"Listen with your heart, you will understand." - Pocahontas (Disney film), 1995
...
1 week later...
It was a glorious and sunny Friday evening. The sun was starting to set, there was barely a cloud in the sky, and the temperature was perfect - not too hot, and not too cold. But despite how beautiful this weather was, I spent my entire day inside the house, trying to prevent Alvin from doing what he wanted to do.
Last week, when I told Alvin about the fight I had with Miss Miller about her and her stupid rules about not being allowed to see him anymore, Alvin came up with this crazy idea about talking to my mother about it. I mean, was he crazy? Okay look, I know Alvin wants to talk to her to prove himself that he is a good enough boyfriend for me, but still...I know my mother, and it takes a lot more than that to convince her.
Alvin already knows how protective Miss Miller is of me, resulting in having that dumb rule about not allowing me to have a relationship. But I remember about two weeks ago when I finally told Miss Miller about Alvin, she was not happy at all. That's why she banned me from seeing him. But that didn't stop me and Alvin from being together.
But the thing is, ever since that fight my mother and I had a few weeks ago, she still thinks that I 'learned my lesson' and that I stopped seeing Alvin ever since. I mean, the woman took my cell phone and my car keys for Christ sake! But little does she know that I have broken her rule, once again.
God, my life sucks sometimes.
And now, Alvin wants to talk to her! Like I said, I know Alvin wants to prove himself, and to show Miss Miller that she can trust him with taking care of me, but I still don't think it's a good idea. If Miss Miller finds out that I have been sneaking around with Alvin behind her back, ESPECIALLY since she banned me from seeing him, well, let's just say that things will not go well.
I tried explaining this to Alvin, and telling him that it's not a smart idea to talk to my mom about this, but all he said was that he wants to talk to Miss Miller for my benefit, so I wouldn't have to worry about keeping our relationship a secret anymore. Even though Alvin had a point, and even though it was tempting to listen to him, I just wouldn't. I didn't want to risk it, and I know for a fact that Miss Miller will be extremely angry, not only at me, but as Alvin as well. And the last thing I needed was to drag my boyfriend into even deeper trouble.
But as usual, Alvin and I can never agree on anything.
"For the billionth time, Alvin. Just listen to me!" I groaned.
He rolled his eyes. "Brittany, how many times do I have to go over this with you?"
I sighed, but said nothing, beginning to feel even more impatient as the seconds went by.
"Brittany, I don't get why you want to keep this relationship a secret from your mom any longer. I mean, I'm willing to talk to her and show her that she doesn't need to worry about you anymore, and that she can trust me!" Alvin said.
"But I already told you that she won't listen! And besides, if my mom finds out that I've been seeing you behind her back, she's gonna kill me." I said.
"Let me talk to her. It's worth a try, remember?" He said.
I groaned. "Do you want my mom to ban me from seeing you for good? Do you want her to get mad at you too?" I asked.
"If it helps her to understand our relationship together, then yes." He said.
I looked at him in disbelief. "You're unbelievable."
Alvin sighed deeply. "Why can't you just give this a try?"
"Because this isn't an 'Oh, it didn't work, let's try again later' kind of situation! Alvin, the moment my mom finds out about our relationship, it's either a yes or a no. And believe me, there's a huge possibility of her saying no! It happened once. Who said it won't happen again?" I asked.
Alvin just rolled his eyes.
I sighed, feeling extremely irritated, before I sat down on the couch. I crossed one leg over the over while I crossed my arms over my chest. I looked up at Alvin, who stood there, leaning against the wall. We glared at each other for a long time before he finally gave up.
"You're being so stubborn." He muttered.
And that's when I lost it.
"Oh, so I'm the one being stubborn? If I'm stubborn, then what the hell are you?" I exclaimed.
He sighed. "Okay, look-"
I scoffed. "Stubborn, huh? Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you when my mother chases you down the street with a fucking baseball bat in her hands." I shot back.
