Not Thinkin' Bout You

Chapter 56

PREVIOUSLY: He had forgotten how awful it was to be left on read. Usually, when Kay left him on read after an argument, it was nothing new. But Ellody's silence was new, and it was heart-wrenching.

ZACH: i know i'm an awful texter bc i always leave ppl on read but i'm not used to being left on read pls reply

~

ELLODY'S POV:

She couldn't bring herself to text him back. Lucy had to leave early because her mum got home from work early and realised she wasn't home - apparently, Lucy's parents were really strict and unforgiving, which really sucked. But that left her alone in the living room with a phone in her hands and a heavy heart.

An idea struck her, and she speed-walked to the door that looked like a closet but led to the basement as her phone buzzed, texts from an anxious Zach flooding through. Turning her phone to silent, Ellody opened the piano lid and found the YouTube tutorial to keep practising.

Minutes turned to hours, and the time flew past. Someone knocked on the basement door and called to her that dinner was ready, so she slowly made her way upstairs, turning off the faint light on the way up. There were muffled voices on the other side of the door, and Ellody wished she didn't have to see her sister. She almost wished Tate and Christina would go home so she could have her room back. Almost.

"I literally love Gabbie's merch, though. It's so pretty, and it's not just her face on a shirt," Sienna said as Ellody closed the basement door behind her.

"Me too, it spreads a nice message. She's honestly beautiful, I'm so glad she and Jack met," Sienna smiled. Ellody took her seat at the dining room table as her mum placed a large pot of pumpkin soup and a loaf of tiger bread in the middle of the table.

"It's a pretty simple dinner tonight, girls. Pumpkin soup and yummy tiger bread," the woman smiled, pouring everyone a glass of water.

"Thanks, mum, looks amazing," Sienna commented.

"Yeah, better than the gas station pizza of last night," Tate added, taking a sip of water.

"Wait, what? I thought you went to the diner last night," her mum frowned, pausing from cutting the bread to stare at Sienna.

"We were going to," Sienna began, "but it was closed for renovations. So we thought we'd have a picnic by the lake and get Chinese. But the Chinese place was really busy, and our order wouldn't be ready for another hour, so we got gas station pizza and watched the sunset." Sienna beamed at their mum as though she had the best ideas, and the look on their mum's face made Ellody want to laugh.

"I can't believe you'd get that greasy junk instead of coming home! You could've unfrozen a lasagna, or..." she stuttered. Sienna and Ellody rarely had a meal that wasn't either from a nice takeaway place or homemade unless they were with other people, since their mum had something against them eating 'untrustworthy' food.

"It's OK, mum. We're not dead," Sienna shrugged, taking a piece of bread and dipping it straight in the pot.

"Let's tuck in," Christina suggested, taking a glass and chugging the water.

"How is Tucker?" Tate asked, grinning.

Ellody ignored the conversation about Christina's dog, scooping soup into her bowl and slowly eating. Her phone buzzed in her pocket again, and Ellody excused herself to the bathroom to go check it, and maybe reply to Zach. If she had the guts.

"I'll be right back," Ellody muttered as she walked upstairs to use the bathroom. Privacy was not guaranteed in her room anymore, since the girls were too lazy to move their beds to Sienna's room.