The Cursed Diamond

|03|

The rays of sun pour through the kitchen window, blinding me. I cover my eyes with my hand and quickly grab my stuff.

"Wyatt," I shout, before heading out, "Do you need a ride to school?"

"My friend is picking me up today. I'm good!" he shouts back. He rarely needs a ride, but I always ask.

Talia usually picks me up, but we decided on meeting at her house today. There are lots of things I need to tell her about. I begin the short walk to her house. A few minutes into the walk and you already see the change in the neighborhood. The houses are much larger and fenced in with high-end black gates. You only see expensive cars around here.

We live close, but man does those few minutes make a difference.

However, she isn't one of those stuck-up rich teens. You can't tell that she's rich unless you visit her house. She is pretty chill. One of the many reasons we get along.

I reach the steps of the house. The door is slightly ajar. My heart starts to race. This is very unlike the Marshall family. I cautiously walk inside. My curiosity gets the best of me as I inch closer to where the voices are coming from. I approach the hallway by the kitchen.

"You need to keep your daughter away from Freya!" my mom shouts.

I know I shouldn't be eavesdropping like this, but what is mom even doing here? I'm used to the hate she gives me, but it's not okay towards a family that shows me, unconditional love. She took it too far this time. She needs to stop harassing innocent people.

"What are you doing here?" I slowly walk into the kitchen. I fix the sliding strap of my backpack. My eyes narrow as I finally get a good look at my mother. She turns to look at me, her eyes wide open. She gasps, but her jaw quickly clenches. I guess I caught her by surprise.

"You need to stop," I continue. "I'm my own person and I will make my own life decisions."

"You have no right to talk to me in that tone!" The lights flicker as she shouts.

"And you have no right harassing people!" I shout back, too angry to even question the clearly broken lights.

Talia grabs my hand and quickly pulls me out of the house. "Do you have a death wish?" she questions.

"Well, your family has treated me better than my mother! She can't barge into your house and talk like that." I reply, taking a deep breath.

I get in the car and have a seat. It's always a constant battle with my mom. It's mentally draining.

"You should've just waited for me at your house, Freya."

"Well, if I knew my mom would be here, Talia, I wouldn't have suggested it," I tell her, as she drives.

"You just drove past our school." I point out.

"Well, we will not miss much. It's the last week, anyway. I'm sure they'll survive without us for a day."

We continue our drive in silence until she pulls up to a cute cafe. There's greenery and flowers in the outdoor sitting area. Most of the people are sitting outside, enjoying the weather. I would enjoy this cute cafe a lot more if we came under different circumstances.

"What would you like to order?" asks an elderly lady as we sit. She adjusts her round glasses, bringing out her notepad with her free hand.

"I'd like a vanilla latte and a spinach, feta egg wrap," I tell her, a cool breeze brushing softly against my face.

"And I'll get a café Americano and a blueberry muffin," Talia says, looking back at me.

"I'll bring it right over," the lady says, a sweet smile on her face.