B.R.O.N.X. (Justin Bieber Fanfiction)

"Are you ready?"

Brooklyn

"Mom, dad, this is my boyfriend Justin." I smiled at the mirror. My cheeks hurt from having been rehearsing grins for the last half hour. To say I was nervous would be the understatement of the year. My stomach was in my throat, threatening to choke me. Justin was meeting my parents tonight and I knew however prepared my speech was, it would be no use when the real moment actually came. I was trying to figure out the best way to break the ice anyways.

Poor Justin had had to put up with my calls and texts all week telling him what he could and couldn't say. I was so annoying once he even hung up on me, sending me a text afterwards that said 'Look, I love you, but you're stressing me out.'. I didn't get mad because I knew he was right but I couldn't stop worrying, especially about my father. He had been sending me strange looks all week, while my mother looked almost excited. I had never expected her to be so calm about it. Not a month ago she was telling me to stop seeing my boyfriend because he was distracting me from my studies and now she had been babbling on and on about what dress she should wear. She had even booked and appointment for both of us at the beauty salon. I bet it had more to do with showing off at the party—it had turned out into sort of a competition for what mother looked younger and better.

I ran my hands through my hair in frustration before tying it up in a bun. The hairdresser would take care of it later. My lower lip was swollen from chewing on it and my cheeks had a permanent, anxious red tint. I was about to keep rehearsing other ways of introducing Justin to my parents—already imagining the face my dad would pull and not exactly looking forward to it—when someone knocked on the door.

"We're not leaving for another two hours, mom. I'm not ready—" I said, turning around in my stool to face the door. However, the person that stood there wasn't my mom. "—yet," I finished, a huge grin spreading on my face.

"I'm not your mother." She mirrored my smile, walking deeper into the room with her arms open.

"Aunt Jenna!" I squealed, staggering to my feet to hug her. She held me tightly. "I wasn't expecting to see you until tonight."

"I came early." She beamed.

"Is Tessa here too?" I asked in hopes of seeing my favorite cousin.

"No, Bill had to work so they'll probably leave after lunch," she explained, taking a step back to look at me. "But look at you, you're so grown up."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "I haven't grown an inch since you last saw me." Which, sadly, was last summer, meaning I was stuck at 5'3 forever most likely.

"Either you have or I've shrunk." She gave me an incredulous look. Aunt Jenna had always been taller than me and even my mom, probably about 5'6. Her long light brown hair was sprinkled with natural orange highlights and she always wore it tied up into a knot or a messy braid. She hardly ever wore makeup but to me she didn't need it. Her eyes were as green and round-shaped as my mother's—possibly the only thing they had in common—and had started showing aging signs in the corners. But she still looked younger than she was, despite the fact that she would turn 39 in May.

"How was your flight?" I asked once we had sat at the foot of my bed. It was still unmade because María had the day off and I was too lazy to make it myself.

"Pleasant until I arrived at the airport and Charlie was waiting for me. He said your mother was at the school helping with the decorations for the party." Her distaste for my father was still a fact, then. She had apparently disliked him from the very first moment my mom took him to Tennessee to introduce him to her family. That's what I had been told at least. I think Jenna tried not to make it too obvious, but the glances they both exchanged when they were in the same room  were enough proof that they would never get far in the friendship department. My mom had tried everything but Jenna can be very stubborn, not to talk about my dad.