Alvin sighed exasperatedly.
"You're being such an asshole right now." I muttered under my breath.
Alvin groaned in annoyance before leaning off the wall, to sit down on the couch beside me. I shifted away from him, wanting to avoid him right now. Alvin sighed again, creating silence between the two of us once more. I hated when Alvin and I fight, even if it's over the most useless things. But most of our fights are based around our relationship, which frustrates me even more.
"Do you trust me?" Alvin asked, after a long moment of silence.
I turned to him. "What?"
"I said, do you trust me?" He repeated, more gentler this time.
I sighed. "Yeah."
Alvin shifted towards me and looked into my eyes for a short moment before saying, "Then trust me on this, alright? Like I said, Britt, I won't let anything affect our relationship. As corny as it may sound, I won't let anything or anyone come between us."
I sighed before looking down at the carpeted area of the living room. But then I finally nodded before looking back up to meet Alvin's gaze once again. "Okay. I trust you." I whispered.
Alvin smiled softly before leaning in to kiss my cheek. He pulled back to stare into my eyes again, and smirked. "But you know, you really are stubborn."
I playfully hit him. "Way to ruin the mood, Alvin."
He laughed before giving me another light kiss, on the lips this time, but it was even longer. My eyes fluttered close before I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his body closer to mine. The kiss began to get more lustful until we heard a click from the front door. We pulled away from each other at once, before everything became dead silent.
I felt my heart freeze. What if it's Miss Miller? No, it can't be. She doesn't get off work until 9PM, and it's not even 9! God, I am NOT ready for this.
But the second I heard faint voices talking in the background, I sighed in relief. A few seconds later, Jeanette and Eleanor walked into the living room. I looked at them weirdly, seeing how both of them looked extremely worn out. I mentally cursed them. Why is it that whenever Alvin and I try to have some intimacy with each other, my sisters are always coming in?
"Oh, hey guys, what's up?" Eleanor asked, after seeing me and Alvin on the couch.
"Nothing." I said.
She smirked. "Was I interrupting something?" She teased, noticing how close Alvin and I were sitting beside each other.
Alvin spoke up. "Well, actually..."
I lightly hit him with one of the couch cushions before looking up at my sisters, who were trying their best to hide their giggles. "No. We were just talking." I said.
"Right." Jeanette said.
I rolled my eyes before changing the subject. "So, what's up with you two? You guys look exhausted. Didn't you two go to the mall?" I asked.
Jeanette nodded. "We did. But after the mall, Elle and I decided to take a short jog around the block."
Eleanor scoffed as she took off her running shoes. "You call that short? That was like a freakin' marathon, Jeanette!"
Jeanette rolled her eyes before looking at me and Alvin. "So, what have you two been up to the whole day?"
I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Fighting, as usual."
"You know, fighting is really unhealthy for a relationship. Especially for you guys! You guys fight almost every single day!" Said Eleanor.
Jeanette laughed. "Yeah, over the most stupid things too."
I sighed. "Yeah, I know." I said, glaring at Alvin.
Jeanette laughed again. "Well anyway, I'll be right back. Gonna go take a shower." She said, before heading upstairs.
Eleanor sighed. "Yeah, me too." She said, before heading up the stairs and into the second bathroom.
Alvin and I were left alone once again. I looked at him and sighed. "So, I guess you'll be staying a bit longer tonight?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I guess we'll just have to wait until your mom comes home."
I nodded, though still reluctant towards this whole thing. But I decided not to say anything this time. No matter how many times we've talked about this, it always ended up the same. So what was the use in arguing again? But whatever. I can't do anything about it now. I didn't want to start another fight with Alvin anyway.
Alvin and I began to watch a random episode of Jersey Shore before my sisters came back down. Jeanette looked at the time, then looked back at us. "It's almost 9PM. Miss Miller will be back soon."
I looked at her. "I know."
Jeanette looked confused. "Then...shouldn't Alvin leave now?"
