I thought that's what they wanted.
Jeez, you can't please anyone these days, not even with the truth.
I sighed. "Yeah, he just dropped me off out front twenty minutes ago_"
"Marisa!" Mom hissed again.
"Maybe I can introduce you guys when he picks me up later. I've got a late evening appointment I've got to get to after the party, and with the new service I offer, customers have been calling nonstop_"
"Marisa!" Mom growled, eyes throwing daggers with her hands clamped into tight, boney fists.
Mission accomplished.
They wanted a piece of me? Well, how about now.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Annihilated.
A few chuckles spilled out, no matter how hard I tried to contain them, but this was too funny. I took another glance at the room while Mom struggled to backtrack from a potential meltdown. As for Gwen, she remained silent, perhaps in shock. I spotted Darcy sitting at a table in the back with the rest of the young people.
"Oh, is that where I'll be sitting?" I pointed to Darcy's table in mock interest.
"I cannot believe_" Mom fumed quietly.
"I think I'll go say hello, but we must have another chat later. This one was just so much fun. Alright, see you guys later." I wiggled my fingers at the both of them, and made my way towards my thirteen-year-old sister, who was busy playing with her cellphone.
"Libby, she was just joking," Gwen told Mom, trying to console her quickly before she completely lost it.
Aw, shucks, I did it again. I made my precious mother, who worked so hard to put this party together, upset. I was just so mean, just so inconsiderate of her feelings. When was I going to grow up and finally treat her with the respect she deserved?
Might be a long time before that ever happened.
"I cannot believe her, at her father's birthday party!" Mom hissed uncontrollably, probably secretly basking happily at all the attention Gwen was giving her.
"Hey Darcy!" I sang over her. Darcy's head jerked up in surprise. Her brown eyes quickly finding mine as a huge smile spreads across her face.
"Marisa! You actually came!" Darcy grinned, hugging me from her seat. I took the empty seat next to her and hugged her again. I missed my baby sis.
"As I said I would, little sister! Where's Cam?" I asked, taking a quick look around the room to see if I could spot him.
"He went with Johnny to get a soda," Darcy explained, putting her phone down on the table. Johnny was Ben's fourteen-year-old brother. I gazed over at the girl sitting next to Darcy, Jennifer, Ben's twelve-year-old little sister.
Oh, those two women, they just loved having the same amount of kids, didn't they? Coordinating amounts by gender, perhaps we were matched at birth, a huge three-way wedding.
As for their dreams, they'd been talking about it since first meeting a million years ago in the late eighteen hundreds. Mom and Gwen had a plan.
And I ruined it.
CHAPTER 12.
Twenty minutes later, I was so thirsty and hungry the room was shifting. When Cameron finally graced our table with Ben's little brother Johnny, I came back to Earth with a sweet smile, a warm smile. My baby bro and sis, were the only people I really gave a shit about.
"Marisa, you're here?" Cameron gasped, shocked to see me.
"In the flesh, little bro!" I laughed back.
"When did you get back?" Cameron asked while coming around the table toward me.
"Yesterday," I answered, getting up to give him a hug. Even with my heels, he was only a few inches shorter. I glanced over to Darcy, happy that she was growing just as nicely. I hoped she'd be taller than me. I wanted the both of them to be everything I couldn't be including venom-proof; you know, the kind Mom was known for spitting out in her fits of rage.
I had the scars to prove it; that shit didn't fade away with time. Only an out-ofthis-world miracle could get rid of those marks.
And if I ever found out that Mom decided to take her frustrations out on the twins, I'd happily come all the way back from Toronto just to rip her a new one.
But then again, she probably wasn't treating them like that. It could have just been me who pissed her off. Perhaps I was the one who just brought that certain evil out of people.
"Did you bring me anything?" Cameron asked, stepping out of our hug.
"No! It's not your birthday for another couple of months!" I bellowed playfully, feeling incredibly guilty for leaving them in the throes of an illogical venom-shooter.
