When Opposites Collide
Synopsis
Bree Adams, a ditzy and unpopular girl, has been in love with Liam Hall, a smart and popular boy, since freshman year of high school. Her interest in him leads her to follow him to the same college. However, tensions rise when she accidentally confesses her true feelings for him, and he humiliates her. Embarrassed and heartbroken, Bree returns home to find her life is turned upside down when she and her father are kicked out of their home. Under unexpected circumstances, she soon finds herself living in the same house as her crush. While she is still devoted to him and continuously tries to impress him, she soon grows tired of his cold and uncaring attitude towards her. After a date, a marriage proposal, and plans to move out, Liam realizes that Bree is about to slip away and begins chasing her to win her back. But is it too late?
When Opposites Collide Free Chapters
Chapter One | When Opposites Collide
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“Our first semester is almost over, and you still haven’t talked to him yet, Bree! You need to talk to him!” my friend, Dawn, declares as we walk to our college campus. “You’ve had a crush on him for four years now. Muster up some courage to tell him how you feel and stop stalking him!”
“I’m not stalking him!” I protest while tucking a strand of brown hair behind my ear.
Dawn cuts her cool blue eyes at me as she ties her long blond hair back in a ponytail. “You decided to raise your grades senior year in high school so that you could go to the college that he is at,” Dawn retorts matter-of-factly.
Dawn and I have known each other since we were three years old. We’ve always been close—inseparable, even. She has always been there when it matters most. While we are as close as sisters, sometimes, Dawn tends to act like a mother towards me.
“Yeah, I did do that,” I reply in defeat. What’s the point in trying to deny the obvious? “I’m actually lucky that he decided to go to a school that was more attainable for me.”
“Bree, you’ve had a thing for Liam since high school… And I’m telling you this as a friend who cares about you, but if you’re going to move on with or without him, you need to say something.”
“I don’t know…” My voice falters with anxiety. “It seems too risky.” I can feel my heart starting to race while my stomach churns and my palms become sweaty at the thought of merely uttering a word to this handsome guy who most likely doesn’t know I even exist.
“I think she should try going out with someone more in her league,” Chad chimes in, suddenly appearing from thin air and startling us. His voice sounds bitter.
“When did you get here?” we question in unison. Neither of us noticed he had joined our walk or conversation.
He shrugs. “I got up early to walk Bree to school. I was waiting for her around the corner.” Chad’s voice sounds a little hurt that Dawn and I didn’t realize he’s been with us. “You both were so absorbed in your conversation about Liam that I didn’t bother to say anything.”
Dawn snorts. “More likely you were listening in on the latest news about Bree…” she mutters.
“You don’t have to work today?” I question quickly, noticing the look on Chad’s face while opting to ignore his previous statement of Liam being out of my league.
“Nope,” he replies excitedly, instantly forgetting about Dawn’s remark. His light blue eyes instantly light up. Chad works as an apprentice cook at one of the fancy restaurants in town. He decided not to attend college because he isn’t the brightest bulb, but he has always had a heart of gold and is a very hard worker.
“Oh!” Dawn suddenly cuts in. “We should all hang out after school then! It’s been a while since we’ve all had a chance to hang out together!”
“That sounds like a great idea!” Chad replies excitedly.
“Have either one of you talked to Ellen lately?” I question, not wanting to leave her out.
“I was texting her last night,” Dawn replies. “She was wanting to spend a day with just us soon.”
“I’ll call her while you two are in class,” Chad states. “We can all meet up in the courtyard after your classes have finished or at Bree’s house.”
“Why my house?”
“Oh, please, Bree!” Chad begs with big puppy dog eyes. “I’m tired of eating restaurant food! I miss eating my Bree’s homecooked meals!”
“You would think the food at the restaurant would taste better than what I make,” I retort as we turn left around the corner.
The community college campus is now in view. A massive old brick building at the end of the street rests behind a beautifully green and heavily wooded courtyard with benches and tables placed in the shade for studying and socializing. Many people are scattered throughout the courtyard, waiting for their classes to start.
“Oh, look, Bree!” Dawn starts teasingly. “There’s Liam!”
My eyes move towards where her gaze is resting. Liam sits alone at a bench reading a book with the morning sun shining behind him, illuminating the dark brown highlights in his short black hair. A bunch of the women and men on campus stare as they walk past, but he casually ignores them as he focuses on his book.
