Alex woke up groggily the next day.
She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and yawned. She never felt more tired. She didn’t even stay up late. The adults had tried to convince her friends to stay for dinner but they never ran out of excuses. Since they stayed by the door, it was easy for them to escape.
Although, her mother made them promise to attend if they held another party.
Staring up at the ceiling, Alex spent more time in her bed. Her body felt as light as a feather. As she slowly regained consciousness, abundant energy flowed in her veins. She wondered if this was how liberty felt. She’d never realized how heavy she felt before.
Now, it seemed like she could do anything.
She pushed herself up and stared around the room. She sniffed. The scent of fried bacon wafted in the air. It salivated her mouth. She hadn’t smelled breakfast in a while. It almost felt like home.
Alex didn’t waste time and got ready for school. For her outfit, she raided her closet for the clothes Emily had shopped for her. She should be able to come up with something comfortable to wear, right? She grabbed a pair of skinny jeans and a white camisole. Holding up together to see how they’d look.
Her nose wrinkled, placing them back.
Tight pants didn’t sound like a good idea. She checked if there was another one. She found a pair of high waisted black jeans. They still had a slim cut but the fabric seemed more breathable. Nodding her head, she tossed them onto her bed.
She just needed a top to go with it. She went through her tops collection. There wasn’t much since she usually wore shirts. At the end of the rack, she found a cream sleeveless top. It had a collar and buttons from the hem up to the neck. It had a pattern of tiny flower silhouettes.
What could be more feminine than flowers?
Since it didn’t have sleeves, Alex took out a black camisole to wear underneath it. She also grabbed a leather jacket to wear when she’s outside.
The soles of dark boots padded on the floor. Its collar reached over the ankle. The laces slipped through all the eyelets and tied at the top into a bow. The jeans cinched at the waist, over Alex’s belly button. She tucked in the top and emphasized her figure. She left three top buttons open. The flaps they made added shape to her chest area. The neckline of the camisole peeked out.
Skipping over to the kitchen, Alex found her mother near the stove. She spotted pancakes on the griddle and toasty bacon on a plate. Her legs sped up as her stomach grumbled. There was also a pitcher of orange juice on the counter. An empty plate waited for her in front of a stool.
Angie looked up at the sound of footsteps.
A soft gasp escaped her lips, “My, my, don’t you look chic.”
Alex pulled the stool and sat down, placing the jacket over the backrest. She chuckled at her mother’s reaction, “We have Emily to blame for that. Hanging out with her had implanted some fashion sense in my head.”
“Your hair could do some styling too” Angie lifted a finger and waved over her own head, “I think a bit of texturizing spray. I think making a bit more wavy can add something to your style. At least, it’s different from your usual one.”
“Maybe later. Right now, I want to eat!”
Using a fork, Alex took two pancakes and three strips of bacon. She sliced some butter. Then, drizzled a heaping amount of maple syrup. The taste of the pancakes never failed to amazed her. The creamy soft texture inside absorbed the syrup when sliced. With every bite, it would ooze out and spread in her mouth.
The butter just was the cherry on top.
Home had never felt better.
Alex chewed slowly, cutting the bacon. Her eyes glassed over the plate. Home, she repeated in her head. A weight in her chest appeared. She had previously mentioned how four walls could suffocate her after long years. She almost forgot the good parts of it.
Summer usually contained a lot of events.
Either her parents would be away or she’d be with them. Meals made from her mother were rarer at that time—unlike the rest of the year.
She laughed quietly.
Just yesterday, she had a heated argument with her father about staying.
Now, going home didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“Alex, what’s wrong?” Her mother’s voice said softly. She turned off the stove and leaned over the counter. She had noticed that the sound of metal hitting ceramic faded.
Alex glanced up and smiled sadly, “There’s nothing wrong. I just… miss breakfasts like this.”
“Aw, sweetie, you’ll have more when you get home.”
“Which can happen either soon or later” she sighed, shifting her gaze back on her plate. She took another bite of pancake and chewed, “I just never thought that a part of me would want to go home. Going to school with everyone is great but I’d also like to be home. Why can’t I have both?”
