A Lost & Stubborn Middle (HS) [BOOK II]

3. I Don't Need Him

Chapter Three.
Anastasia Point of View:

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"Dinner was delicious mom," I say after I finish the roast with mash potatoes, corn, and macaroni and cheese.

Her brown eyes lightens at the compliment. "Thank you so much darling, I made all your favorites."

A smile reaches my lips. "Anything you make mom is my favorite."

She waves her hand at me. "You are being too kind stop it."

"What have you been up to in the last three years?" My father chimes in and I flicker my eyes towards his blues.

"I have been going to college, got my associates degree for publishing so I can get this intern job for Jakrivers publishing, in the fall of this year I'll be going back to get my bachelors." I tell him and his eyes widen.

"Wow, how were you able to afford it?" He inquires.

"I worked at this cafè and got some financial aide help." I respond.

"Well, for the next semester you need to tell us because we have savings for you and Alice." My mother says.

"Oh, I didn't know that." I look down at my food.

"You could have if you wouldn't have disappeared." Alice mumbles as she takes a bite of her food and my mother gasps while my father hisses her name.

I knew one of them were going to be bitter about me leaving them— I also knew it was going to be Alice. My parents are too kind and forgiving and understanding to hold grudges or to make me feel terrible for leaving them for three years with only texts and few phone calls to keep us intact. I knew Alice's happiness about me being here was momentary until all the anger she had towards me settled in. I knew she wanted me here and she was happy I was here, but she wasn't happy with how I did things and that's understandable.

"I know," Is all I say.

My eyes avert to Harry who was already staring back at me and his eyes just watch me curiously as he use to do before.

It brought me back to when we all use to eat here, when him and Alice were together, and I was in love with him and he didn't give me the time of day. I miss those days when I wasn't stuck in some kind of Harry drama, but I am also glad we're all pass that and I don't have to be stuck in that sadness and pain. It was such a dark period in my life and even though I am still struggling, my redemption process not being vast at all— I was still better than how I was before and that's a good victory to celebrate.

"I'm sorry," She sighs. "It was just a hurtful thing for you to do to us all. You had mother crying for you and father thinking he did something wrong for you to just di-"

"Alice." My fathers voice was filled with warning.

"She needs to hear this dad. We can't act like it was okay for her to do something like that to us. We were a family and you don't just abandoned family." She stands her ground.

I listen to her, no anger in my body for her and her words, only regret and sorrow. I knew she was speaking out of hurt too more than anger and I understand completely where she was coming from. As much as I felt like they left me at my darkest moment, I also didn't give them the chance for them to make it better and just shut them out. They were a reminder of my past, that I didn't want to go down again, and I was a coward and left them.