?WINGLESS AND BEAUTIFUL?
?EPISODE 55 ?
“By the way, I have another favor I need to ask you
guys.”
“There it is!” Chaise said. “I knew there was a catch to
this.”
“Shut up,” Denise glared at him. Then she turned to me.
“I have some cousins coming over.
I need to take them out
of town for an overnight swim in a family-owned lake house.
Please come with me!”
“What do we have to do with your cousins?” Chaise
asked.
“Actually, I’m not asking you, but if your presence there
will make it easier to convince Alice to come, then I will
endure it!”
“Why can’t you handle your own cousins?” I asked.
“Yeah, really. I’m sure they couldn’t be any worse than
Hunter Vaughn,” Chaise quipped.
“We were close when we were growing up. But we
haven’t seen each other in a long time.
I would be very uncomfortable. And besides, I entertained a whole school delegation for almost two weeks. I’m tired. I could use some help on this one too.”
Denise looked desperate. After all the favors she did for
me, this seemed like a small favor in return.
“Okay,” I said. I turned to Chaise. “We could use your
help too.”
Chaise sighed. “Okay, you know I can’t say no to you.
And besides, it would be better if I’m there to make sure
nothing bad happens to you.”
Denise smiled “Great! You didn’t have to bring your
guard dog, Alice. But still, I’m so glad you said yes.”
I laughed while Chaise glared at her. My days would sure
be boring without witnessing these two murder each other
with their words.
Chaise dropped Denise off first and then he drove to my
house.
“Isn’t your aunt home?” Chaise asked. He was looking at
my house. It was completely dark inside.
“She’s still at work.”
“You’re gonna be alright on your own?”
“Sure. Our house doesn’t really scream luxury. Breaking
in would be a complete waste of time.”
I hopped off the car. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Call me if anything happens, okay?”
I nodded. “Night, Chaise.”
I walked towards the porch and opened the front door.
Before I went in, I noticed a white SUV parked opposite our
house. I could hear the faint sound of the engine, like
somebody was inside, but all the lights were completely off.
I hadn’t seen that car in our neighborhood before. And I
knew that the house opposite us was vacant. The car didn’t
fit quite right in our neighborhood because it looked
expensive.
After getting ready for bed, I took Hunter’s diary out
from my bag. It had been a while since I wrote anything on
it. Since finding out about Tania, I couldn’t find the strength to write anything to him.
He had asked me to keep this diary when he was blind, when I thought he really cared for me.
But he felt like a completely different person to me now.
The boy I met in CRC was flawed but beautiful. And he loved me. The boy I see now was perfect but full of anger and arrogance.
He didn’t want to remember our time together at all. And apparently, there was another girl in his past that he forgot to tell me about.
I took my pen and started writing.
Dear Hunter,
If I could shout at you now, I would.
If I could hit you over and over so you would feel the
same pain I feel right now, I would.
If I could show you how angry and hurt I am, I would.
But I couldn’t…
I couldn’t…
I couldn’t…
The boy I used to know had gone to a place I couldn’t
reach him. And I was reduced to a memory he would rather
forget.
Before we come to an end, I wish I could shout at you,
hit you, show you how mad I am right now. But even if I
could, I don’t think you would hear… or feel… or see.
Tears ran down my cheeks. I hugged Hunter’s diary in
my chest and I cried myself to sleep.
The next day, Meredith was calling me at six in the
morning. She left her key and asked me to open the door for
her.
“Good morning,” I greeted her sleepily.
“Thank you so much!” She kissed my cheek. “I’m sorry
to disturb your sleep. I know you’re pretty tired with the
concert last night.”
Before I closed the front door, I noticed that the white
SUV was still there.
“Was the house in front of us rented out already?” I
asked Meredith.
“No. I still saw the ‘For Rent’ sign at the front yesterday.
Why?”
“Nothing,” I replied. “So how was work?”
“Great! Exciting stuff going on. How about you?”
“It was great!” I told her everything that happened
during the concert.
“I’ll bet you felt really good,” she beamed. “I would have given anything to see you perform on stage.”
“It’s okay, Mer. Someday, who knows?” I smiled at her.
“I could sing for a living.”
“You have to go to college. You can sing on the side, but
my sister’s dream is for you to get a degree. I won’t fail
her.”
“But you know it’s expensive, right? I need to work too.”
“Maybe you’ll get a scholarship. You can work on the side, and I will help. Don’t worry. We’ll manage.”
She gave me a hug. I suppressed the tears because I
really felt bad for Meredith. I knew in my heart that she
deserved a better life than this.
She was not even a decade
older than me, and she was taking full responsibility for the messed-up eighteen-year-old her sister left behind.
I hugged her back. “I promise, Mer. Give me a bit of
time. You won’t have to carry this burden all by yourself.”
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