"Really, Jeanette? Do you hate me that much?" Alvin asked dramatically, obviously joking, of course.
Jeanette rolled her eyes, but smiled. "What I mean is, well, shouldn't you be heading home right now, before Miss Miller finds out you're here?" She asked him.
I decided to answer the question instead. "Not tonight."
Jeanette and Eleanor just looked at me.
I sighed. "I'm gonna introduce Miss Miller to Alvin." I said hesitantly.
Eleanor looked at me, wide eyed. "What?"
I nodded. "Alvin's right. I'm tired of keeping our relationship a secret. I want Miss Miller to meet him, so she could see how much of a good person he is. I'm sick of her being all over protective. I just want her to know that I'm able to take care of myself, and that I'm happy in this relationship I have with Alvin."
Eleanor and Jeanette looked at the both of us for a few seconds before Eleanor sighed. "Well, I guess. It's your choice anyway..." She said, before looking at Alvin. "But Alvin, if you really want Miss Miller's approval, you have to be real, genuine, and you have to show her how much you really love Brittany."
Alvin nodded before sighing deeply to himself. "I know."
1 hour later...
The four of us passed the time by just watching some TV until Jeanette and Eleanor decided to go upstairs to give Alvin and I some privacy before Miss Miller came home. I sighed as I cuddled up beside him. I closed my eyes, not being able to stop thinking about what might happen tonight.
Will Miss Miller be upset? Probably. Will she be pissed off? Likely. Will she ban me from seeing Alvin for good? Seems like it.
But will Miss Miller finally accept the fact that I'm in a relationship, and that I am in love with the person I'm with? I don't know...
Honestly, I don't know why I'm feeling nervous. It's not like this was a Math or Science exam. But I guess I was feeling nervous about what Miss Miller will do or say. All I want is for everything to be done with. But I have a feeling that tonight will be a very long night.
I looked at the clock on the wall. It was now past 9PM, and I knew Miss Miller would be coming home from work any moment now. After what seemed like a minute, I was right. I turned to the window and saw Miss Miler's car drive into the driveway.
I stood up off the couch. I looked down at Alvin, who was still seated on the couch, but he didn't seem nervous at all. How is he so calm about this, while I'm over here, freaking out? I leaned down, and gave Alvin a soft and sweet kiss on the lips before saying, "Stay here. Let me go talk to her first."
He nodded, before I hesitantly walked out of the living room, and into the kitchen. Miss Miller was by the counters, looking through the pile of mail she just received. I sighed silently to myself, and gulped before taking a few more quiet steps into the kitchen.
"H-Hey, mom." I said quietly.
Miss Miller turned around and smiled gently at me before turning back around to continue sorting out her mail. "Hello, sweetheart. How are you?" She asked gently.
I didn't respond at first. This was the first time talking to my mom ever since we had that fight two weeks ago. It feels kinda weird talking to her again, but I knew I had to go though with this. But everything seemed like it was going fine, so far. I sighed, knowing that all hell would probably break loose sooner or later.
"Um, good. How was work?" I asked.
"It was good. It was a slow day, which was easy for the most part." She answered. She finished up with her mail because she stacked them up on the shelves. She turned back to me and smiled. "Where are your sisters?"
"Upstairs." I answered.
"Already? Wow, it's a Friday night, and your sisters are already in bed at 9PM. They must be tired." Said Miss Miller.
I forced a laugh. "Yeah. Eleanor and Jeanette went for a jog today."
"Oh, that's nice. How about you? How was your day?" Asked Miss Miller.
I shrugged. "I just stayed home all day."
Miss Miller laughed softly. "Well, you better go out and enjoy the outdoors soon. Summer won't last forever."
But I just nodded, not even being able to smile. I sighed deeply to myself before biting my lip. Miss Miller was focused on one of the envelopes she held in her hands. I watched her as she sighed to herself, shaking her head as she muttered the word 'taxes' under her breath. I could see how Miss Miller was stressed. I mean, she works all day, comes home, and has to deal with all the taxes being thrown at her, not to mention, three teenage daughters she has to take care of.