“So go over and talk to him!” Dawn continues, giving me a slight push in his direction.
“No!” I shriek in horror, cowering away.
“No!” Chad protests with anxiety suffusing his voice.
Dawn and I stare at him questioningly.
“Chad…you know Bree has a—” she starts.
“Why would you want her to do something like that? Guys like him aren’t interested in people like either one of you,” Chad starts, cutting Dawn off.
“What?” Dawn and I question in unison, becoming angry and insulted.
“Oh, you know what I mean,” he states, embarrassed.
“Actually, we don’t, so elaborate,” I reply.
“It’s just…”
Glaring at him angrily, I finally retort with determination, “You know what, I will go talk to him.”
As I start to make my way toward Liam and ignore Chad’s protests and sounds of anguish behind me, Liam suddenly closes his book, looks at his watch, stands up, and begins walking towards the college entrance. I stop dead in my tracks. My heart is beating in my throat. An overwhelming feeling of nausea consumes me as my mouth becomes dry as I consider what I would have said to him if he hadn’t left at that moment.
What would I have said? What would I even do? I didn’t make it over to him to talk, and I was already embarrassed.
Dawn appears beside me, hugging me. “Well, you have plenty of chances to talk to him today since you both pretty much have the same schedule.” She gives me a reassuring smile. “We need to get to class. Good luck!”
“See you at lunch!” I call to her as she walks towards the other side of the building.
I turn back to see that Chad is already walking away. Relief washes over me, but I still want to run and hide.
Walking down the hallway to my first class, I’m not sure what to do. Dawn is right about my infatuation with Liam. Because of this, I am a 19-year-old girl who has never had her first kiss or been on a date. My mind has always been stuck daydreaming of what it would be like to be with Liam. I must be pathetic.
The classroom is relatively big but feels cramped with so many students. There are three rows of six tables that can easily seat two people. At the front of the room, the instructor sits at his desk with a massive dry erase board hanging on the wall behind him, almost entirely covering it. room is painted with very bland colors, and there are no paintings, diagrams, or anything appealing to the eyes hanging on the walls.
In the same classes I have with Liam, I always sit a table or two behind and a couple of seats over—just out of the way enough so that I can stare at him.
The instructor starts his usual lecture for this remedial course that is required for all freshmen, but nothing he says is making any impact on me while I stare and fantasize about Liam. Unfortunately today, Liam must’ve felt someone watching him because he turns and notices me staring at him.
His facial expression instantly changes as our eyes meet from cool and uncaring to instant aggravation. This sudden change catches me off guard, and I begin to choke, coughing loudly and uncontrollably. Everyone in class turns to stare in annoyance at the disruptive person coughing. I can feel my face turning red with embarrassment.
Once I finally stop coughing, I decide to keep my head down for the rest of the class and avert my gaze from Liam. But the amount of embarrassment I feel still prevents me from listening to the lecture.
When class is finally dismissed after what feels like years later, I wait for most of the class to empty before grabbing my bag and leaving. As soon as I set foot in the hallway, Liam is standing there, waiting.
“Why are you in this class?” he questions in annoyance. “Don’t you think your money would be better spent studying the material than studying college guys?” His beautiful brown eyes shine with intensity. “So, what is your problem? Why are you always staring at me slack jawed?”
Anxiety rises in my chest, making my mind whirl. I can’t think of what to say. I don’t know what to say. What excuse could I make up? As I start to speak, my brain turns into mush, and I blurt out, “I love you.”
Liam and everyone who hears me stares at me, dumbfounded by my remark, before laughing hysterically.
Lord strike me now… My eyes start to fill with tears as my face turns beet red.
“You what?” Liam questions in between chuckles. “Well, you should get over it then. I’ve seen your scores. There’s no way I would consider going out with someone who makes grades as bad as you do.” His voice is stern and conveys offense, as if my mere presence and confession are somehow an insult.
My head drops down, and I stare at my shoes as if I’ve been scolded.
“And what’s worse than your questionable intelligence is that you obviously have no humility or pride. If you had either of those, your grades would be better AND you wouldn’t have put us both in this situation we find ourselves in right now.”
