Life has been unfair to me all the time when it snatched my parents from me in a car accident when I was only three years old, when my uncle, aunts, and even my grandparents refused to take me in. The family, who my parents were friends with, took me under their shadow and gave me a happy life as they took care of their own two kids. It wasn't like they had adopted me to give me their name, they were raising me for some purpose unknown.
I walked around in the kitchen, cooking some delicious food for the evening, and washing utensils at the same time. We lived in a small town built on the hills called Sizwil, it was a beautiful town when you look at it, greenery everywhere, houses surrounded by trees and all. But it wasn't as beautiful as it just appeared to be, the town has its own rules and secrets.
When the night arrived, the houses looked lit from afar, but nobody knew what dark activities were going on inside.
I kept looking at the clock hanging in the kitchen and hurrying up. Soon, Lauren, who was the wife of Mr. Ben, joined me in the kitchen and began helping me. Mr. Ben, my father's friend and the same person who took me in, was gone to pick up his nineteen years old son Tucker from the bus stop. No planes flew to this town so Tucker has to pick a bus after the plane landed at his last stop.
"Don't rush at things, Mr. Ben wants everything in perfection." Lauren smiled my way and rubbed her hand on my shoulder. She was 44 years old, a very nice and loving mother of two kids, Tucker and Ivory. I grew up in this house, Tucker was kind of my bully when I was a little girl, but it changed as he grew up and now from the last one year, he was gone to another city for a year scholarship that he has won. I know just how bad I've missed him. As for Ivory, she was just like a negative character from fairy tales, evil, and mean. Mr. Ben was a decent man, but always grumpy and wanting everyone to follow his rules, which was okay as someone has to maintain the discipline in this house.
"How long?" I asked, looking at the clock, if only Ivory could bring herself out of her cell phone and helped us, our work would have done sooner but she was always a brat and acting like I was her maid.
"They'll be here in a minute," Lauren announced with a wide smile on her lips. "Why don't you go and freshen up, wear something new." She smiled. When I was a kid, I would ask her if Tucker and Ivory were my siblings and she would always tell me that they are not my parents and Tucker is not my brother. Recently, she has been working hard to make me feel some kind of attraction for Tucker. She would always call Tucker and tell him to talk to me, it felt like she really liked me. But Tucker never talked to me so that's another story.
"Okay." Blushing and smiling, I walked to my room which was located on the second floor. We had a small Mediterranean house, the ground floor doesn't really look like a ground floor as it was built on a hill and we can see the road down the steep. Coming out from the kitchen, there was a small lounge with a TV, which lead into a small alley that has three rooms, a guest room, Mr. Ben and Lauren's room, and Tucker's room.
On the second floor, there were two rooms, one for me and the other for Ivory. And then a beautiful terrace and an open area to enjoy the view.
It was a small town, every house was on the hill, a little afar from other houses, but there were rumors that the ladies from each house used binoculars to spy on their neighbors. Creepy, I know right.
I wore a mini pink sundress and left my hair in small curls.
The bell rang and I assumed they have arrived while I was still in my room, getting ready. Staying inside, I shivered to go out and look at the person's face who was my childhood crush. I can feel Tucker's presence around me now, before him the house felt empty and now it was this feeling that I can't describe. Debating in my mind, whether it would be too attention gaining thing to go out now as everyone will be seated down except for me, and walking in front of him to my seat would be awkward. My heart kept jumping up and down in my chest, I wanted to see his face. Before he left, he had a girlfriend, which wasn't very serious because they ended up deciding that they were better as friends but he never noticed me even after his breakup. It was strange to live under the same roof and not being able to hang out even for once. Except for all that, Ivory had pet hate for me, I don't know if I have done something bad or maybe because her mother liked me more.
Getting him was like a dream for me, a dream where I just wanted to be with him and it felt like something impossible. Mr. Ben never saw me like that, I can tell and maybe he never wanted it to happen. Tucker was a famous boy in our town and now that he has arrived back from LA, he was more famous than ever. While debating with myself, I totally forgot how long I've been in my room, suddenly the door hung open, shocking me on my spot.
"Hey is anybody there?" It was Tucker, peeping inside with his whole body leaning ahead. He joked and laughed, smiling as he watched my face. "I knew you will be hiding there from me, aren't you excited to see me?"
