Lovely

Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Raise Absolute Hell 

"Lila, baby, I'm home!" Mom announces as she crashes through the front door of our tiny, sad one level house. We've been living here since the divorce, mom couldn't afford our old house on her own. Nursing isn't as lucrative as it used to be, apparently.

"I can see that," I respond as look up at her from the couch I've been perched on for the past two hours watching the season premiere of The Bachelor, about six feet away from the door she just crashed through.

"If I wasn't in such a good mood you'd be grounded for that attitude, Delilah," I roll my eyes, a perfect example of the 'attitude' that always almost gets me grounded. Mom can't ground me, she's never been able to. She can barely yell at me, it's just who she is.

"Well, what do I owe for the good mood?" I ask, knowing that she was baiting me so she could talk about her date with the surgeon that she's been seeing for the past year. I've only met him a handful of times, but it's been enough to know that the guy is an asshole. He's pretentious and hopefully, mom will come to her senses and kick him to the curb sooner rather than later.

"Steven proposed!" Her shrill squeal echoes through our small living room as I try not to let the bile stirring in my stomach rise into my throat.

"And what did you say?" I ask once I'm convinced that my bile is going to stay right where I want it to.

Instead of a reply, she lifts her left hand that had been devoid of a ring for almost two years. Sadly, a new diamond occupies the finger that my dad's used to. This one is larger and shinier than the modest stone my dad gave to her twenty years ago. This one makes me sick as I think about the change it is going to represent in both her life and my own.

"Isn't it gorgeous!" She sounds like a teenager talking about her first boyfriend. She brings her hand to her face and studies the twinkle of the diamond from the light of the bachelor.

I'm still in shock, not able to comprehend this change that my mother just forced upon the both of us. She knows how I feel about Steven and yet she agreed to marry him anyway. I know that sounds selfish, but it's not just her life that she is affecting here. I'm seventeen- I have to live with this too.

"Lila, say something. Aren't you excited?" She sounds hurt, but I can't really concern myself with that. I'm hurt that she's abandoning my parents' marriage this easy. I always kind of thought that they would get back together. They were always so in love and then one day they just- weren't. Dad told me he had to go on a business trip and he just never came back. But now when he comes back she'll be married to Steven and playing house with a new family and he'll be left behind.

"I should go to bed, I need to be at school early tomorrow- we're getting ready for state," I don't give her time for a reply as I lift myself off the couch and head straight for the yellow door at the end of the small hallway.

I can't do this.

"I don't blame your mom Lila, if Steven is half as hot as his son I'd be all over that. Plus he's a surgeon," Mae Simmons is a curious person. She has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. She held my hand through every hardship in my life.

"Gross Mae, he's like fifty. And his son is not hot- he's a complete douchebag and total jerk," I scoff as I pull a top on over my sports bra and some jeans on over my spandex. Mae and I are a both apart of the dance team at my school. Unlike the cheer team, the dance team is small and really hard to get on. Dancing, however, is a lot less socially acceptable than cheerleading is. You only get told so many times that you're going to grow up to be a stripper before you decide that you hate the quarterback and his plastic cheerleading minions. Unfortunately for me, the quarterback is going to be my stepbrother, well him along with his four younger brothers- one of which is a sophomore jackass in training.

"Whatever, all I know is that sleepovers at yours are about to get way more interesting," Mae says with a laugh as we both close our gym lockers, grab our bags, and head out into the busy hallway of our school full of teenagers ready to start their day in hell.

"Hey! Wait up!" I stop and turn at the sound of the voice calling after me as I walk to my car in the practically empty parking lot after school. Only the athletes who have to practice and the geniuses who have to prove their worth on the debate team and quiz bowl.

"What?" I turn and cross my arms over my minimal chest, placing my best frown on face. Honestly, it comes naturally when I have to talk to him. He's just that kind of person- the kind of person that incites frowns.

"Our parents are getting married," He says it like its supposed to be brand new information. Quite frankly, I'm surprised he's talking to me in public. The only times that he has ever been civil to me is at dinners with our parents or the one-time mom made me go over to Steven's house for 'forced family bonding' when she decided that her relationship was serious with Steven.

"I know, mom told me last night. Did you need something?" My voice trails off as I try to end this conversation with my future step-monster, that's what I call Steven's sons.

"Aren't you pissed? It's ridiculous, right?" Nolan's voice gets significantly louder, causing people to turn to look at us in the parking lot- including Asher Gregs, the guy I've been crushing on since the ninth grade. He's hot and smart- and completely uninterested in me. It's been four years and I don't think he even knows I exist.

"Would you keep your voice down, you're attracting attention and I really don't need to put needless gossip on the list of things going wrong in my life right now," I turn back to see if we're still being watched and I swear Asher is looking right at me for the first time since ninth grade. His gorgeous brown eyes stare right into mine as I gape at him like a fish out of water.

"Delilah you don-"

"Lila, it's just Lila,"

"Whatever, Lila, aren't you pissed off that in two weeks you have to move into my house?" Now that is news to me. Mom never mentioned that we'd be moving- I figured we would eventually, but not so soon. It's not like my mom to keep something like this from me- especially if it's common knowledge to everyone else.

"Yeah, I'm pissed off, but that's not going to do anyone any good. I'll see you Friday night at dinner," I don't give him a chance to talk more before I turn and keep walking towards my car, ignoring the beautiful brown eyed boy watching me with a curious expression as I walk angrily away from the football star I've never talked to in public before. I just need to get home and find out if I'm really moving into the "Blackwood Manor" in two weeks, and raise absolute hell about it.