Chapter 2:
"Um, guys. I think I need to go now." Stacy said slowly after putting her phone back to her pocket as she turned to them. Mark tried to smile sympathetically. Randy came to Stacy's side.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked softly and touched her cheek. Despite of the sadness Stacy was feeling that very moment, she couldn't really brush the light feeling she was having when Randy gave her this sweet gesture.
"Yeah, I will be I guess. Just as long as you guys will be here for me aight?" Stacy just said while trying to put on a brave smile.
"Alright! No need for being mushy now guys!" Mark exclaimed and slapped Stacy's back hard.
"Yeah! This is the Stacy we know! Stacy warrior princess!" Randy teased and this was enough to make Stacy smile again.
"Shut up Randall!" Stacy said.
"You just don't loose your cool alright Stace?" John said as he put his hand on her shoulder as if by doing this, he can let Stacy know about his concern for her. As a friend.
"And if ever she messes with you, she's messing with us! Just tell us when or where and we'll beat her up!" Mark suggested.
"You dimwit! You can't beat a girl up!" John told him and smack the back of Mark's head.
"Geez! No need with the hitting! I was just trying to lighten Stacy's mood and help her ya know!" Mark said defensively and Randy laughed before talking again.
"We'll be here for you okay? That's the point there. Call us up when you need to talk to someone." He said and Stacy nodded.
"See you some other time guys!" Stacy yelled as she drove away from them.
"Good luck Stacers." The guys whispered.
"So Randy…" Mark started but Randy seemed to know what Mark was up to.
"Shut up man!" he just said. "So guys, we couldn't just stay here and gawk at Stacy's back forever, wanna go play hoops?" he asked them and John and Mark just shrugged in approval and nodded.
"Randy went back to his bike and drove away. Mark and John were left behind.
"Man he is so blind!" Mark sighed and John agreed.
"I agree with you man! Why can't he just---" John started to say but Randy yelled at them.
"You
guys coming or what?"
"Right behind you Ran!" John yelled
back and they just shook their heads. They mounted their own bikes
and followed Randy.
Stacy meanwhile was taking her time riding home. Everyone knows she could go faster but she wants to delay the time he meets her dad and worst, her half-sister. She was pedaling slowly as her mind started to drift to that night when her life changed forever.
Flashback:
"See you tomorrow Stace!" the guys yelled as they drove away from Stacy's driveway. Stacy waved her hands as she took her baseball cap off and went inside their house. She was quite surprise to find it so gloomy and quiet. Where could her mom and dad be? Usually she'd find them in the living room watching television and having a good laugh.
"Mom? Dad? I'm home!" she yelled as she walked towards the stairs when she heard sobbing from the next room. She dropped her bag at the foot of the stairs and slowly walked towards the door and peeked inside. She saw her mom crying. Her eyes widened in shock. Why could her mom be crying? Without thinking twice, she walked towards her mom.
"Mom? Are you alright?" she asked worriedly. Her mom looked at her with horror on her tear-streaked face. But it only lasted for awhile as it changed to anger. She was looking at something on the other side of the room. Stacy followed her mom's gaze and saw her father.
"Dad? I thought you're in Boston?" she asked, her heart was starting to beat faster. She could sense something was not right.
"Tell her Frank! You tell her yourself!" her mom yelled. Her dad hung his head low.
"Dad?" Stacy called him and waited for him to say something.
"I'm so sorry honey." Her dad said as he slowly walked towards her.
"Why are you saying sorry anyway? Did you break mom's china?" she tried to joke to ease her uneasiness but her dad didn't smiled and her mom cried harder.
"Baby, I know this must be very hard for you but always remember that daddy really loves you very much." Her dad told her as he held Stacy's hands to his chest.
"You don't love her! If you love her, if you love me, you wouldn't have done this!" her mom said between tears. Stacy transferred her gaze from her mom to her dad.
"What's going on here guys?" she said in a loud and tensed voice.
"Irene, I'm sorry, I really am, I thought I would ever learn to love you but… but I failed. I thought that was the best choice, the best decision to make." Her dad said.
