Sorry, this took so long, guys. Chapters might be less because of school starting up (ugh, kill me slowly, lol :lol: ). Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 23
Nadia had been quite since we left Vaughn’s. I wasn’t concerned, though. It seemed like she was more thoughtful then upset. I decided it would be best if I let her think things through before I stepped in with my own comments. She was the first to initiate conversation, though. She turned to me.
“Thanks, Sydney,” she said, leaning across the car to hug me.
Wow, what a new experience!
I returned the gesture, even if it was a completely new situation for me.
She pulled back with the first, real, genuine smile I had seen on her face for a while now.
“What are you thanking me for? I didn’t do anything.”
“Are you kidding?! That whole afternoon opened up my eyes to this whole crazy situation. Mia made me feel better about the entire thing.” She paused. “I’m really glad you found Vaughn, and not just because he has a great mom who’s helping me, but because I can tell that for once you seem really happy.”
I didn’t say anything, knowing that what Nadia said was completely true. “So you approve, then?”
Nadia smiled. “Did it ever matter if I didn’t?”
I laughed. “No, not really.”
We fell into a silence, as our laughter died down. We sat there for a while, sorting through our own thoughts. I decided it was best to ask the question that had been sitting in the back of my mind since I heard the news.
I turned to face my sister. My heart was pounding. I could feel the blood flowing to my finger tips.
“Nadia?”
She turned to look at me, noticing the serious gaze I was giving her.
“Who’s the father?”
She immediately tensed, and turned away from me to look out the car window. She was silent. How I hated the sound.
“Ricky,” was her only word, but that was all I needed to hear for my heart to immediately constrict. This time I was the one who was silent. How could my sister get mixed up with someone like that?
I could see Nadia looking at me from the corner of my eye.
“Sydney?”
I still didn’t say anything, but looked her straight in the eye, willing her to tell me it wasn’t true. She didn’t.
“Does he know?’ I asked finally.
“Yes. I told him last week.”
I nodded, trying to absorb the horrifying realization that my sister was having Ricky Matterson’s child.
“So, what does this mean?” It sounded like such a stupid question even in my own head, but it was all I could think to say.
“It means he’s an idiot who denies the whole thing,” she told me bluntly. “Which I actually think is better, considering he would just make things more complicated.”
“How can you say that, Nadia? You can’t do this by yourself!”
“Sydney, think about it. You think he would be any help to me. I can do this, and I will do this” she said, determined.
Her new optimism on the situation surprised me. Mia must have really given her an encouraging talk. I reminded myself to thank her endlessly. Nadia needed my support right now; not my criticism.
“Yes, you can do this. We can do this,” I told her firmly.
She reached across the car and hugged me tight once more.
~*~*~*
“What!”
I pulled the phone away from my ear. “Vaughn, calm down.”
“Ricky! I’ll kill him!”
“We don’t need this to get any more out of hand then it already is, so you won’t do anything!”
He knew better than to argue with me. “Fine,” he mumbled, not sounding pleased.
“Aren’t you mad about it, though?” he asked
“I can’t do anything about it, so I might as well accept it.”
“I could hit him a few times if that would help at all,” he said, hopefully.
I laughed at the anticipation in his tone. “Vaughn, you can’t beat up the guy. You’ll kill him!”
“Oh, confidence booster there, Syd!” he said.
I laughed. “So, you’re actually ok with this?’ he asked, changing the tone of his voice more serious
I loved how he was so concerned for me all the time. “I’m fine, Vaughn.. I’m more worried about Nadia, though.”
“Does she seem really upset?”
“She actually seems all right.”
“Well, then what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” I said, tucking piece of hair behind my ear. “I just know if it was me, I wouldn’t be ok.”
He agreed.
“Sydney!” My mother called up the stairs, while I was in mid-sentence with Vaughn.
“I’ve got to go. My mom’s calling me. I’ll see you tomorrow, all right?”
“Yup, after school I’ll meet you.”
I quickly hung up the phone, so I could answer my mom’s call.
I ran down the stairs. “Yes, mother,” I said politely when I saw her waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me.
“I need to talk to you,” she said. That didn’t sound too good. She walked towards the living room, while smoothing out her skirt. I walked into the room with apprehension flooding through my body.
The table was covered in papers, all of which looked like bills. I didn’t know what this had to do with me, but it didn’t look good by the look on my mom’s face. I knew that expression all to well.
“Sit down,” she told me, indicating to the chair at the dining room table.
Why did it feel like I was going off to be executed?
She was quite for a moment, as she examined the papers in front of her once more. She folded her hands once she was done reading, and looked up into my confused eyes.
“Sydney, I’ve noticed lately that you’ve been spending a lot of time on the phone.”
I didn’t know what to say. Sure, I was, but I didn’t think my mom would notice. The papers on the table must have been phone bills. The woman was crazy, I swear.
“Um, I guess,” was the only answer I could think to respond with.
“I want to know who you’ve been talking with.”
Oh my god, I didn’t expect her to notice the change in my life, but apparently my mother paid more attention than expected.
“Um, just some friends,” I lied.
“Don’t lie to me, Sydney Anne!” she scolded. My mother could call a lie from a mile away.
“I’m not lying,” I said, rather unconvincingly.
She bore her cold eyes into me. “I can pull up the caller ID, so I suggest you yourself tell me.”
I felt like I was shrinking into my seat further and further with each passing moment. I looked into my lap, ignoring her eyes. Would it be better to just come out with it? I knew she wouldn’t approve, but she would defiantly be fuming mad if she knew that I was lying to her. I took the leap.
“I’ve been seeing someone,” I told her, boldly, lifting my head to meet her gaze. She obviously didn’t expect that answer. She sat back in her chair, and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked almost pleased. Almost.
“What’s his name?”
Now I didn’t expect this response. I had expected the worst from her. I was almost at a loss for words, but was able to find my voice.
“Um, Michael, Michael Vaughn,” I stuttered.
An unreadable expression immediately crossed her face.
“Michael Vaughn?” she asked. That was what I said, wasn’t it?
“Yes.” What was wrong with her?
“You cannot see that boy!” Oh, please! If this had anything to do with him going to a different school, then I was walking right out that door.
“What!? Why!?”
“Sydney, I don’t want you to see him, and I’m you’re mother, so what I say goes!” Her voice was so harsh, and final that it scared me. She pushed off the table, and stood up to leave. There was no way she was getting away that easily.
“Mom, why!?” I would chase her through the entire house if that’s what it came down to.
She didn’t say anything; just kept walking.
“Why?” I said it this time more forcefully. She abruptly spun around on her heel. Her face was directly in front of mine; her nose only inches from my own. Her voice was just as forceful as mine had been. .
“I know his mother! Or at least knew. I no longer have any contact with that woman, and either will you. I know her past Sydney. She was friends with your Aunt Elena, and I know that she had a son at sixteen, and there is no way you will be dating the product of that!” Her voice was so final that tears formed in my eyes, tears of anger and hatred. How could someone be so cold to someone they didn’t know? All the anger that had been building up in me towards my mother over the years came spilling over the edge at this moment.
“You know what, mom? For once you have no control over this, and you can’t stop me because I really don’t care what you say! You’re not going to ruin this for me for once. I love Vaughn, and there’s nothing you can do about it!” I yelled. I turned to run out the door, grabbing my car keys on the way out. I didn’t get the chance to see my mother’s own tears as I slammed the door in her face.