Liam’s cold words cut through my heart like a dagger, but I refuse to cry in front of him and the onlookers. Instead of cowering, becoming sad, or sobbing, I decide to become angry. What makes him think he can talk to anyone in this way? Who does he think he is? “I do have pride!” My voice rings angrily as I take a step towards him. “And I can’t be as dumb as you think I am if I can get into the same college as you!” His facial expression doesn’t change at my sudden outburst, but his eyes show surprise. “Since you want to question my intelligence, then fine, I’ll show you how smart I really am!”
His eyes narrow. “Why would I care? It’s not like any of this affects me in the least.”
“If I fail, I won’t bother you anymore. I’ll even transfer to different classes every time our schedules align. It’ll be like I never existed to you. But if I pass, then you have to admit that you are wrong and sincerely apologize to me in front of everyone while kissing my feet.”
The onlookers start cheering at my suggestion.
Liam stares at me for a few moments in silence before starting again. “Fine.” Then, he walks away, leaving me and the onlookers in a daze.
Embarrassment rises within me again as everyone starts coming back to their senses and begins staring and snickering.
The sudden realization of what I just said hits me. What was I thinking? It was hard enough forcing myself to study in high school. I had a whole year to fix my GPA back then, but now, there’s only a couple of weeks to change my grades around before finals. Even with as much effort as I made when in high school, I was barely able to make it into college.
The rest of the day passes by in a blur as I continue to wonder if I can pull this off. My mind is so preoccupied that I forget to meet Dawn for lunch as I continues to overthink everything.
As I walk in the courtyard after my last class of the day, my mind is still in a fog when I suddenly trip, knocking someone down with me lying on top of them.
“I’m sorry!” I immediately respond before looking at the person I’m on top of.
“Get off me, will ya?” Liam’s voice mutters in annoyance as I let out a gasp of surprise.
I roll my eyes as I get back on my feet.
“You really are troublesome…” Liam states bitterly, walking away.
Ugh! Why is he so mean? And why does he look so good from behind? My desire for him grows even though he’s cruel. What is wrong with me? I never imagined in my life that he would be like this toward me. Yet I still dream of being with him…I must have issues… I contemplate all of this while longingly watching him walk away.
“Earth to Bree!” Dawn’s voice cuts through my thoughts as she waves her hand in front of my face.
“Huh?” I reply, startled and looking around to see that Dawn, Ellen, and Chad are staring at me quizzically.
“Whatcha looking at?” Ellen questions with a big grin while Chad sulks.
“Let’s go home,” I respond, rolling my eyes.
Ellen hugs me before starting sternly, “You haven’t called me in days!”
“Now, I want some coffee,” I reply, smelling the scent of coffee on Ellen.
She is currently working at a coffee shop as a barista until she figures out what she wants to study at college.
As we venture back to my house, everyone is interested in the latest gossip that happened to me today.
“So. did you really challenge Liam?” Dawn questions in awe.
“Umm…” I reply, recollecting what occurred. “It didn’t happen like that…” After telling them everything that happened, I continue, “It wasn’t exactly my idea…well, maybe it was, but he was trying to humiliate me in front of everyone! And you know I can’t keep my mouth shut when I get angry.”
Dawn lets out a drawn-out sigh. I can only imagine the memories that are flooding her mind right now. Every time someone tries to belittle my friends or me, my mouth will keep running; for better or worse, it just keeps going.
Ellen is laughing, having enjoyed every minute of the story as it played out. But Chad doesn’t seem too pleased, falling silent at first and then becoming enraged.
“Who does that arrogant prick think he is?” Chad begins angrily. “How could anyone do that to another person? Especially to Bree?”
“Well, maybe he is just feeling the pressure with finals coming up and is on edge,” Dawn counters.
“Why would you try to stick up for him!?” Chad questions, enraged by Dawn’s words.
“I’m not sticking up for him,” Dawn remarks.
“He tried to make your best friend a laughing stock. He wanted to make her feel small and prove his superiority over her!”
I cut my eyes at Chad.
“Yeah, I really doubt that’s what this is all about, Chad,” Ellen states.
“I think it has more to do with him feeling inferior to Liam,” Dawn states quietly to me.
Thankfully, by the time the four of us reach my house, the topic of discussion has changed. But unfortunately, my bad day is about to get even worse.
