knj imagines

lost || b. terada

I tugged self-consciously at my dress as Jacob drove to his parents' house. They were having a holiday party and this was the first time I would be meeting my boyfriend's family. To say I was I was extremely nervous was an understatement. I know that there was no reason for them to not like me, but I still couldn't stop my stomach from flipping. "Do you think my dress is too short?"

He glanced down and shook his head, placing his hand on my knee. "Too late now if it is." I frowned at his reply and dropped my hands to my lap, picking at my nails instead. "And stop doing that, Mom will notice if they look bad," he said, putting his hand on top of my mine as he turned into the driveway.

I had voiced all of my concerns over the past week and he had brushed them off, saying I had nothing to worry about and that they would love me but now sitting here in the driveway I wished I could disappear. "What if she hates me?"

My voice was barely above a whisper and he rolled his eyes, probably thinking that I was being overly dramatic. "There's no reason for her not to like you. We're happy together and that's all that matters, right?" I took a deep breath and nodded, stepping out of the car and grabbing his hand as we walked to the door. "I'm sure you'll be your usual charming self. And besides, I'll be there to do damage control if you need it."

He had my confidence built up the slightest bit, but that all came crashing down as soon as his mother's eyes fell on me. She gave me a once-over, literally looking me up and down with her nose scrunched, before turning her attention to him. She gave him and hug and began cooing over him and how much she missed him, both of them walking into the house and leaving me on the porch by myself.

I exchanged pleasantries with the rest of his family and they all seemed to like me, but the meeting with his mom still had me a little shaken up. As soon as he was between conversations, I pulled him close and whispered how I was feeling. He shook his head at my worries and pointed to the kitchen where his mom and aunt were preparing dinner. "Go offer to help, you'll be on her good side immediately." He walked away to talk to someone else and my shoulders slumped at the fact that he was brushing off my feelings yet again.

So much for him being there to do damage control. With no other option, I decided that I would give it a shot, so I walked into the kitchen and cleared my throat. His mother's eyes hardened when she saw it was me, and I tried not to let it intimidate me. "Um, Jacob said you could use a hand?"

"I suppose," she said, disappointment evident as she pushed a bowl of mashed potatoes toward me. "Just stir those."

The conversation between her and Jacob's aunt had stalled and I could tell that the poor woman was feeling awkward so she turned to me with a smile. "So, Jacob tells me you just started a new job! That's very exciting, how do you like it?"

I nodded, thankful for the easy conversation topic. "I love it! I make content for YouTube and it is honestly so much fun, it doesn't even feel like work half the time."

"That's because it isn't," his mom piped up from the other side of the room. Apparently she just couldn't bite her tongue any longer and the comment stung. His aunt scolded her but she brushed it off. "It's just an excuse for her to not get a real job so she can gold-dig off of Jacob for the rest of their lives. I try to tell him but he just doesn't listen." She looked at me, the same disgusted look on her face from when she answered the door earlier. "And honestly (Y/N), this is a family dinner, not a nightclub."

I was shocked at what she was saying and Jacob looked equally as shocked from the doorway where he had been hovering. Of course, I expected him to come to my defense, but he just cleared his throat and started talking to her as if she didn't just tell me I didn't have a job and dressed like a hooker. I pulled him out of the room the first chance I could with tears in my eyes.

"I can't believe you just stood there and let her say that to me," I whispered and Jacob rolled his eyes.

"She'll grow on you, (Y/N)." His tone was exasperated and all I could do was open my mouth in surprise. He wasn't planning on defending me at all. "Honestly, can you try and get along?"

"I am trying! I did not do one thing to her and I don't deserve to be treated like this," I said with a shaky voice. I tried to push past him out the door but he put his hands on my shoulders to stop me.

"Where are you going?"

"Why would you care? You obviously don't care about me like I thought you did." I yanked from his grip and went out the front door, walking down the driveway and not looking back.

If I was smart I would've taken the keys and just left him there with his mother, but I was too upset to think clearly, and now I was lost on an unfamiliar street. It was dark and cold and the situation was making my mood ten times worse, so I pulled my phone out and called the only person I could think of.

"Hey (Y/N)! You're on speaker with Will and Crawford, what's up?" Brian sounded so chipper and I wished I had spent the night with him instead. I hesitated for a second, not really wanting all three of them to know my problems. "Hello?"

"Um, hi," I whispered back. My voice was a lot steadier than I thought it would be, but Brian and I have been best friends for long enough that he could still tell something wasn't right.

"What's wrong? Aren't you at Jacob's parents' house?"

"Not anymore," I said. "I just left but now I don't know how to get back. Not that I even want to go back."

"Give me the street name, I'm coming to get you." Brian was there within ten minutes, pulling me up from the curb and into a tight hug. "Are you okay?" I nodded and sniffled into his shoulder, suddenly feeling guilty for making him pick me up. 

We got into the car to go back to the C4 house and I explained what had happened to everyone. "First of all, you look hot and not in a hooker way," Will said, making me laugh. "And second of all, you work so insanely hard. We all see how hard you work, don't let her make you feel bad for doing something you love."

Brian nodded and slung his arm around my shoulders. "You need to dump this guy (Y/N). If he won't stand up for you in front of his mom, do you think he's going to stand up for you any other time? Did he even text you to make sure you were okay?"

I checked my phone and shook my head, making Crawford frown. "Dump him immediately! I would never let my girlfriend leave without making sure she was safe!"

Brian and Will nodded in agreement at Crawford's statement and I shrugged. "I don't feel like talking to him right now," I whispered and the boys pulled me into a group hug.

Brian offered to get clothes for me to change into which I gratefully accepted. "Just stay here tonight. You can sleep in my bed, or the couch, or wherever you want."

"Thanks Brian. You were the only person I felt like I could call." He blushed at the compliment and gave my shoulder a squeeze before going to grab something from his closet for me.

"You know I'm only a call away. I'm always here for you," he called over his shoulder.