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The cold made it hard to sit still in the car. Even with the windows up and the heater on full blast, I was freezing. I pulled my jacket closer to my body and leaned my head against the fogged-up window in my dad’s BMW. I let out a sigh, feeling down about the bad stuff that’s happened to me in my seventeen years on this planet.
My dad cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence. “Talia,” my dad said to me through the rearview mirror. “Can we talk? I’m sorry.” I rolled my eyes and cranked up the volume on my tunes, making sure I couldn’t hear a word he was saying. I’m fed up with his “sorry” routine. He’s been trying to apologise to me for a week, but, to be honest, I’m not hearing it.
I was looking forward to getting to my mum’s house. Just thirty more minutes and I’ll be able to smile again. My dad was making me move in with my mum because of his new wife, Fiona, whom he wasn’t very nice to. She couldn’t stand me because she wanted my dad all to herself. More likely, she wanted his money for herself. Then I remembered her voice, which I find so irritating. “Just wait, you little brat. When your dad and I get married, you’ll be away. You’re going to move back with the person who made you.” My dad did give her everything she wanted, but I didn’t expect him to grant that one wish of hers. That really annoyed me. He chose her over his daughter. I know. What a dedicated, loving father.
I moved in with my dad because my mum was a hard worker. She was a renowned designer who created clothing for celebrities. Her brand, “Atria Luxe”, was a hit. Because of that, she was always on the go. She had to give up seeing her daughter every day because she paid for my tuition so that I could follow my dreams and open my own bakery. My dad disagreed with that. He reckoned I should be a surgeon, just like him. That was one of the reasons my parents are divorced. He wanted my older brother and me to live our lives the way my dad wanted.
Then my phone vibrated in my pocket and woke me up. I got out my mobile. ‘One new text message from: Brandon,” it said. I let out a sigh and opened the text message. “Hey, I miss you. I hope you can forgive me. I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you. I’m sorry. I love you.” I rolled my eyes again. This time, I was on the verge of crying. Another man I loved in my life let me down.
Brandon was my boyfriend. I really loved him. He had short, curly blonde hair and brown eyes. We were together for two years, and I always thought we would be together. I always thought we would’ve gotten married and had kids. But I was a bit silly to get involved with love. Look where it got me! My parents got divorced, with my dad leaving me and Brandon cheating on me with my best friend, Jenna. I felt uneasy just thinking about it.
Flashback *
I was on my way over to Brandon’s place to have a moan about how my dad chose Fiona over me. That was the day my dad told me I was going back to live with my mum. I was angry and crying. I turned onto Brandon’s street and pulled up in front of his house. There was another car there, and I knew right away that it was my best friend, Jenna’s, because of the Hello Kitty sticker on the bumper. She most likely came over to tell him about me moving.
I went in without knocking, like I normally do. I was heading up the stairs when I heard some moaning and grunting coming from upstairs. “Oh my gosh, Brandon! Faster,” someone said, sounding worried. I heard another moan. I knew that voice. That was Jenna.
At that moment, I felt like the whole world was turning against me. It felt like everyone I loved was stabbing me in the back. I really didn’t get why fate chose for it all to be on the same day. I could literally hear my heart breaking. But it wasn’t the time to think about that. I had to keep my chin up; I was strong. I wasn’t angry, I was infuriated. The moan from Jenna’s mouth sent me stomping up the stairs and barging into Brandon’s room. My heart broke some more.
I saw Jenna’s red hair sticking out from under Brandon. Brandon looked back at me at the doorway, horrified. They both jumped to their feet. “Oh, why did you guys stop? It was getting to the good part,” I said, my voice dripping with venom. They were trying to find their clothes, which were scattered all over the floor. I saw Jenna’s bra and threw it at her. “You might find this useful.” Her face was red.
“Tali, it’s not what it looks like,” Brandon said. I laughed and rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Oh yeah, let me guess.” I stopped and made a big show of it. “You guys decided to get to know each other like I had been insisting all this time,” I said. They both jumped a bit. Jenna was looking at the ground and she didn’t say a word the whole time. Something she did a lot when she was scared. “Jenna, I’m shocked. We’ve been friends since the first grade!” I yelled. I looked at Brandon. “And you, I loved you.” I turned on my heel and stalked out of the house. Brandon kept on yelling my name, telling me to come back and saying how much he was sorry and how much he loved me.
