8. Chloe
EIGHT
CHLOE
THEN
Annika and I quietly enter her house and tiptoe upstairs without her mom hearing us.
Margot went to the principal shortly after the lunch drama and claimed that Annika had spilled the yogurt on purpose, which led to Annika being taken out of class.
The principal said they called her mom and told her about the incident.
Annika stood her ground, saying it was an accident and that Nico could vouch for her.
But apparently, Margot texted her mom, who was already there, to yell at the principal.
Neither Anni nor I have ever had the principal call our parents because of our acting out at school, so we aren’t sure how her parents will react.
We retreat inside Annika’s room and close the door.
Annika throws her backpack on her bed and then collapses onto it.
I immediately notice that all my things that are usually here are missing.
The second mattress is tucked away, and there are no traces of my pillows or blankets.
My makeup kit is gone, and all my clothes and shoes are missing.
“Hey, where’s all my stuff?” I ask.
Annika sits up and looks around. “Oh crap—do you think your mom came and got it?”
“Would Mia even let her do that? Maybe your parents are kicking me out after what happened at school.”
“What? No way! I will scream if they do. I will move in with you if that’s the case.”
I can feel my face contort. I don’t want Annika to move to my mom’s house with me, and I don’t even want to be there as it is.
An uneasy feeling settles in my stomach as I sit beside Annika on her bed.
She grabs a few magazines from her side table and hands me one.
I mindlessly flip through the pages of fashion models, trying to ignore the unwanted feelings.
A quiet knock stills us. Her bedroom door creaks open, and Mia peeks into the room.
“Hey, girls. Chloe, I have a surprise to show you. Can you two come with me?”
We toss the magazines and follow Mia out.
I have no clue what the surprise could be.
I go through a million ridiculous scenarios in my head.
Mia leads us down the hall to the door at the end, which opens into a room used for storage and a makeshift office.
Sometimes, we use this room to do homework if we need a quiet space, and Mia stores a few of her craft supplies and seasonal decorations there.
Mia opens the door, and the room is transformed.
There’s no longer a big, bulky desk or mountains of boxes.
Instead, it looks like a sweet little guest room—a twin bed to the left and a pink-and-white checkered rug on the floor.
A small yellow desk is on the opposite side, and a sunflower cup with pens and pencils sits on top.
I step inside and turn around to see a dresser with my makeup and books neatly arranged.
Mia opens the closet, and all my clothes are hung up, and my shoes are organized in a rack on the floor.
I walk over to the bed and sit down. On the side table is a little clock and a photo of Annika and me from middle school.
We had just graduated from eighth grade, and Mia took us to get our nails done.
We have big smiles and are flashing our freshly manicured hands.
I turn around and see Mia with her arm around Annika. Annika’s eyes are glassy, which makes me cry. I instinctively look around for somewhere to retreat, but Mia comes up and pulls me into her arms. I quietly sob against her body while she caresses my hair.
“We wanted you to have your own space, so you always know you are welcome here. You belong here,” she says.
“I talked to your mom, and she said it was all right. She wants you to be happy.” The mention of my mom makes me release another sob.
I haven’t seen her in over a week. I feel the guilt like I owe it to her.
I don’t believe my mom said those things to Mia.
She hasn’t even tried to reach out to me at all.
“Does she miss me?” I can’t help but ask, pulling back from Mia and wiping my tears away.
“Of course. We can stop by tomorrow if you want to bring anything else. Or we can pick up anything from the store. Feel free to make any adjustments you’d like.
Make yourself at home.” I nod; seeing my mom and ensuring she’s doing okay might be a good idea.
I wonder if she feels as lonely as I do sometimes.
“I’ll let you two hang out; dinner will be ready in an hour.” Mia gives Annika a stern look before leaving.
“Oh gosh, she knows!” Annika flings herself on the guest bed—my bed.
“Of course she knows. The principal said he called her.”
“I thought he was bluffing!” Annika says into my pillows.
I’m still in awe that Mia and Eddie Gomes transformed this room for me.
It’s the smallest bedroom, but it’s perfect for me.
It’s my sanctuary. I look around the room again.
A stack of my books is sitting against the dresser.
Maybe I can get a little bookshelf for them all.
I’ll grab more clothes from my house to keep here. A home of my own.
An hour later, Annika and I emerge from my room (I’m unsure if I’ll ever be used to saying that), debating who the cutest character in the new TV show we started watching is.
We nearly forget about the yogurt incident until we turn down the hallway to the kitchen and see her parents sitting on one side of the table.
All the plates are set, and the twins are quietly eating on opposite ends of the table.
“This feels like a horror movie,” Annika proclaims.
I quietly take my seat across from Eddie. He’s less intimidating than Mia, and I know Annika can take her.
“Annika Gomes, your mother told me about the phone call she received from the principal.” Eddie looks at Annika and then back at me.
“Ooooooo,” the twins coo in unison. Annika shoots them a scowl.
“We’re just getting right into it, huh?” Annika says, taking a bite from the stir-fry dinner before us.
Mia raises an eyebrow. “Talk to us then. Why did you act out? We’ve never had to deal with this behavior before. Why now?” she says.
Annika winces and swallows the bite she was chewing. She takes a long look at me and goes to open her mouth, but I cut in.
“She was sticking up for me,” I say. Mr. and Mrs. Gomes look over at me.
“Chloe, it’s okay,” Annika says, clearing her throat. “It was a misunderstanding—it was all my fault.”
“You wouldn’t have done anything if I weren’t so stupid.”
“Hey! You’re not stupid! He is the stupid one.”
Eddie clears his throat. “Please, I beg you, stop talking in teenage riddles and tell us what happened.”
I exhale and give Annika a nod to explain the situation.
She leaves out the private details, but explains the bowling date and about picking me up from Liam’s house.
Annika describes how she worked with his friend, who thought he was being a jerk to me, to dump yogurt on him in revenge but make it look like an accident.
Only Margot twisted the story, so it got Annika in trouble.
“So, what I’m hearing,” Eddie starts, “is that my baby girl has a crush on a boy?” He leans in with a big, cheesy smile. The twins and I start giggling while Annika covers the blush on her cheeks with her hands.
“Nico is just a friend—he was helping me.”
“But he’s the boy you went on the double date with, right?” Mia says, giving her husband a coy smile.
“Oh my gosh, I’m going to evaporate. You two are so embarrassing,” Annika says, vibrating in her chair. I can tell she’s about to make a run for it.
“We go to school with his little sister, and she said Nico talks about Annika nonstop,” Wes says.
“He does?” Annika lets slip out before clamping her mouth shut.
“Ha! You do have a crush!” Eddie says, and Mia slaps his arm gently.
Mia levels us all with a look before proceeding.
“Anyways, please don’t seek revenge again.
It isn’t kind. Besides, I’m sure he will get what’s coming.
” She reaches over the table to grab my hand.
“I’m sorry you went through that. You deserve someone who will bask in your light, not try to shade it. ”
I nod and smile, feeling comforted by the clasp of our hands. Emotions rise in my chest, and I try to push them away, wanting to suppress any tears.
“Seems like Anni delivered karma to him on a lunch platter,” Joey mutters. We all turn to him, laughing.
That night, Annika and I have a sleepover in my room.
We drag the spare mattress on the floor and turn the room into a giant pillow and blanket fort.
We read books and magazines, giggling and chatting.
I grab Anni’s phone and text Nico for her, and he texts back immediately, causing us to scream.
Mrs. Gomes has to tell us to keep it down, but we don’t sleep that night.
The bad memories of Liam are in the past as my cheeks hurt from laughing with my chosen sister.