Angie’s heart squeezed. Her daughter wore a crestfallen face. It dejected her how to see Alex in this state. She wished she could do more. She opted for a soothing tone, “Come on, there’s still a week and a half left. We never know if some miracles would happen. Maybe Lilly can learn how to cook like me.”
Alex snorted, “It’s not like Aunt Lilly can’t cook. She just… doesn’t always have the time. I’m not complaining about it. A mother’s cooking would always be different.”
Unable to take it anymore, Angie walked around the island and stood by her daughter’s side. She wrapped her arms around Alex’s shoulders, “Well, we just have to make the best out of this week then, huh? Maybe you should invite Logan to dinner.”
Alex’s eyes fluttered. She tilted her head up and squinted at her mother.
“Why?”
“Isn’t it normal to invite my daughter’s boyfriend over for dinner?”
“But… he’s not my boyfriend?”
“Still?” Angie lamented, “Don’t tell me that you’re still hung up on Neal?”
“Mother!” Alex grunted. The fork clattered on the plate as she buried her forehead in her hands. Why did this guy seem to haunt her these days? Did someone spray a love potion around here? Grumbling, she continued, “That was such a long time ago.”
“Maybe but—”
“But nothing!” She interrupted, slamming her hands on the counter, “Can we focus on one thing at a time? Right now, that is for me to get to school and not have dirty looks aimed my way.”
“Alright” Angie chuckled. She kissed her daughter’s temple, “Wait, right here. I’ll get the texturizing spray.”
Alex finished her meal while her hair received a styling treatment. Her mother came back with a set of tools and went to work immediately. It probably wasn’t the best idea to have hair chemicals near food but they didn’t have much time. She felt her strands being tossed and ruffled.
Angie stepped back and admired her work, “You look more delicate now.”
“I don’t know if that’s what I want to go for” Alex frowned. She grabbed the mirror on the counter and checked her hair. Since Emily had done layers, the slight waves overlapped a bit. They created a shape that framed her face and highlighted the curves in her facial features.
She turned her head from one side to another, keeping her eyes on her reflection. Her mother also moved her fringes. It opened up her face. She also tucked some strands behind her right ear. The overall look didn’t seem as bad as she thought it would be.
A car horn blared from outside.
Alex put down the mirror and checked her watch.
She already knew who made that sound. Standing up, she took her jacket and shrugged it on. Then, she looped her backpack strap. She kissed her mother’s cheek, “Thank you for breakfast. See you later!”
Angie barely had time to reply before her daughter bolted out of the kitchen. She snickered quietly. It seemed that Alex still didn’t like to make people wait. There was still plenty of time but she’d act as if she only had seconds.
Ethan looked up from the living room. The windows had curtains but he perceived the outline of a car outside the gate. He sat on an armchair with a laptop on the coffee table. He shifted his gaze when a blurry figure emerged from the kitchen.
“Alex!” He called out. A second later, a scowl appeared between his brows, “What the hell are you wearing?”
Alex jumped at the sound of her name. She quickly used her backpack to hide the front of her top. Smiling innocently, she used her free hand to wave goodbye, “Have a good day, father! See you when I get back.”
With her farewells over, she turned the door knob and stepped out. Logan never came to pick her up early. By the time they’d reach school, they only had 10 minutes to prepare for classes. Even if her father ordered her to change, she wouldn’t be able to.
Escaping was the better option.
She sprinted across the front yard, hair flying backwards. She immediately opened the car door and hopped inside. She spoke urgently, “Go, go, go!”
She tucked in her seatbelt and relaxed in her seat. She gazed out of the windshield. The road didn’t move. Wait, that wasn’t the right sentence. It was the car that didn’t move. She snapped her head towards the driver’s seat.
Hands on the steering wheel and gear shift, Logan had frozen. His wide green eyes gawked at her. Alex had surprised him once again with her transformations. It seemed that he’d have a tough day ahead. Secret exposed or not, there were bound to be some creeps who’d like to get their hands on her.
“What?” Alex demanded, snorting awkwardly, “You think I’d still wear those hoodies and baggy pants after people already know about me?”
“No, it’s not that” Logan replied, closing his eyes and shaking his head. He chuckled to himself. The corner of his lips twitching, he changed gears and winked at her, “You look really beautiful today.”
