dancing in the stars (ballerina x singer wlw romance)

chapter twenty

WILLOW

My mom has been asking me for money the entire day. Text after text, every fifteen minutes. I'm not the person who's always glued to her phone– I always have it in do not disturb mode, always in silence because I don't use it. But these past three days? I can't seem to put my phone down, only when I'm physically with her. I might have a problem, because I got so used to not having my phone in my hands– always avoiding my mother– that now every text I get from her, I read it but I don't open it.
I stay in the conversation with her, I find myself staring at the screen waiting for her answer.
I knew she was coming back to her dancing classes today. I knew there was a possibility that we weren't going to talk but my mind went to all the wrongs places when she didn't respond after six p.m. I was shaking with anxiety to know if she was okay for hours, until I found her sister walking on campus with a group of boys. Luckily, I didn't make a fool of myself again because she saw me first and I just call her with my hands. She told me she hasn't seen her sister all day and that she must be at the studio.
I knew her class ended at six p.m. I knew it because she told me so. Her sister's words only made my chest hurt even more and I decided I was going to look for her at the studio.
I can't explain the relief I felt when I saw her– and I also can't tell you how much it hurt to see her beautiful brown eyes red and puffy, like she's been crying for hours.
She looked exhausted and so fucking sad that I wanted to kill the person responsable for her sadness. She looked so small and I was so worried about her. I still am. I feel the need to protect her, keep her safe, take care of her– She's making me feel things I don't feel with anyone else and, even though it scares me, I can't seem to pull away from her.

"How is it?" she's sitting cross-legged in her bed with a bed tray table in front of her and a plate full of spaghettis with red sauce.

I taste the food in my mouth, feeling the explosion of flavor in it. God, this is so good. I'm so glad I said yes to Mia. I wasn't hungry, I've had dinner with Maya but if Mia Bennett tells you to eat, you gotta do it.
"So good." I moan with my eyes close. What?! It's delicious! "Your moms are goddess in the kitchen."

The corner of her hazel eyes crinkle when she chuckles. "This is actually from my grandma but yeah, my family is great with food."

"You have a lot of family."

She seems confused at my words and I don't blame her. Why the fuck did I just say that? "Yup." she nods. "My grandparents live just six houses away. My uncles are currently in Toronto but they have a house just two blocks away and then there's my aunt Lauren, she's just next door. Oh, and my grandpa, Richard, lives in Toronto."

Her face lights up when she talks about her family. I can tell how much love there is in her family. How loved she is and how much she loves them. "Your uncles. One of them is Julian Carter right?"

Summer nods and tucks her hair behind her ears. "Yeah, he's married to Theo, my mom's brother. You used to watch hockey?"

Her question catches me off guard but I don't flinch. I can't exactly tell her I didn't watch hockey because I wasn't allowed to watch TV. Only when my mom left the house but I was too scared to break the rules, I just stayed in my room watching the boring ceiling or listening to music.
The few memories I have from watching TV includes watching Summer's happy family and feeling sad for myself and I won't tell her that.

"Not that much but they're pretty famous." I go with an easy answer. "You have a lot of hockey players around you. Do you know how to play?"

Summer gives me an are you serious? face. Her brows raise and a playful smirk makes an appearance in her face. "I'm a Bennett. Of course I know how to play." she chuckles, taking a sip of the glass of water. "What about you? Do you skate?"