Hi, guys! Thanks for your reviews, favourites and follows! I'm so happy you like this story as much as I do.
This chapter is shorter than usual, but I wanted to publish it asap so you don't have to wait one more day. I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but I didn't have enough time between university and work.
I write for you, guys, so I appreciate any comment, good or bad. :D
Don't forget I am not a native English speaker, so I apologize in advance for my grammar mistakes.
dayabieberxo: Thanks! The important talk will have to wait. I promise you'll read the Em-Paige talk next chapter. Maybe Alison and Emily will have a conversation too.
HOOBASTOO: Thank you! I'm glad you're liking it.
Literarylesbian37: You'll love Aria even more. She's awesome.
Lina-sama28: ¡Muchas gracias! Espero que este capítulo también te guste. I hope you also like this chapter.
Enjoy!
Paige's POV
I wake up when I hear my phone is beeping. I look at the alarm clock with my eyes slightly opened. It's 8 am and today is Sunday, so whoever it is he/she is an early riser. I stretch my right arm in despair to grab my phone, I look at it, I got a text.
"Rise and shine, sleepy head! How are you? I just want to tell you that I'm in Rosewood and I want to see you. I know you told me you'd text me today, but you know I'm an impatient person. Answer asap, Paigey!" XO
"You woke me up just to tell me that? You're lucky you're my friend, or I'd be really pissed off. I don't know when I'll be able to escape from this prison, but how about 4 pm at the usual place? If I can't make it I'll text you at a 'reasonable hour' during the morning. See you later!"
"Hahaha. When I'm in a good mood I enjoy prank texting my friends. I'm sorry if I ruined your beauty sleep, but you don't need it, you're gorgeous even if you don't rest, Paigey."
I hope she is in a good mood this afternoon, because I'm really scared of her reaction when I say it out loud. Right now I need her friendship more than ever. A smile appears on my face when I read the part where she says I'm gorgeous. I can't help but blushing, the girl I like thinks I'm pretty, even if she is straight and she's not into me in that way.
"Next time call Spencer when you want to prank someone. Although I don't think you're so brave. Hahaha. Anyway, doctors say too much sleep is unhealthy, so thank you. xD See you later, Em!" I text her back.
I leave my cell phone on my bedside table and I go downstairs. My mother always makes breakfast for us, but today I'm going to do something nice for her. She's been so supportive of me that I want to show her that I appreciate she took the shocking news so well. Plus, if I make breakfast for my dad, he might be more understanding when I tell him about my sexuality in just a few minutes. I have to admit I am a big ball of nerves, he has an imposing presence and he's a deacon, he couldn't be more religious, so I think she won't accept my 'disgusting lifestyle'. Sometimes I think that he hates me, he's never been affectionate to me, he only seems to be interested in my swimming and in my grades, but he's never interested in anything else about my life. He knows I don't have friends and he also knows that I had a self-injury problem back in the day, but he preferred to let my mom deal with those problems. He keeps out of everything if he can avoid facing the hurting truth. Anyway, I don't think his attitude towards me will have a drastic change when he hears the words 'I'm gay', so I'm the one who comes off worst if I keep this secret any longer.
When I'm about to start preparing freshly squeezed orange juice I hear the sound of steps coming from upstairs.
"Good morning, honey! It smells really good. Why are you making breakfast?" my mother asks while she approaches me.
"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I could do something productive," I say while I sit down on the chair next to my mother.
"Why couldn't you sleep?" she asks me frowning. She takes the glass and drinks the orange juice in one gulp.
"I just woke up, mom. I didn't want to lay on the bed. But… I'm going to tell him, mom. I can't wait any longer, I need to vent my frustration by saying the truth about who I am."
"Okay, honey. But you know how dad is, don't take his attitude to heart. He'll need some time to accept the fact that you're not going to have a boyfriend ever. You just got to be patient, that day will come, I'm sure of it," she adds while she caresses my shoulder.
I didn't think I would be so nervous, but when I see my dad's silhouette coming down the stairs my heart starts racing, I can't control it.
"Good morning. Breakfast looks great," she says as he sits and starts eating bacon. He seems to be in a good mood, but sometimes he acts like a bipolar person, so, who knows how he's going to react when I say that I like girls.
"Actually, Paige made breakfast, it wasn't me," my mom says looking at him. I can see that she's staring at him, like she's trying to communicate telepathically with him so he says something nice to me.
"Oh… It looks delicious, Paige," he admits looking down. Well… he didn't say the two words that every other person in the world would say, but I guess this is his way to tell me that he's grateful to me.
"Dad… ummm… I have to tell you something that I know you won't like, but I can't take it anymore. I will get straight to the point."
"'Straight?' I could have chosen any other word to express the way I'm feeling," I think to myself.
"I… Lately… ummm… I've realized that…" I look at my mom and she nods at me, she's trying to tell me that I can do this. My dad is frowning, he has no idea that I'm going to open up my heart, and that's very hard for me. I mean, it's not because the lesbian thing, I've always had difficulty in expressing my feelings. Now that I think about it, maybe my dad is the one to blame for it, because he's very introverted.
"Be brave, Paige," I think to myself.
"I'm gay, dad," I say abruptly. I look away from his eyes, I don't want to see his face expression. After an awkward silence I raise my head and I look at him. He's thunderstruck, his mouth is wide open, he's not saying a word. My mom is staring at him too, but he doesn't react. Instead he takes a bowl of cereals and starts eating while we keep looking at him. I can't believe he's ignoring me, I didn't expect this to happen.