"Mom." I said abruptly.
Miss Miller looked at me. "Yes?"
I hesitated for at least 10 seconds before finally saying, "Look, I'm sorry about what happened two weeks ago."
Miss Miller sighed and nodded, looking at me with a careful and steady gaze. "It's okay, Brittany."
I looked away. "But...But I still think that you're not being fair to me, Miss Miller. When you say that Summer won't last forever, well, don't you think that it applies to everything too? I won't be a teenager forever, mom. I want to learn how to become someone who can handle things on my own. And...and having a relationship is the beginning to that."
I gulped, expecting Miss Miller to erupt into yells again. I hated how she was so against me being with Alvin. I mean, she doesn't even know him. I get that Miss Miller wants to protect me, but like I mentioned a trillion times before, she can't protect me forever.
About a minute passed before Miss Miller sighed. I looked up and found her staring at me. "Look, Brittany. I understand what you're trying to say. But as your mother, you have to understand that all I want to do is to keep you safe."
"But mom, if the only thing you're concerned about is my safety, then you'll have nothing to worry about." I said.
Miss Miller said nothing for a while. "I know I've been hard on you about you and your boyfriend. But I just don't want you to go through what I went through when I was growing up."
I froze for one second, looking at my mother in confusion. "What happened?"
Miss Miller sighed. "Oh, the typical situation. I met a guy in high school, we fell in love, went through the rest of high school together, thought we were gonna last forever..." She sighed and paused.
"Mom?" I asked, noticing that she stopped.
Miss Miller sighed once more. "I really thought he was the one, until I found out what he was really like. He was a jerk. He was nothing but a man who can easily manipulate a girl into thinking he loves her, when in reality, he doesn't give a damn."
I stood there, in shock. I have NEVER heard this side of Miss Miller. I had no idea that she went through this. When I thought she was trying to ruin my life, she has been protecting me for all the right reasons all along.
"But I'm glad that he's out of my life. Ever since we broke up, - which, let me remind you was at least 20 years ago - I turned into a better person." Miss Miller said.
I smiled. "Well, I'm glad that you did, mom."
Miss Miller smiled back. But then she sighed. "But you can understand why I get worried when you start having relationships, right? I never ever want you, or your sisters, to experience what I've experienced in the past."
I nodded faintly, understanding her completely. If Miss Miller hadn't of told me that quick story of her past, then I would have never understood. But even though that I do understand how, I still have to disagree. Just because my mom fell in love with a guy that broke her heart when she was in high school, doesn't mean that it'll happen to me.
"But...Alvin isn't like that." I said gently.
Miss Miller stared at me softly for a long time without saying anything.
I sighed. "I know he isn't like that. He will never be like that. I know you don't want me to go through what you went through in the past, but mom, I know that Alvin will never, ever be like that." I said gently before looking right at her. "If you'll get to know him, then you'll understand."
Miss Miller sighed. "I...I don't know, Brittany."
"Mom, I promise, if you get a chance to meet Alvin, then you'll see why I love him. He's the most caring and most genuine guy I know." I said, almost in a whisper.
I watched as Miss Miller said nothing, probably thinking about whether or not she should meet him. I sighed, because even if she says no, I would still let Miss Miller meet Alvin. But to be honest, this is going better than I thought. I thought that Miss Miller would be angry at me if I suggested this, but she actually seemed to be okay.
"Please Miss Miller." I said, after a moment of silence.
"Brittany, I don't know about this." Miss Miller said.
"I swear, just give him a chance. If you don't think that Alvin is good for me then..." I sighed deeply. "...then I'll break up with him."
Though it killed me to say this, I just had to, to prove to my mother that I'm 100% serious about mine and Alvin's relationship. And besides, I'm sure Miss Miller will like Alvin, so I had nothing to worry about.