"I'm going to get you guys something amazing for your birthday, don't worry." I told them and grabbed my clutch off the table. "Kids, I'm off to the bar, anyone want anything?"
They all shook their heads and I headed to the bar, pretending people weren't looking at me and whispering.
"Marisa's back!"
"Marisa was gone?"
"Yes, Libby didn't elaborate. Something about a road trip to find herself!"
"So, is she back for good?"
"Her mother is so disappointed in her."
"Libby was always harsh!"
"She looks lovely."
"What a wonderful colour on her!"
"Where did she get that dress?"
"She must have a good job...Gwen said..."
Good old Gwen! I chuckled on my way towards the bar. I stopped behind a small line and waited for my turn to order.
"Hey..." a familiar voice called from behind me. I turned around and came face-to-face with a..... fucking precious part of my past. He was a part of me, and I couldn't forget him, no matter what.
Ben.
He stood with his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans. He wore a fitted off-white blazer, which I mentally rolled my eyes at, because who would wear an off-white blazer?
Even if the person wearing it looked amazing.
His brown eyes twinkled and his dark brown hair was gelled back, showcasing the beauty of his face.
Damn, my ex-boyfriend looked fine....
Damn it.... why couldn't he just accept me for me.... love me for me? Because I had loved him just the way he was. Even though sometimes he had acted like a total and complete Momma's-boy-cocky-douchebag.
But the cheating was something I couldn't get over.
My lips hadn't been enough for him.... and that's what killed the most.
"Hey," I murmured back, keeping eye contact.
You can do this!
"How are you?" Ben asked. I pressed my clutch to my hip and subtly adjusted my stance by bending my knees slightly, just in case I needed the stability.
"I'm fine," I replied.
"Did you just arrive?" he asked.
"Yeah, like fifteen minutes ago." I replied.
"So did I. I didn't see you outside; I mean, we arrived practically at the same time..." Ben trailed off.
"I saw you," I confessed and Ben's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I was in the black SUV in front of the steps outside," I explained, pointing with my thumb in the parking lot's direction.
"Oh, you changed your car?" Ben asked hesitantly.
"No, I got a ride from a friend." I explained and something clouded over his eyes, but he quickly reverted back to normal.
Was that... jealousy?
"And I don't have my car anymore...I had to sell it," I further explained.
"Thought you loved that car?" Ben asked, confused at my confession. He knew I loved my car and would never sell it. Even when he had asked me to sell it because it was old and he would drive me anywhere I needed to be, I still refused. What was mine was mine, and no one, not even him, was going to deter me.
I let out a slow breath.
"I didn't have a choice," I confessed, shrugging my shoulders.
"Needed the money, huh?" Ben said, sounding a bit arrogant.
"You could say that." I said, slightly raising my voice. Ben took his hands out of his pockets and folded his arms across his chest, then not-so-subtly scanned me from head-to-toe.
"You look like you're doing fine, more than fine, actually," Ben said, giving me a small smile. "You said you got a ride from a friend, someone new?"
"You could say that," I replied without flinching.
"Making new friends wherever it is you moved to, right?" Ben asked slowly.
"Tons." I replied.
"You look nice though," Ben stated quietly.
"Thank you."
"Never seen you look like this before," Ben stated, quietly.
"Okay..."
"You never dressed like this before, or fixed your hair like this when we dated." Ben assessed.
"Well, it's been a while since I saw my family, and I wanted to look nice for my dad's birthday party." I explained and he seemed unconvinced with my answer.
"So you fixed yourself up for your dad's party?" Ben asked slowly.
I nodded slowly. "Yeah."
"No one else?" he prompted.
I exhaled a small breath and answered. "Nope...priorities, remember?"
"I remember." He nodded slowly.
The bartender called my turn and I ordered a cranberry and vodka cocktail. I took a sip as soon as the bartender placed it on the counter. The cranberry juice's flavour exploded across my tongue.
I turned back to Ben, gulping what was in my mouth. "Alright, well I'm going back to my table."
Ben unfolded his arms and nodded slowly. "Okay."