“What’s going on at your house, Bree?” Dawn questions curiously, staring at the front yard.
The front door of the small white two-story house is wide open. Filled cardboard boxes litter the front yard and porch and make a trail through the front door.
“Why is your dad home?” Ellen question.
“I don’t know…” I reply, stunned, and rush into the house. “Dad?” I call out as I make it inside.
The sound of footsteps grow louder until my dad walks into the entrance of the hallway. “Oh, good, you’ve brought your friends to help!” he greets, trying to sound cheerful.
My father is a somewhat big man who works in construction. He is tough and kind of rough around the edges. However, the years of struggling to work a full-time job and the stress of raising a daughter as a single parent has made him grow very tired, especially for his age. Because of his work schedule, I hardly ever get a chance to see him. Normally when I get home from school, I begin fixing dinner for the two of us, placing his meal in the fridge for him to eat when he gets home. I try my best to take care of him. He is a man who works from sunrise to sunset, so being home right now can only mean something bad has happened.
“Dad, what’s going on?” My voice quivers as I try to not imagine the worse possible outcome.
“Hey, Chad, how have you been?” my dad greets my friends, ignoring me.
“Dad?”
“Hey, Mr. Adams,” Chad replies, shaking his hand.
“Dad!” My father looks at me with sadness in his eyes. “What’s going on?”
He lets out a long sigh. “Well…I didn’t really want to discuss it in front of your friends, but you all are going to find out anyway…” my dad starts, scratching anxiously at the back of his neck. “You know, money has been kind of tight here lately, so I haven’t been able to pay the rent for the past few months.”
“How much do we owe?” I immediately question. “I could—”
“No, Bree,” my dad starts. “You don’t have any money, and you don’t need to go out looking for a job. You need to focus on your studies.”
“Mr. Adams, I’m sure all of our parents would have chipped in to help,” Dawn states.
“I appreciate it, Dawn, but the truth is I don’t like taking handouts. Besides, it’s too late now. I’m packing everything up and sticking it in storage.”
“But where will you go?” Ellen questions sadly.
“Bree will have to stay with either you or Dawn for a few days until I can figure something out,” he replies, rubbing his forehead. “Would that be all right with your families?”
“Yes, sir.”
The conversation they’re having doesn’t seem real to me. I become disheartened. My father never said anything about or gave off an impression of our current financial situation.
“Now, Bree, why don’t you and your friends go start packing the things up in your room? Pack a bag or two of things you need for the next few days to a couple of weeks. Everything else will need to go in storage.”
“Okay…”
My friends and I walk up the stairs to my room. As Dawn and Ellen begin helping me to pack my things, Chad looks like he has something on his mind that he wants to say but is struggling with it internally. However, he finally decides to share what is on his mind.
“So, does this mean you won’t be making dinner for us?”
As I stare at him incredulously, Dawn smacks him in the back of the head.
“Ah! A simple ‘no’ would’ve answered my question!” he retorts, rubbing the back of his head.
“Stop worrying about food that you are not going to get and start helping!” Dawn yells.
“Why would you be worried about food when Bree is being kicked out of her home?” Ellen scolds.
Chapter Two | When Opposites Collide
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The past two days, I’ve spent one night with Dawn and then the next night with Ellen. The experience was…interesting to say the least. I’ve spent the night with them before when I was younger, but now, everyone is older, their siblings have kids, and their families have grown.
Both Ellen and Dawn have large families that include noisy younger siblings, including young nieces and nephews. I love seeing the young kids and playing with them, but with so many people under one roof, there isn’t much space left for another person. While I am grateful that my friends and their family are willing and able to help me out when I need it most, I know my father is having a rough time sleeping in his vehicle at night.
I’m worried about him. What if he isn’t getting enough sleep? What if he isn’t eating properly? I know that if I don’t bring him meals, he’d either be eating greasy fast food three times a day or not eating at all.
During the third day, Ellen and I sit on the swings at a park close to her home. Luckily, our schedules work out just right, so she has off from work today, and I don’t have class.
“Thank you for letting me stay with you,” I say to Ellen.
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?”
I give her a weak smile. I wish I could find somewhere else to stay tonight.
“Have you heard from your dad today?”
“Not yet.” I love that my friends will let me stay with them, but I can’t study. I can’t think with so many distractions inside their homes.
