Chapter 161: Family Members
He caught me staring, turned his head a bit, and when he saw me, he gave this tiny smile.
The second our eyes locked, my heart skipped a beat, and I bolted back into the house.
Daniel had been acting all weird lately, and his mood swings were seriously messing with my head. I was getting more and more paranoid that he was up to no good.
After lunch, I was so done. Brad gave me a ride home and then took off.
Ronan and Helen were both napping, so I just crashed on my bed and started scrolling through my phone.
When I left the Northern Institute of the Arts, Mia, Isabella, and I made this little group chat. We share stuff there all the time, way better than keeping it all bottled up.
Today, I got some juicy info from Brad that I needed to check with the group.
Jane: [Hey, did you guys know Brad likes me?]
Mia replied in a heartbeat: [Duh, everyone knows that.]
I was floored.
Everyone knows? Was I the only one in the dark?
Isabella: [Seriously, you didn't know?]
Jane: [I really had no clue.]
Okay, maybe saying I didn't know was a bit of a stretch. There were times when Brad seemed to be flirting. But before I could figure it out, he'd go all serious again, leaving me no time to overthink.
The thing is, his image was so fixed in my mind, it was hard to see it any other way. Even if there were signs, I'd just brush them off as me overthinking.
Truth is, I had feelings for Brad ages ago. His sweet care and over-the-top pampering had already won me over, but I was late to the party.
That's why it was so easy for me to accept Brad as my boyfriend.
I used to think all love was like this, but now I saw he had it all planned. From the start, I was meant to be Brad's, and I was clueless the whole time.
A call from Benjamin cut off Mia and Isabella's teasing.
After the call, I put down my phone and was about to nap when Helen knocked on my door, asking for help with dinner.
Helen said since I was heading back to school soon and she wasn't too busy, she wanted to cook for me.
Helen and I chatted while we worked. Ronan and Helen were super chill parents, and my family's pretty democratic. I'd always been a good kid, except for that thing with Daniel. Never really gave them any trouble.
As we talked, the convo shifted to Emma. Helen put down the egg beater, looked out the window, and sighed, saying she never thought Emma would change so much and use such nasty words against me.
"When Emma was eight, she and her folks moved next door to your grandma's place. She was this tiny, skinny kid in clothes that didn't fit, always hiding on the balcony watching me. We've known each other for almost forty years now. She really let me down. Lately, I've been feeling super guilty for letting you get scolded in front of everyone. I must have been out of my mind to be friends with her."
Helen's eyes got all red, and I quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe her tears.
I couldn't lie, I did resent Emma. I mean, the stuff she said made it clear she couldn't stand me and Brad being together, like she was ready to drag us down any second.
But Helen and Emma were tight for decades, almost like real sisters. Now that things had blown up, Helen was not just heartbroken and disappointed, I was feeling pretty down too.
I wanted to comfort Helen, but I had no clue what to say. The friendship of elders is something I can't fully get.
I'm not Helen; our views and feelings are different, and I can't totally get where she's coming from, so there's not much more I can do.
"Helen, I went to Brad's place today. Hugh and Emma were out, and Daniel showed up later. Helen, don't you think he's acting weird? The way he looks at me is like he's a devil, it's freaky."
"When he came over yesterday, he sat for a bit. At first, I didn't think much of it, but then I started talking about you and Brad, and his face changed instantly. How can I put it? He seemed like a lurking wolf, super scary."
"That's exactly how I feel, Helen. Do you think he might want to kill me?"
"That's a bit much. I can't say for sure, but be careful when you go back to school. Try to avoid him as much as possible. He and Zoe spent a lot of time together at school, and going back might set him off, making him do something crazy. Your dad and I won't be around, so you need to watch out and not get hurt by him."
"I get it, Helen."
My flight back to school was in three days. Before leaving, I planned a hangout with Amelia and the gang, and we could bring our significant others.
Amelia picked the restaurant. We were gonna have Mexican food, but since Lillian's boyfriend can't handle spicy, we switched to barbecue.
Since Amelia and Lillian brought their boyfriends, I called Brad and asked if he wanted to be my plus-one.
Brad's six years older than me, so I thought he'd pass. But to my surprise, he was all in and said he'd be the best plus-one and not embarrass me.
When I was video chatting with Brad, he took his phone to the kitchen to get some water. In the background, Daniel showed up with a blank look, staring at the phone, saying nothing.
That stare freaked me out.
Brad was all dressed up that day, in a dark suit with a perfectly knotted tie. His trousers fit just right, and he had on these shiny leather shoes. His already handsome face looked even more distinguished, with a touch of maturity. His eyes sparkled with tenderness.
We agreed to meet at six. When we got there at 5:45, everyone was already there.
In the small room for eight, Lillian and Amelia were chatting away with their boyfriends. When they saw me, they waved. "We were just waiting for you two. Why so late?"
"Brad, let me introduce you," Amelia said. "This is my boyfriend, Ryan Ward. This is Lillian's boyfriend, George Quinn. And this is Jane's boyfriend, Brad."
The three guys shook hands politely and exchanged small talk.
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