"Dad?" Stacy exclaimed when she heard those words.
"Why bother telling her those lies? Why don't you just tell her that you've been seeing another woman for the past fourteen years!" her mom said in pure anger and it was like a cannon exploding to her ears.
"No!" Stacy cried out silently.
"Baby, baby? Listen to daddy. Daddy really loves you and really cares for you. No matter what happens between mom and dad, it doesn't change the fact that I'm your dad and---" he tried to say but Irene cut him off.
"Get your hands away from her. Don't tell her anymore lies. Don't make her anticipate for something that she can never have!" her mom yelled and pulled her aside. Stacy's mind went numb as she tried to absorb every word they were saying.
"And if you ask Stacy, you're no longer daddy's only little girl! He lied to us! To you! What's her name again Frank? Trish? Stacy, sooner or later you're gonna meet her daughter Trish!" Stacy's mom told her.
"Irene!" Frank snapped at her mom and tried to come near her.
"No, don't touch me! I hate you!" Stacy told him and he thought he was injected with venom.
"You heard her Frank, get away from her." Her mother scoffed and tried to put an arm around Stacy's shoulders but she pushed her away.
"No! You too! You get away from me! I hate you! I hate both of you!" Stacy exclaimed and ran outside to her bike.
"Stacy come back!" they called after her but she didn't look back, instead she pedaled furiously. She didn't know where to go. She was lost, she was alone but she didn't feel any fear. Anger was boiling up inside her. Then she saw a lighted house two blocks away. She slowed down a bit and thought for a second before finally stopping. She needs someone. She needs a friend. She knocked slowly and the door opened.
"Stacy?" John asked confusedly. "Are… are you alright? Did you just… cry?" and without warning Stacy threw herself to him and started crying once again.
"Hey John! What's taking you so long?" Randy's voice rang.
"Stacy?" he asked when she saw Stacy. Stacy quickly pulled away from John and wiped her tears away.
"Are you alright?" Randy asked her. "What happened?" He asked and approached his two friends. Mrs. Cena also came over to see what the commotion is about.
"It's dad… it's dad…" Stacy sobbed and between tears she told them about what happened.
"Oh honey. Come here." Mrs. Cena said and embraced her affectionately.
"I can't believe it." John and Randy said. Then the phone rang. Stacy knew who was calling and she looked at Mrs. Cena, she nodded. She disappeared to the next room and left Stacy with the guys. John and Randy hugged her to give her comfort.
"It was your dad. I told him you're here and you'll be staying for the night." She said and Stacy thanked her. John, his mom and Randy accompanied Stacy to John's room where Stacy going to sleep. John was gonna sleep at the living room in the sofa. Mrs. Cena let Stacy borrow some of her clothes that could fit Stacy. After fixing herself, Stacy looked at herself in the mirror and all she could see was oblivion. Her eyes saw a picture in John's mirror, it was taken during his birthday the past year. It was the four of them, Stacy, Randy, John and Mark. They felt more of a family than her own that very moment.
"Stacy?" John knocked on the door. Stacy jerked her head and quickly opened the door.
"You okay now?" he asked, Stacy looked past John and saw Randy.
"Yeah, I will be. I just can't believe I lived in a lie for fourteen years." She said and tried to laugh.
"Stop being so brave." Randy said.
"Boys! Leave Stacy alone! She needs rest." John's mom called to them.
"We'll be downstairs if you need us. Randy's called his folks and said he'll be staying here for tonight." John said and went downstairs with Randy.
"Thanks guys." She whispered and they just gave her salutes. Stacy went inside the room and dropped down to the bed.
"Oh dad!" she mumbled and started crying again.
End of Flashback
Stacy stopped her bike in front of her house. She saw her dad's old car parked in the driveway. She let out a deep breath and got off her bike. She went to the front door and pushed it open. She gasped when she saw another blonde girl in front of her all dressed in pink.
"Hi! I'm Trish! You must be Stacy! Glad to meet you Sis!" the girl said and suddenly hugged her.