After a brief pause in our conversation, Ellen decides to change the subject. “So, what is happening with you and Liam now?”
“I don’t know…”
“Are you going to keep talking to him?”
“Probably not,” I confess bitterly. “To him, it seems like I am nothing more than a pest to him,” I continue, kicking the sand under my foot. “But even though he was so mean to me, calling me stupid in front of everyone and insinuating that I’m not good enough for him, all I can do is think about him. What’s wrong with me?” Ellen shrugs her shoulders.
“That should’ve made me hate him, right? But why am I trying to impress him instead?”
“You know…” Ellen starts hesitantly. “You know why Chad is acting the way he is, right?”
“Yes…” I reply reluctantly. While I’ve tried to ignore it for years, it’s no secret that Chad has liked me since middle school.
“Do you like Chad in that way?” she questions curiously.
“Ugh…I don’t know…he is a reliable guy and always has my back, but I’ve just never thought of him in that way. Most of the time, he reminds me of a puppy.”
“Yeah, I can imagine his tail wagging whenever he sees you,” Ellen replies, laughing. “So, what are you going to do? About Liam and Chad?”
“I’m not sure…I mean…it’s not like I’ve done anything to lead Chad on, have I?”
“No, I don’t think you have.”
“The only thing I haven’t done is just come out and tell him that I don’t think of him like that, but I don’t really want to hurt him.”
“Don’t you think you are hurting him more by not telling him? Maybe he thinks that there is still some hope.”
“Ugh! I don’t know…I really don’t want to think about all that with everything else happening right now,” I state, aggravated, and put my hands over my face.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Between losing the house, needing to study, Liam, Chad, and not knowing what to major in, I am very stressed out.”
“I know. I’m jealous that Dawn already has her future planned out. How long has she known she wanted to be an architect?”
“Since she was ten, I think.”
“Why is it so hard for us?”
“Ellen, why don’t you work in a hair salon?” I suddenly state. “You love cutting and styling people’s hair. Plus, you know all the right products to use for certain occasions or if your hair is lacking.”
She quietly considers this for a moment. “Yeah…that does sound like a good idea. I do like helping people look their best.”
“There, you see? It wasn’t so hard to figure it out for you either!” I respond cheerfully.
“Well, yours shouldn’t be too hard either.” Ellen begins thinking. “You love children. Since you are always volunteering to help with kids and such, why not look into a career involving kids? Like teaching or something?”
I consider for a moment. “Yeah. That does sound like something I would enjoy.”
Ring, ring. Ring, ring.
“It’s my dad,” I tell Ellen, quickly answering my phone. “Hello?” Please have good news!
“Hey, pumpkin, where are you?” he questions, his voice sounding more jovial than it has over the past few days.
“I’m at the park with Ellen right now.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll be there to pick you two up soon.”
“What’s going on?” I question, skeptical of what is happening.
“Yesterday while I was working, I happened to bump into an old friend of mine.” He’s speaking with an enthusiasm I’ve never heard from him before. “I’ll tell you all about it when I pick you up.”
“Ok,” I respond, soon hanging up the phone and filling Ellen in on what he said.
“Hopefully he found somewhere for both of you to stay!” she responds happily.
About 30 minutes later, my father shows up, and we climb into his truck while waiting on the news he has to share as he drives us back to Ellen’s house.
“At the construction site where I’m working, I needed to discuss some things with someone. So I went to the office to talk with the director, and while I was there, I happened to run into a childhood friend of mine. We haven’t seen or heard from each other in nearly 35 years,” my dad starts enthusiastically as he remembers his encounter. “We ended up having lunch together, talking about when we were younger and discussing our families and how things have been going for us. I didn’t tell him about all our troubles, and I was a bit hesitant, but he offered for us to stay at his house,” he continues to explain. “At first, I told him no. We couldn’t impose on his family like that, but about half an hour later, his wife showed up and insisted that they wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Even though I don’t know what family this is like, I can’t help but feel relieved that I’ll be able to stay in the same house as my father. But on the other hand, I’m still nervous. I don’t know who these people are, and what if I’m moving onto another situation that is the same as the one I am currently in with Dawn and Ellen? “Do they have any kids?” I question, wondering if there is a possibility of noisiness or overcrowding.
“Yes. They have a 19-year-old and 12-year-old.”
