Fallin' From The Tree (StemxStud)

48

{ Anaela }

After my mother handled the Sissy situation and sent Dominique off to Houston, Teece, Valentine, and I left the hotel to our latest house. "How long do you think we'll be stuck in Wisconsin?" Valentine asked, speaking for the first time since we left the hotel room.

I hid my surprise and tried to come up with my best estimate of time. "Now that l things will probably be cleared up, I'd give it about a week or less. I still have to go to Meyerland anyways. I know I made a deal with my mom, but now I definitely wanna go make this deal and see what all the fuss was."

"What if the word was on the streets cause it's a set up," Teece asked quietly. "You and Valentine didn't even know each other. Do you think that maybe somebody's behind all of this?"

"Okay but who could have planned for Valentine to want to help out Dominique after she tried to kill her for Keris. Therefore meeting me and my friend group who then would turn on me and rat on Valentine and Dominique?"

"Maybe your...mother?" Teece hesitantly asked. "She loses an heir. That wouldn't be a smart move," I shook my head. "Maybe you should talk with her about sending someone else for the Meyerland deal," Teece suggested.

"If she wants to go, she can go. Nothing's gonna stop Anaela," Valentine said in an odd tone. I looked over at her. She was driving the rest of the way, I was in a seat behind Teece. "What's that supposed to mean, Tino?" I said her nickname awkwardly.

"You know, Dominique deserved to get her ass kicked one more time. But what you said to her is gonna haunt her forever. She's only a kid, Anaela."

"I'm just a kid too. Nobody here has babied me- matter of fact, all of the stress has been on me. I'm on the run, I have people blaming me for shit, my friends have turned on me so many times. I have a business to take over practically. I think you baby Dominique too much and that's why she didn't say anything. Did you see how she assumed all was well after she kept something so crucial from all of us? Do you guys want to stay in this dusty ass state forever?" I asked with a calm anger.

"Anaela's right. But what did she say to Dominique?" Teece asked Valentine. "I said that she deserved everything that happened to her," I cut in. "Anaela," I could hear the frown in Teece's voice. I suddenly felt bad, "Look, it was just something in the moment. I'll apologize if I ever see her again."

"Do you think an apology is honestly gonna fix anything?" Valentine asked quietly. "Y'all are taking her side like half of this mess isn't her fault," I groaned. "It might be, but..."

"She isn't y'all," I folded my arms across my chest, sitting back against the seat. "I see myself in her but I never said she was us. I just didn't want to see somebody else slip through my hands and fail," Valentine said solemnly.

"Well, what's done is done. No point in making me feel guilty about one slip up when all of y'all have fucked up continuously."

"You think because you've been through so much that you have an excuse to be an asshole," Teece said quietly. "That doesn't make you better than anyone else." Teece looked between us two, "I have to look out for y'all. You don't see things the way they should be seen...you think with emotion, and y'all are too stuck on your pasts."

"Might be true, but I'm just tryna survive. I just want my life to be back to normal," I sighed, realizing that was the truth.

"What about y'all two?" Teece asked randomly.

"What about us?" Valentine asked tensely. "It seems like your relationship is strained," Teece commented. "I wonder why," I mumbled under my breath. "You gotta work things out before we go back to Houston or whatever happens next," Teece advised. "And you know I'm sorry about what happened Anaela," she said softly.