Falling For The Playboy

Mr Lawson spoke then, “Did you write the letter, Eva? ”

“No, I didn’t. ”

“Is there proof that Eva actually wrote this letter? ” he directed his question this time, at Zoe.

“Yes. ” Zoe sat up, regaining some of her attitude, “She ended with her name. ”

She was still on this? Why couldn’t she see how odd the whole thing was? Who writes a letter with a typewriter because they didn’t want to get caught only to end up adding their name at the end? How did that make sense?

“Where is this letter? ” Mrs Lawson asked.

She seemed to be taking the issue a whole lot better than I thought she would. I rummaged through my bag, fished the letter out then placed it on her outstretched palm. When she was done reading, she passed it over to her husband silently. Her foot tapped faster on the floor.

“So why you’re trying to say is that you slapped your sister because of a boy? ” lines appeared on her forehead, the anger she had kept bottled up all these while, beginning to surface.

“He’s not just a boy. ” Zoe argued, “He’s my boyfriend. ”

“That makes it okay to hit her? Who brought you up that way? Because I know for a fact that person isn’t me. Who taught you that it’s okay to go around hitting people? ” Mrs Lawson chucked bitterly all of a sudden, “And to think that you even still have the audacity to defend yourself. ”

The air in the living room was thick with tension and wary anticipation.

“Where did I go wrong? ” she asked to no one in particular, “What on earth did I do to deserve this? ”

Zoe curled into her side of the couch as if she wanted to disappear. I couldn’t see her face, but if I had to guess, her feelings were displayed and that was why she was why she was hiding.

“I say this a lot, Zoe, but apparently I don’t say it enough. ” Mr Lawson finally spoke, “No one should ever come between you and your family. No one. The minute you let that happen, not only have you betrayed your family, but you have betrayed yourself too. ”

Zoe didn’t move. In fact she hadn’t moved for a while and it was starting to become alarming.

Mr Lawson went on and it was either he hadn’t noticed her state or he was simply ignoring it. “I don’t think I have ever been this disappointed in you, Zoe. I have no more words for you. ”

He placed the letter beside him, got up and climbed up the stairs, probably heading to his bedroom. He paused then, as if he just remembered something, then turned to me saying, “I’m sorry about what you had to go through, Eva. ”

I nodded, mustering up a small smile just for his sake. I couldn’t imagine how he must be feeling. This whole mother-daughter-sibling rivalry must be getting to him, even though he didn’t show it.

Zoe still hadn’t moved an inch and if I had been made different, I’d touch her and ask if she was okay. But I was still the scarred, orphaned, timid girl who couldn’t speak up to save her life.

Why did I still care about her after what she’d done to me?

I blinked, seeing that Mrs Lawson was standing in front of me and motioning for me to get up. Immediately I did, she put her arm around me, directing us towards the stairs. She walked with me silently until we stopped at the threshold of my room.

Holding my face gently, she turned it from side to side, “Are you hurt from where she slapped you? ”

I shook my head, a lump the size of a rock, lodged in my throat. She cared about me and that made me uncomfortable. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I didn’t know how to react to someone showing me affection. I couldn’t look at her, I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t move. I felt useless and awkward.

“I’m sorry about Zoe. ” she whispered brokenly, her eyes shining with unshed tears, “I don’t know what to do. ”

She seemed just as broken as Zoe, and just as lonely. I wasn’t one to give out advice but she looked like she needed one, so what could I say?

“I’m sorry that you’re caught up in this. I’m sorry she’s treating you like this. ”

“I’m sorry. ” I ended up saying lamely. I didn’t even know what I was apologizing for. That she’d adopted me and made everything worse for herself?

She smiled sadly, caressing my cheeks. “You’ll feel better after a hot bath. Do you want me to make one for you? ”Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

“No, it’s fine. ”

“Okay. I’ll come check up on you later. ”

As she walked down the hallway, I saw her wiping her eyes. My heart broke for her.

A hour and a hot bath later, I did feel better. All the activities of the day felt like a distant dream. From the advert, to the chat with Axel, to the drama with Zoe. I honestly didn’t want to think about any of it. All I wanted to do was write.

I grabbed an empty notebook and a pen then placed them on my bed. I was about to delve into writing when a knock came at the door.

Abi stood on the other side, still in her school uniform. At the sight of her face, all the memories I’d been trying to push away slammed right back into me with full force.

“I heard what happened. I’m sorry. ”

“Thanks. ” I murmured, then I asked, “Do you believe I did it? ”

She stared at me awhile, taken off guard by my question, but I wanted to know. Did they really think I could do something like that?

“I don’t know what to believe. ” she said with a small smile.

How utterly Abi-ish of her. She would never voice her actual thoughts on the matter because that would mean picking a side. Something Abi seldom did. Not to mention, asking her to pick a side between her twin and her foster sister would be even harder.

When she left, I wasn’t feeling the mood to write anymore so I decided to read instead. I picked up the only book on my dresser. The one I hadn’t touched since I collected it from the school library.

The Phoenix.