I let out a sigh of relief. At least I’ll be able to focus on studying. While I love children, they are distracting with screaming, running, and crying. They don’t provide the best environment for studying.
At Ellen’s house, I collect my things and tell her family thank you and goodbye. Then, my dad and I set off to our new temporary home.
I’m nervous about going to live at a stranger’s house, but I want to be with my dad. Ever since my mother passed away, I’ve been taking care of my dad. Because he is the only parent I have, I worry about his health a lot. Hopefully, these people that he knows are nice.
After driving around for nearly 30 minutes, the truck finally stops in front of a huge two-story home surrounded by tall fencing and a large gate. Next to the gate, there is a video screen. A call system has been set up to communicate with the house’s occupants.
My father and I it in the truck, staring at the house in awe. Just beyond the gate is a brick driveway and walkway that leads to the front porch. A massive porch that runs the entire width of the front of the house, containing plenty of seating with comfy benches and porch swings. There’s even a fire pit for when it’s cold! The front lawn has dark green, freshly cut grass with a garden full of many different kinds of flowers. The house is strangely inviting yet intimidating at the same time. From the front of the house, you can even see a balcony on the second floor.
Completely dumbstruck at the size of the house and its surroundings, I finally question, “What does your friend do exactly?”
“Um…he just told me he’s a businessman,” my dad responds, awestruck. “I guess he was being a little modest.”
“Maybe just a bit more than just a little,” I mutter.
Suddenly, the gate opens, and a man and woman come running to the front of the house to greet us.
The man is tall but a little chubby with thinning black hair. He is a handsome man who appears to be my dad’s age. This man looks like a very happy person who would be very easy to get along with. The woman standing next to him is very beautiful. She’s a little taller than me, has a slim build, and long, flowing black hair.
After my dad pulls up and we get out of the truck, the man and woman approach us.
“Hello!” the woman’s sweet voice calls out to us. “My goodness, you must be Bree. You are so beautiful.” I smile at her, not knowing how to respond. She reaches her hand out to me. “My name is Calia Hall, and this is my husband, Will,” she continues without skipping a beat. “We are so happy to have you and your father here and hope you make it your home too in the meantime.”
“Oh…” I reply, taken off guard by everything she said within the past five seconds. “Thank you for having us.”
“Well, come on inside, everyone!” she says excitedly, walking towards the house.
When I walk inside after Mr. and Mrs. Hall, my mouth drops open. The house looks enormous and expensive but welcoming. I don’t want to walk inside in fear that I’ll break an expensive decoration or dirty the spotless, well-kept place.
“Come sit down.” Mrs. Hall beckons to my father and me.
The living room contains a big fluffy couch that rests against a wall with a massive window behind it, a matching fluffy loveseat that is positioned at the side of the couch and is against the wall, and a big recliner. All the seats are sat facing a huge television, which is off. When I sit down on the love seat with my dad, I feel like I’m sitting on a cloud.
My dad and Mr. Hall begin talking, reminiscing about the old days as Mrs. Hall and I listen. I’m still very nervous and can’t help but feel awkward. Should we be staying in such a beautiful place? There has to be a downside to this. It’s almost too good to be true.
“Bree, you are so adorable!” Mrs. Hall states excitedly, noticing my apprehension. “And your father has done such a great job raising such a well-mannered child!”
I smile at her. “Thank you.”
“I’ve always wanted a daughter. I have two sons, so I don’t get to do all the fun girly things with my children. So get ready to do a bunch of fun things together!” she continues excitedly.
“What are your sons like?” I question.
“You’ll meet them in a few minutes. They’re moving my youngest’s things into his brother’s room. They should be down any minute to meet you.”
I fall silent after this as my father and his old friend continue their conversation about the old days. It’s nice seeing my father like this, but there’s something in the pit of my stomach telling me that something isn’t right.
“Oh! Silly me, Bree. Are you thirsty?” Mrs. Hall says while standing up. “I’ll go fetch some drinks!”
Soon, she comes back with one of her sons. “Everyone, this is Oscar, my youngest,” Mrs. Hall states as she sets some water bottles and sodas down on the coffee table. “Pick whatever drink you want.”