"Come on, dad, say something. Yell at me, don't act like nothing happened," I say furiously. He doesn't even try to lift his head, as if he's on another planet.
"Say something, Nick. It has taken her a lot of courage to come out to you," my mother adds while she smiles at me.
He is in a state of catatonia, he doesn't even bat an eyelid. I am getting very angry, I'd prefer if he yelled at me or if he told me that I am a sinner who is going to hell. His indifference is freaking me out.
"Are you kidding me?" I shout. I am so pissed off that I take a napkin and I throw it at him. When the napkin hits his forehead he quickly raises his head and he stares straight into my eyes.
"What do you want me to say? You know my opinion about it. But it's your life, do whatever you want," he says surprisingly calm.
"What do you mean?" I ask frowning.
"It's your decision. I mean, you're a kid, you're confused, it's just a phase," he adds.
"Are you saying that maybe I'll wake up one day and I'll be attracted to boys?" I'm trying to calm down, but even if he's speaking nicely it's too frustrating.
"That's possible. Maybe it would help if you talked to other people who's going through the same thing. I mean, I know the pastor, so…" he keeps saying when I interrupt him.
"Go to hell!" I yell at him. I get my cell, I open the door and I leave the house slamming the door. I can't stand it anymore, and I don't want to cry in front of them. I don't want my dad to think that I'm weak. No way!
I could use a friend, but the only friend I have is Emily and I can't speak with her about this matter. I am walking quickly, although I don't know where the hell I'm going. I don't want to think about that, I just want to walk away from my dad and his bullshit. Suddenly I remember that I can call Aria, she told me to call her if I needed anything. I know that it's only 9:30 in the morning, but I need it so bad. I take out my cell out of my pocket and I dial her number.
"Yeah?" she says with a very sleepy voice.
"Aria, it's me, Paige," I say sobbing. "Were you sleeping? I'm sorry but I was getting desperate and I didn't know who to call," I say still crying.
"What is going on? Are you okay, Paige?" she asks evidently concerned.
"No, I'm not. I just came out to my dad, and he said that maybe I need to attend a support group. I'm not a fucking psychopath!" I shout.
"I'm sorry, Paige. He'll finally admit it, don't worry. He's in denial, but he loves you, you're his daughter," she says nicely.
"I'm not so sure about that, he's never shown any affection towards me. Now that he knows I'm 'sick' our relationship will be even worse. But I don't care, I hate him," I say angrily. More tears are running down my face, at this rate I'll dehydrate myself.
"You're very upset, it's normal to feel emotionally overwhelmed by everything that you're dealing with right now. Do you want to have a coffee so we can talk?"
"No, it's not necessary, Aria. Thank you, it means a lot to me. Now I'm feeling better. I just need to have some alone time. Thanks."
"Okay. But if you need anything, you know my number. Call me anytime, I mean it."
"I will. Thank you, Aria. I owe you one. Bye!"
I am so grateful to Aria, now I feel a little bit better. I mean, I'm not happy about what happened at home, but at least I'm not crying inconsolably. When I'm about to keep my cell in my pocket, it rings loudly. It's my mom. I know she didn't do anything wrong, quite the opposite, she's the only that backs me up on my coming out. However I don't feel like talking right now, so I push the decline button. She'll just have to wait until later.
Emily's POV
After winning the meet I feel really happy. This morning my mom made me a very special breakfast, according to her I needed to get my strength back and I obviously enjoyed eating all the delicious food that she prepared. My day is complete, now I'm meeting my friends to have lunch and later I'm meeting Paige.
"Hi, girls!" I say happily when I get to the café.
"Congratulations, Em!" they all say in unison.
"Thanks, girls. The other team has exceptional swimmers and Paige was not swimming, so it felt like a double victory," I add with a wide smile in my face. "Well, talk of the devil, what did you find out about Alison's blackmail?" I ask eagerly.
"Nothing," Spence and Aria say staring at the glass they're both drinking from.
"Really?" I say raising my eyebrows. I can't believe Alison hide that document so well that my friends couldn't find it. Especially Spencer, who is like a female version of Sherlock Holmes.
"Yeah," they both say.
"Did you talk to Paige, Em?" Aria asks staring at the floor. I don't know why she's asking me that, but she seems worried about something.
"No, I didn't. Why?" I ask with a surprised face. "Does she know the plan I arranged to fight back Alison?"
"No, she doesn't. I was curious," she tells me while she takes her cell nervously. I don't know what is wrong with Aria, but she obviously has a lot of things on her mind.
"I'm meeting her later," I tell her. "What is going on, Aria? I know something is bothering you, you are nervous and you don't look into my eyes," I ask staring at her.
"I'm just snowed under with school papers," she says staring at her cell and typing. "I got to go, girls. If I don't write the paper that is due tomorrow my mom will kill me."
She stands up and approaches me. She leans in close and whispers to my ear 'Be nice to her, she's having a rough time.'
I know she's having a hard time at home, her father is an idiot and she's been grounded. But I don't understand why Aria is so worried about Paige, she doesn't even know her. If I'm not mistaken, she didn't know who she was before she confronted Alison. Anyway, I'll see her in a few moments, so there's no need to worry. Right now I'd like to have a time machine so I could press a button and hug the girl I secretly love.
To be continued…