End of Flashback*
I was a happy, carefree, bright person who thought love was the most amazing thing in the world. I used to go to parties, hook up with my boyfriend, make new friends, and do the unthinkable. I used to love sky diving, surfing, and riding the most terrifying rides at the amusement park. Now, I’m sad, serious and a bit dull. Now, I prefer staying at home watching reruns of Pretty Little Liars, eating tubs of Ben & Jerry’s strawberry ice cream, and trying to avoid my social life. Most importantly, I don’t believe in falling in love.
“Tali!” My mum yelled and ran out of the house, giving me a big hug. I almost fell from the impact. I couldn’t help laughing when she smothered my face with kisses and tears streamed down her face. Her perfume hit my nose and I instantly relaxed. I let out a sigh of contentment. I just knew my mum would never betray me. She’d never give up on me. I actually smiled for the first time in days. I felt so safe in her arms. “You’ve grown so much! I missed you!”
“Mom, you saw me two weeks ago.” I laughed and sighed again. “I missed you, too,” I said, serious. My dad cleared his throat and I looked pretty unimpressed. What did he want this time? I turned around and shot a dirty look at my dad, but he just smiled at me. I gave him a look and he just turned to smile at my mother.
“Serena, you look great as always,” my dad said. It was true. My mother looked stunning. She’s 43, but she looks like she’s still in her early thirties. Her long, straight, dark brown hair was tied into a tight ponytail, and she was wearing a black dress that hugged her body really nicely. Her high cheekbones went well with her black eyes and her red lipstick made her look professional, but still nice. I looked just like her, except my hair was slightly curled at the bottom, making it look like I’d curled it with a curling iron, and my eyes were green, just like my dad’s. I’d be fibbing if I said I wasn’t a good-looking guy. It was in my blood, and most of my family were models.
“Cheers, Thomas. I’ve got a meeting in an hour,” she moaned, looking at her watch. “I’m really sorry to leave Tali, who’s just arrived, but I’ve got to go.” She looked at me apologetically. “I’m sorry. I really hoped I wouldn’t be swamped today. I hope you don’t mind, but it’s going to be held in the house.” I glanced at the mansion my mum called home. It was gorgeous, of course. She was worth a lot, but she didn’t take it for granted. It was two stories high. There were twelve bedrooms, ten bathrooms, one huge kitchen, a dining room, a living area, a workout area, my mother’s workshop, a basement, an attic, and finally a huge meeting room for when she has meetings for her job inside.
I shook my head and smiled at my mum. “Mum, this is your house. Chill out. I get it.” She smiled at me. I saw Mabel, one of my mum’s cleaners, coming outside and I went over to her and gave her a hug. She was like my Aunt. She had short, curly grey hair and was quite short and stocky. She had a massive grin on her face that made her whole face light up. “Aunt Mabel, how are you doing?”
“Oh, I’m doing fine. Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. How are you doing?” She smiled, trying to smooth out her hair. I thought I’d make your favourite southern pot pie to cheer you up.
“I’m doing OK. I could probably do better. Oh, I’m really looking forward to eating that.” I was salivating at the thought of her famous pot pie. She laughed at my expression.
“Hey Mabel, great to see you again!” My dad jumped in again, interrupting my convo. He gave me a look that said it all. “Tali, can we talk?”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I said, shrugging. “Mom, I’ll see you inside,” I said, as I went into the house.
My mother looked concerned. She had her hands clasped together in front of her. She started fidgeting with her thumbs and biting her lip. She did that a lot when she was really focused or nervous. I started making my way towards the front door, with Mabel following me and rubbing my back to calm me down.
I was frozen in place when he said my full name: “Talia Grace Ainsley”. My back was still to him and I tensed up. Mabel saw what was going on and moved away from me. She knew that when I was tense, I was angry. And it’s not pretty when I’m angry, I assure you. “I thought you’d get it. You’re not a child anymore, Talia.” My dad sounded pretty angry. He was getting fed up with me, which made me even more annoyed.
“I get it. You love Fiona more than me.” I retched and went into the house without even looking back. I was on the verge of crying again. How much can a girl take? I was just one person, and I’d reached my limit with this nonsense. I was only seventeen and I shouldn’t be worrying about these things. I really wished I was normal. I wish my parents were still together, that my dad would take care of me and that my boyfriend loved me unconditionally. But I wasn’t normal. I was Talia Ainsley. I was a bit off the wall.
Half an hour later, my dad finally left. He tried to say goodbye, but I just ignored him. My mum left me with some Ben & Jerry’s strawberry ice cream before she went to her meeting. I really miss my brother. He would’ve been there for me and told my dad to back off. He would’ve protected me. He had a way of tickling me that would make me smile again.