Oscar stares at me with intensity. His brown eyes look like they’re engulfed in flames as he stares at me. I’m not sure what to think of him at this moment, but something in the way he looks reminded me of someone…
“Where’s your brother?” Mr. Hall questions Oscar.
“He’ll be down in a minute,” Oscar starts, cutting his eyes at me. “He’s finishing moving his things around in his room so my things will fit without so much clutter,” he retorts with a bite.
I feel myself flinch at the sudden harshness.
Mrs. Hall smacks the back of Oscar's head. “Please excuse my son. He’s not used to having guests.”
I give Mrs. Hall a small smile before taking a sip of my drink and staring around the room. I can still feel the cold stare glaring at me from the recliner as I examine the room. This is so awkward! I haven’t even met everyone yet, and this 12-year-old boy hates me. What if his brother hates me?
Suddenly, another person shuffles into the room. When I notice the movement, I look up to acknowledge his presence. I begin to choke after taking a sip of my water.
“Are you okay?” my father asked, patting me on the back.
“You!” I retort, staring at Liam and feeling overwhelmed. In that instant, I become angry, sad, embarrassed, excited, giddy, and unable to act out any of my emotions properly.
“Oh, do you two know each other?” Mrs. Hall questions with intrigue.
“We go to the same college,” Liam replies, staring me directly in the eye and making me feel small, inferior. “The other day, she told me that she is in love with me,” he continues nonchalantly.
My mouth falls open as my face grows hot and my eyes become teary. I’m mortified that he’d say such a thing in front of everyone—people who I’ve only just met.
Liam stands there, displaying a prideful smirk as he stares at me. Oscar is laughing uncontrollably in the recliner.
My father falls silent, and his eyes are wide. He looks like he wants to disappear.
“Now, that is very rude!” Mr. and Mrs. Hall start shouting over each other at their sons.
“I’m so sorry about my RUDE children,” Mrs. Hall begins, apologizing to me while cutting her eyes at her sons. “If I had daughters, they wouldn’t have been this cruel…”
I stand up at this moment, wanting to leave. “Excuse me, where’s the bathroom?” I question in a small voice, trying to keep my voice from shaking too much.
Mrs. Hall stands up. “This way,” she responds with a kind smile, walking me to the bathroom.
Once I close the door behind me, I can hear Mr. Hall’s voice angrily shouting at the boys and forcing them to apologize to my father for their rude behavior in showing how thoughtless and cruel they are to his daughter. But that doesn’t help me any. I’m about to have a meltdown.
I stare at myself in the mirror. “I am not gonna cry…I’m not gonna cry,” I say to myself over and over again while staring at my reflection. Why didn’t I stand up for myself this time? Why did I let him get the better of me? Ugh, how am I gonna face all of them?
There’s a small knock on the door.
“Bree, are you ok?” my father’s voice asks through the door.
Opening the door, I meet his gaze. “I’m all right.”
“Are you sure?” His voice is filled with concern. “Do we need to leave?”
“No,” I reply. “He’s not going to run me off that easily.”
“Are you sure? If this is too awkward or…”
“Dad, I can handle it,” I continue. “There was bound to be something bad about staying here.”
“Okay…” he replied with a sound of defeat. “But you let me know if it gets to be too much.”
“I will.”
We walk back into the living room with each other and take our seats.
The parents continue their discussion and catch up while I sit silently, avoiding eye contact with Liam. After an awkward thirty minutes, Mrs. Hall speaks to me again. “Bree, as you already know, you will be sleeping in Oscar’s room. Oscar is bunking with Liam, and Tyler ,you will be staying in the guest house.”
“I could stay in the guest house with my dad,” I reply.
“Nonsense!” Mrs. Hall declares. “Your dad works odd hours, which could interfere with your sleep and schoolwork.”
“It would be no different than before, really,” I argue.
“I’m all for having her cramped in the guest house with her father,” Oscar retorts.
Mrs. Hall glares at Oscar. “That’s too bad.” She turns her attention back to me. “Bree, I know you don’t want to make a big fuss in the house. But a girl needs her own space. Especially when your father goes to work early and gets off late.”
“Okay,” I reply reluctantly.
“Now, let’s go see your new room!” Mrs. Hall says excitedly.
I followed her upstairs to the room that will now be called mine. She leads me to a closed door. “Are you ready to see your new room?” she questions with a big smile.
“Yes.”