Miss Miller sighed deeply to herself before looking at me. She looked into my eyes for at least 5 seconds before saying, "Oh, alright."
I froze, wondering to myself if I just heard right. "Wait, what?"
"If you want me to meet him, then I will. I believe you when you say that he loves you and that he cares for you, but I'll meet him just to make sure." Then Miss Miller smiled. "Parent approval always comes first."
I smiled vaguely. I bit my bottom lip nervously, remembering that Alvin is still in the living room, waiting for me to get him. I sighed before looking back at my mom, feeling my heart race a little bit faster this time.
"Do you wanna meet him now?" I asked quietly.
Miss Miller raised her eyebrows. "What?"
I laughed nervously and said, "Well, he's...he's here, actually."
"He is?" Miss Miller asked.
I nodded.
"And why is he here?" Miss Miller asked.
I sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry for bringing him here, especially since you said that I wasn't allowed to, but...but I missed him, mom. And I really want you to meet him so you could see how much of a caring boyfriend he is to me."
Miss Miller pondered at first, and I was beginning to feel nervous again. I'm pretty sure it came to a shock that Alvin was already here, but then Miss Miller looked back at me and sighed. She smiled gently and said, "Sure, bring him here."
I nodded, trying to bite back a smile before I walked back into the living room to where Alvin was. I pulled him by the hand, before we both walked backed into the kitchen. I watched as my mom looked at us carefully before I slowly let go of Alvin's hand. I sighed before looking at my mom, then to my boyfriend.
"Alvin, this is my mom, Miss Miller." I said, before looking towards my mother. "And Miss Miller, this is Alvin."
Miss Miller smiled before putting her hand out. "It's nice to meet you, Alvin."
I smiled when I saw Alvin shake hands back. "It's nice to meet you too." He said.
The three of us just awkwardly stood there for at least 10 seconds before Miss Miller looked at me. She smiled and said, "Well, Britt, I guess I need to steal your boyfriend from you for a moment."
Inside, I was shocked that Miss Miller called Alvin 'my boyfriend'. I was starting to think that she is slowly learning to accept the fact that I'm in a relationship with Alvin. But I smiled and laughed. "Okay. But don't be too hard on him."
"Oh, I won't. Alvin and I just need to talk." Miss Miller answered.
I smiled and nodded before looking at Alvin. I smiled tauntingly and said, "Are you nervous?"
He scoffed. "Nervous? Yeah, right. You're the one who should be nervous! Your mom and I are gonna talk about you."
I smiled and rolled my eyes. "Whatever."
Miss Miller laughed. "Don't worry, Britt. I know you and Alvin are dating, but I just need to go over some specific rules for your relationship. But I trust you two. Like I said, parents approval always matters first."
I nodded, before Alvin leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek, and before he and Miss Miller walked into the living room. I sighed as I sat down at the kitchen table. For once, I was feeling good about this. Miss Miller seemed like she trusted me and Alvin, and it seemed that she has accepted the fact that I'm with him.
For the next 30 minutes, all I did was sit at the table while trying to listen in to their conversation, but I heard nothing. But nothing worried me. Like I said, I know Alvin will get along with Miss Miller, and I know that once Miss Miller sees how caring Alvin is towards me, that she'll be more than happy to accept him as my boyfriend.
I looked at the clock. It was almost 10PM. I didn't know Alvin and Miss Miller were finished talking until they both came back into the kitchen, where I was. Alvin walked over to me and wrapped an arm around my waist. I looked up at him, about to ask him how their talk went, until Miss Miller spoke up first.
"Brittany?" She asked.
"Yeah?" I answered.
She smiled. "He's a keeper."
Now that all that parent trouble is out of the way, what do you guys think will happen next? Do you guys think that Miss Miller will eventually be right? Do you think Miss Miller's past will happen again, to Brittany this time?
HINT: Read the story's plot... ;)
Thanks so much for reading! PLEASE review!
Thanks everyone! :D
