Not Thinkin' Bout You

Chapter 20

PREVIOUSLY: "No, it's alright. You can call me Ell," she added quietly. Jonah's face turned to the screen, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"OK."

After FaceTiming Jonah for half an hour in her bedroom, Ellody decided she should try and face her mum. She hadn't told anyone about her results except for Jonah - her mum was going to freak out, and Sienna would hold it over her head for the rest of eternity. The girl slowly got out of bed, hiding her test paper under her pillow to be safe.

"Ellody! Mum says you have to get off your laptop," Sienna's muffled voice called from where she guessed was the bottom of the stairs.

"Coming," Ellody replied, opening the door of her room and closing it behind her. She didn't want to lie to her mum over and over, but it was all she could do to keep it in.

"Mum also wants to hear you brag about how good you did on that test," Sienna added as Ellody walked slowly down the stairs. Her heart sank, like a timer had been set, counting down to her next lie. She glared at the floor, dragging her feet to the kitchen, where her mum was waiting and stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce.

"Hey honey, ready for dinner? It'll be a couple more minutes," she smiled, staring blindly into the spice rack.

"I organised the spices in alphabetical order, if that helps," Ellody commented, heaving herself onto the kitchen bench and dangling her legs over the side.

"Got it," her mum exclaimed, snatching the shaker from the cupboard and flicking open the lid. "Now, tell me about your day," she added. Ellody glanced at her reflection in the recently cleaned fridge, unable to believe what she was about to say, even though the words were on her tongue.

"Well, it was a pretty normal day. I got my test results back... I got an A," she mumbled, looking away from her own reflection. The betrayal was set in her heart now, and she couldn't go back. She wouldn't.

"Congratulations! I feel like we never celebrate your good grades enough, you know. How about we go out to dinner? I'll invite your dad if you like!" the woman suggested cheerfully. Ellody gulped, the combined thought of celebrating her lie and seeing her dad again mixing inside her like soft drink and a mint... she wanted to throw up, but her mum was watching her carefully, so she rearranged her face into delight.

"That'd be good. Dad might be busy, though - I don't mind if we go as just us three," Ellody suggested. The woman shook her head, reaching for her phone.

"I'll see if he's good for tomorrow night. That way, he can see how well you're doing with me," she added smugly, and Ellody realised this wasn't about her; it was about her mum proving to her dad that she could raise them without him.

"Fine," Ellody sighed, disgust at herself brewing away in the bottom of her stomach.

~

"That's gotta be him," Sienna whispered, closing the gap between the girl's shoulders. Ellody's breath caught in her throat as she waited for the car door to open. The view from the stair window was perfect; a perfect view of the carport, with a large tree next to it in which the girls climbed up if they came home after curfew. "Look, someone's getting out of the car."

Ellody's eyes moved to the driver's door, which was suddenly thrown open as a man emerged from the car.

"That's him," Ellody breathed, eyes fixed on her dad. She wished a hole would open up in the ground and swallow him up so she didn't have to go to dinner and celebrate a lie.

"Girls! Your dad is here! Come say hello," their mum called from the front door. Ellody glanced at her older sister, who was slowly retreating up the stairs.

"Sienna, you can't hide from him forever," Ellody whispered frantically, her heart wanting to follow but her brain telling her not to.

"You know you want to come too," Sienna snapped, standing still on the stairs. Neither had called back to their mum, and the woman appeared on the bottom of the stairwell.

"Didn't you hear me?" she asked, and without waiting for an answer, she marched back to the front door to let the man in.

Ellody didn't want to see her dad. Years ago, her parents had decided that it would be better for everyone if he moved out. He was always home late from work, and he never spent time with her mum after the girls were born. She raised them herself, and Ellody looked up to her for that. She didn't understand why her mum wanted him in her and Sienna's lives. They both believed they were better off without him.

"Hello!" the woman exclaimed loudly as she opened the door.

"Oh, hey," their dad sighed, nodding. Ellody rolled her eyes, taking another step down the stairs. Sienna shot her a confused look, shaking her head slightly. Ellody raised her eyebrows and nodded. They played face charades for a few more seconds until Ellody turned away, deciding to be the bigger person. For now.

"Hi," Ellody muttered, trying to smile at him, but she couldn't meet his eyes. Every time her dad had visited, Zach had been there for her and talked her through it. Every single time. But now, she felt more distant from him than ever. All these mixed feelings for Jonah were getting in the way, and she didn't know how to feel about it.

"Ellody! How have you been? Congrats on the exam results!" he began, but Ellody couldn't help herself.

"Test. Not an exam."

He frowned and shrugged. "They're pretty much the same thing. Now, where's the other one?" Ellody turned back to the stairs, crouching down a little so that she could see Sienna's legs on the stairs. Her sister hesitated before slowly making her way down.

"Hello," Sienna sighed, not even making the effort to smile at him. Instead, she fixed her eyes on her feet, almost pretending he wasn't there.

"Sienna, what's wrong with you?" he said loudly, stepping forward to put a hand on her shoulder. Ellody watched as her sister flinched and walked back upstairs, shaking her head. Their mum shrugged, and Ellody knew that tonight was not going to be fun.