“Welcome home!” Mrs. Hall half-shouts with excitement. My mouth falls open. “I may have gone a little overboard.” She giggles. “But I wanted to make it especially nice for the daughter I never had.”
My new room is bigger than the master bedroom in my old house. There’s a queen-sized bed in the center of the back wall decorated with baby pink pillowcases, sheets, and a big poufy comforter. Along with the six big fluffy pillows rest stuffed animals from a puppy holding a heart to an elephant with a cute smile. The walls are a freshly painted turquoise color with white running boards. The smell of paint remains in the room. The nightstand, desk, dresser, and headboard of the bed are white with an intricate pattern chiseled into the wood. A cute little white wooden chair sits at the desk with a baby pink cushion on it. Cute little picture frames with images of teddy bears holding flowers are also on the wall. This room is extravagant.
“Oh my gosh…” That’s the only response I can muster.
“Do you hate it?” Mrs. Hall questions with concern.
“No!” I respond. “I love it. It’s the nicest room I’ve ever had.”
Mrs. Hall’s huge, bright smile returns. “Great! Do you need help unpacking?”
My bag lies at the foot of the bed. I open it to start taking out my belongings. The first item lying at the top is a framed picture of me, my dad, and my mom. I walk over to the nightstand to place it there.
“Can I look at that picture?” Mrs. Hall asks. I nod, handing it to her. She smiles, looking at the picture. “Is that your mom?”
“Yes.”
“You were such a cute little girl! You’re growing up to be just as beautiful as your mother!”
“Thank you,” I reply with a small smile. “And thank you for letting my father and me stay here. Your home is beautiful.”
Mrs. Hall hands the picture back. “Well, I should go cook dinner. Do you need anything else?”
“No, I’m fine. Thank you.”
“Okay. Come down when you finish unpacking!”
I nod my head with a smile. This is still a bit awkward for me.
After she leaves, I continue unpacking my bag. I don’t have a lot of things, so it doesn’t take very long. When I finish, I sit on the bed debating whether I should go back downstairs or not. It would be rude to stay up here…
Going back downstairs, I find my way to the kitchen, where Mrs. Hall is cooking. “Would you like some help?”
“I would love some help,” she responds happily. “Do you know how to cook?”
“Yes. I love cooking.”
“That’s wonderful! One day, you should cook a meal for us!”
I smile. “I will.”
When dinner is finished, we set the food on the dining room table. Everyone sits down, ready to eat. Mr. Hall sits at the head of the table with Mrs. Hall beside him. Oscar and Liam sit on the left side, and my father and I sit opposite them.
“So, Bree, what do you like to do in your spare time?” Mr. Hall asks.
“Oh…” I say, becoming shy. “I don’t know…” The question takes me by surprise. I have also always been a bit bashful when others ask questions about me.
“Probably not studying…” Oscar scoffs.
“That’s strike two,” Mrs. Hall cuts in, glaring at her son. “Do you want to see what happens on your third?”
Oscar looks down at his plate in bitter annoyance.
The way he looks at that moment instantly reminds me of Liam, who is also wearing the exact same expression. It’s as if he’s sitting next to a mirror. I giggle to myself a little.
“Bree is being modest,” my dad cuts in. “If she’s not with one of her friends, she is usually volunteering in town for youth mentoring as a big sister.”
Mrs. Hall beams with delight. “Aww!” Her reaction makes me blush. “What kinds of things do you do when volunteering?” she questions, genuinely interested.
“Oh…um…I have been assigned to a girl named Carey. She is eight years old and as cute as a button. But I’ll bring them to the park or the zoo, do arts and crafts, help with homework, and pretty much anything they want to do.”
“How long have you been doing that?” Mrs. Hall asks.
“About four years now.”
“Tyler, you have raised a wonderful daughter,” Mrs. Hall gushes.
My father wears a prideful smile. “I can’t take all the credit.”
After dinner, I help Mrs. Hall wash the dishes before heading back up to my room. As I’m closing the door behind me, Liam’s voice catches my attention.
“Hey, you.” His voice is dry and cold, much like his stare. “You better not tell anyone that you are staying here.”
“What does that matter?” I question, disgusted.
His eyes grew sharp with intensity.
“Fine, I won’t!” I reply, annoyed.
“You better not,” he responds with a growl.