The Next Best Thing: Part II

Sixteen

"I think we can stop calling her that now," he responded. "She's not a kid anymore. Not after last night especially."

"Aidan, what did you do?"

"Zoe, baby? Just relax.  Nothing happened, I swear," he laughed, and I heard Lily telling him to put me on speaker phone. I was already so done with that conversation.
I heard him shuffling back to the bed and sitting down, passing his phone down to her.

"Hi, Zo. How are you?" she asked brightly.

"Lily. I'm okay, thanks for asking," I murmured. It had already taken a wrong turn to uncomfortable territory and I'd rather not have had that conversation.

"Awesome. Firstly, just to clarify, I didn't sleep with Aidan. You know he wouldn't take advantage of me like that-"

"Of course he wouldn't," he reiterated.

"Shut up, you. I kinda drank him under the table last night. He didn't want me to be completely hungover for my last recital today. I let him bring me back here to sober up. We fell asleep eating oatmeal but don't worry because he slept in the bathtub," she clarified. I believed her and I trusted Aidan, thank goodness.

"She made me sleep in the tub, Zo," he whined. I heard Lily scold him exactly like her older sister and I couldn't be prouder. I guess this mutual love-hate thing ran in the family.

"Is Min okay?" She put me off speaker, concern ringing out in her voice. "I know what's going on and I want to make sure you're taking care of her."

I wasn't sure how much she knew about her sister's current situation so I answered in general terms. She told me she would be flying over that night before handing Aidan his phone, wishing me a good day.

Lily embodied politeness, radiating perfect mannerisms. Ironically, she was a badass who opposed her mother more than Min, although she the apple of Mrs. K's steely cold eyes.

"I seriously hope you're okay, Zo. That's what's important right now, your wellbeing."

"Thank you," I replied. "Goodbye, wise one."

I woke up to Min jumping on my bed to wake me up at what must have been 7 a.m.

"My house is being decorated today! We have the place to ourselves effective tonight," she grinned. "Also, Lily called me earlier and she was saying how she has to see me, no matter what our mother dictated. She said you two spoke?"

We had, but I didn't think it was my place to explain. "She wanted to make sure you were okay," I said, summing up the conversation.

Min told me we would have to pick her up from the airport early the next morning and we could have breakfast and talk. "I want you to come with me for moral support. I'm telling her I'm pregnant."

I assured her I would be there before kicking her out and ordering her to pack up her few belongings.

"Oh, Zo? You're taking me to my mom's in thirty, okay? I love you!" she squealed from the hallway.

We called the penthouse from the front desk of the Kanagawa's apartment when we arrived. Seeing as Min wasn't allowed to go in without the knowledge of her parents, Mr. Huxley informed us of these changes when we were heading to an elevator.

"Ms. Kanagawa, I'm afraid I can't let you go up without any authorization," he shouted into the foyer.

Some of the residents hanging around waiting for their drivers gave us an eyeful, looking the least bit sympathetic. More like annoyed by our presence. Most were Min's family friends - I was appalled by their behaviour.

"Min darling, I hope you've come to your senses and broken it off with your outcast summer fling and you're ready to finally grow up, dear," Mrs. Blunt said to her, a sickly sweet smile pasted on her Botoxed face. She was the co-founder of one of Min's mom's charities and her best fake friend.

"Good morning to you too, ma'am," I replied for Min, ushering her to the elevator. Carla had picked up and she allowed us to go in, only because she loved Min like a daughter and thought her mom was a heartless bitch.

"I missed you girls so much," she said, greeting us with open arms. "They left with Lily to her last recital and they'll be arriving tomorrow night. You have the whole day to get whatever you want."

"Thanks, Carla. I just don't want you to get fired," Min said, concerned about her caregiver.

"You girls are young women now. I can safely say my work is done. I'll always cherish the twenty-one years I spent here," she grinned.

Carla basically raised Min and Lily, being there for them through their first periods to their first boyfriends to Min's first time.

She scolded them in Spanish and admonished them in Japanese. "Your mom would be disgusted if she heard your fluent Spanish and shaky mother language," she would say in Spanish with a laugh. Her bad ass attitude rubbed off on the girls who called her mama for almost ten years.

We packed up all Min's and my belongings still remaining in the house, leaving only the items which could have been considered stolen and used against us in a court of law. I wouldn't expect anything less from Mrs. Kanagawa. It took under two hours to find and stash everything we had, all the while Carla prepared breakfast for us.

"It's the least I could do. I miss having you guys eat my food."

Min tackled the meal, eating her weight on the two plates she requested. That received a suspicious look from Carla who had no idea her baby was eating for two now. She would figure it out eventually.

Carla called Keenan, the family's driver, to pick us up, refusing us to leave in a cab with all our stuff. She was scared for our safety, two young girls with valuable belongings on the rough NYC streets. Our bags were brought down for us and we left the building armed with packed homecooked food Carla knew we missed.

Snotty nosed Mrs. Blunt saw us on the way out, her body cringing at the sight of us. I wouldn't expect any less from the resident queen of mean, Mrs. K being the ruthless king.