through my unpacked clothes. I decide on a pair of black denim shorts, a white off the shoulder top and white converse. Once i've applied a light later of make-up I head downstairs for breakfast.

Jack's sitting at the kitchen island while my Aunt Donna cooks bacon and my Uncle Max scans the newspaper.

"Morning everyone." I say, announcing my presence.

"Morning Elise." My Aunt Donna replies. My Uncle gives me a wave over his newspaper and Jack sits there smirking.

"Why are you smirking at me, little cousin?" I ask him and he raises his eyebrows in amusement.

"Well, I got a message from a friend of mine last night. He said you turned up at the football game yesterday wearing Blake Coleman's jersey. Then he tells me that you had Vince Clark sitting with his arm around you and that a fight broke out because Kai Pierce was fighting Blake because you're his girl."

My Aunt Donna's eyes are hanging out of her head and my Uncle Max has finally put his beloved paper down.

"Well you know, Jack."

"Know what?" He asks, sounding unamused.

"Fake news." I tell him and get up from the table.

~*~

I leave the house and decide to go for a walk.  Birds are chirping in the neatly separated trees and the warm sun is shining. On a normal day I'd find my surroundings pleasant but I'm angry at Jack grassing on me, so I scowl at the birds and kick a tree on my way past.

As I'm passing Blake's house next door I see him sitting in a swing on the porch, with a woman who's quite plump, with short blonde hair.

"Hey Princess, you okay?" He asks as he spots me and I stop in my tracks.

"Hi Blake. How're you feeling today?" I ask him and frown, feeling guilt beginning to eat away at me.

Gosh, guilt is a awful thing.

"Sweetie, come on over here." The woman on the swing tells me.

I cautiously make my way over not knowing what to expect.

"Well you weren't kidding when you said this one was pretty." She says seriously and examining me with her eyes.

Blake lowers his head and covers his face in embarrassment, making me laugh.

"Elise, this is my mom Diane. Mom this is Elise Layton. You know I already told you she's Max and Donna Layton's niece."

"It's nice to meet the girl that finally caught my sons eye. I was starting to wonder if he was gay."