𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐄 | 𝟏𝟖+

XLVII

F A L L O N

"I never needed anybody's help in any way. But now these days are gone and I'm not so self-assured."

. . .

The next day, I'm a bit bolder and decide to go downstairs in the afternoon. At the top of the stairs though, I halt. I hear my mom's and dad's voices coming from the kitchen.

They're both home.

Dad is telling something to mom, and then I hear their voices move towards the living room. It's the weekend, and I know mom and dad are staying home. They've always said they wanted to spend some quality time together.

But today, dad doesn't sound as warm as usual and mom's tone isn't as carefree.

"You can do this," I whisper to myself, and take the first few steps down the stairs. This is my home, and if I want to, I can take a goddamn cookie out of the pantry.

Arriving at the bottom of the stairs, the doorbell rings. Exhaling, I walk over towards it and open the door, being utterly surprised when I see Nicholas.

His gaze lands on me, and I see something flash in his eyes.

"Fallon," he breathes, and I see a look of longing briefly pass on his face.

"Nicholas," I whisper. "What are you doing here?"

He parts his lips, but then his eyes move to someone behind me. Turning around, I see Stella heading towards us.

"I see you've arrived already," she says, her eyes going back and forth between the both of us.

He's here to see her? But why?

To my dismay, mom pops her head out of the living room, and I get a flashback to when Stella found out and both my parents were present.

My heart starts going faster and I feel the sweat gathering itself on my skin.

My eyes go back to Nicholas, and his eyes meet mine. The longing I've been having for him is mirrored in his eyes.

Though Stella sees the expression on both our faces and she turns her head away as a look of hurt crosses her face.

I glance down at the ground, biting my lip and clenching my hands into fists by my side.

"You guys disgust me," she sighs and turns around, walking down the hallway. My mom takes a step in the direction Stella went in.

"Stella, wait!" she calls out, but the blonde ignores her and continues her path.

Then, for the first time in what feels like forever, I'm faced with my mother's dark brown eyes.

"Aren't you ashamed?" she asks, her tone driving a knife deep into my chest. "Of course, I am," I whisper, feeling my throat thickening up.

"No, you don't," she frowns and shakes her head, "you have no idea the hurt you caused her. It hurts me to see her like this."

Nicholas takes a step in front of me, glaring down at my mother. He parts his lips, ready to rain hell down on her.

But I put a hand on his chest and shake my head, focusing my gaze back on my mother.

For the first time, I feel a flicker of anger directed at her, light up inside of me.

"Have you never wondered how I felt?" I ask her and hate the way my voice trembles. I know I'm a few moments away from bursting into tears, but I don't care.

"I know that what I did was wrong, I know that," I begin and clench my jaw. "But you never, not even for one second, came to my room to ask me why I did it. Never once, did you try to communicate with me. You never bothered to hear my side of the story. You could've tried listening to me."