Hey guys! I'm really sorry I haven't been able to update for a couple of months. I really don't have any sort of excuse, life's just been a little too much lately. But, the good news is that A Second Chance has hit 1K reads! Yay! I'd like to thank everyone who has read, voted, and commented on this story. And of course, everyone who has added it to their reading list. Without you guys my story wouldn't have spread to new readers. Thank you to all of you for reading my story and tolerating me and my infrequent updating. You guys are amazing and this story wouldn't have been able to reach this milestone without you guys. Anyway, I had to post a new chapter to thank you guys and here it is. Enjoy!
America POV
I dried off the last of my tears and stood up, brushing off any dust that covered my dress. I walked over to the couch and sat down, curling into a little ball.
"Ames are you okay?" a voice asked. I looked up to see my almost identical looking younger sister looking at me with concern. I sighed and gave her a watery smile. "Yeah. I'm fine. Things just didn't...go the way I thought they would", I admitted.
May's eyes softened, filled with sympathy. "Oh, Ames. He never deserved you." Her eyes adopted a fierce look and I was warmed by her protectiveness of me, especially since I usually played that role. "Weren't you the one who had your heart set on us getting married?" I asked teasingly, my lips curling into a watery smile.
May looked flustered for a second when reminded of her crush on Maxon. "Well that was before he chose Kriss. Honestly, he's a complete idiot for choosing her over you. You've got to realize how rare a girl like you is Ames." I flushed. "You don't know how many times since the Choosing Ceremony that I've heard some sort of variation of that sentence." May and I both laughed in synchronization.
Suddenly I noticed how eerily quiet the house was. "Where's everyone else?" I questioned. "Oh! Mom dragged them all outside to visit the Legers'. To give you and Maxon some privacy. It was my idea." She beamed proudly.
I sighed. "I guess that was a wasted effort." May's expression melted into a frown. "You're right. Sorry."
"Why are you apologizing? That was really sweet of you guys. It's not your fault that I screwed everything up."
May nodded once and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug, so close that I could smell the strawberry shampoo she was so fond of- the same one I used. Then, a thought struck me and I pulled away in confusion.
"Wait, if Mom dragged everyone to the Legers' why are you still here?"
"I said that someone needed to stay here with you so you weren't all alone when Maxon left. Mom agreed. Plus, if I hadn't stayed there would be no one here to comfort you right now", she responded quickly. Perhaps to quickly to be telling the complete truth.
I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you didn't stay here to eavesdrop on our conversation?" I asked teasingly. May flushed at the suggestion. "Of course not!" she exclaimed. I gave her a pointed look. "Fine", she huffed. "That may have been a contributing factor." I chuckled and then we fell into a comfortable silence.
About 15 minutes later, May's face lit up. I could tell she had an idea. "Do you want to see some of my artwork? You missed a lot when you were gone for the Selection." I smiled, ignoring the pain I felt in my chest when she mentioned the Selection. "Of course", I said, pushing myself off the couch. May grabbed my hand and dragged me towards our studio in the garage, all the while urging me to hurry up. I grinned at her enthusiasm. When we reached the studio and walked over to May's corner of it. My eyes watered as we passed Dad's section of the studio, the memory of his death still fresh in my mind.
When I caught up to May I was met by a row of easels, each covered by a paint splattered white sheet. May stood at one end of the row, her hand ready to pull up the sheet to unveil her first work. I chuckled, May did always have a flair for the dramatics. "Ready?" she questioned. I nodded and she pulled of the sheet. "Voilà!" she exclaimed, gesturing to the painting propped on the easel. It depicted a beautiful autumn day, the sky painted in hues of orange and red and multicolored leaves descending in the air. There was a small rabbit nestled in a pile of leaves and a smiling red-haired girl sitting against a tree trunk, sketching something on the pad in her lap. "C'est trés magnifique!" I gushed, imitating her style of speaking in French.
May blushed. "Merci beaucoup!" she said, still following the pattern of speaking in French. She then went down the row, presenting many more breathtaking art pieces, each one as fabulous as the first one. When she was done I gave her a round of applause and her cheeks flooded with color once again. "Honestly, May these are all absolutely beautiful. You've become even more talented since I left to the Selection. Maybe me not being there to distract you let you helped" I joked. May giggled. "Maybe", she teased.
"So, what else have you been working on? Anything new?" I asked.
May sighed. "Not really. I haven't been able to paint anything since Dad died. It just doesn't feel right working in his studio without him here", she admitted.
My heart broke at her confession. "Oh, May!" I exclaimed, rushing over to her and wrapping my arms around her. "Don't worry about it. It's normal. I can't imagine if I would ever be able to play again if something happened to Mom. Just know that you can't keep all that talent locked up in there forever. And I know that Dad would have never wanted you to quit painting just because something happened to him." May smiled up at me, her eyes brimming with tears. "Thanks, Ames. You always now just what to say to make me feel better."
I shrugged, hugging her tighter. "That's what sisters are for." May smiled at me, burying her head in my chest. I felt the wetness of her tears, soaking my shirt. "It's ok May", I soothed. "He loved you so much." I could feel my own tears of own coming on but I blinked them away for May's sake.
After a minute, May pulls away, drying her eyes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to get so emotional", she apologizes. Instead of replying, I grabbed her hand and squeezed it once- hoping it conveyed my feelings. Slowly, we walked back to the empty living room, settling down on the couch. Neither of us spoke and it wasn't long until I got lost in my thoughts.
"Celeste called", May said suddenly. "Oh, did she?" I asked, as airily as I could. May nodded in affirmation. I dropped the pretense. "It better not be another blind date", I said. May looked surprised. "No. Not at all. Quite the opposite actually. She planned a girls day out and was wondering if you wanted to come."
"Oh", I said, pleasantly surprised. "That actually sounds really fun. Is it just us three?" I asked. "Oh, I'm not going. Celeste said it was some of the old girls from the Selection. I'm not really included. Besides, I've got plans today. I'm going to start a new piece", she said with a grin.
"Good for you May. I knew you wouldn't be able to quit painting for long. It's your passion." May smiled at me. "I wouldn't have been able to do it if you hadn't convinced me." I laughed and thanked her. "So, who is coming to this girls day out?" I asked.
"Basically all the Elite. Obviously, Kriss isn't coming. So it's you, Natalie, Elise, and Celeste." Though I knew it wasn't possible, I still had to ask. "Marlee?" I questioned, my hope already dying. May's face fell. "I'm sorry Ames. She's still an Eight, she can't risk coming." The fact that I already knew this was coming made the pain of her words a little easier to handle. "I know, just wishful thinking", I sighed.
May gave me a sad smile. "Sorry", she said again. "Don't. I get it. Besides, it'll still be really fun", I said, perking up.
"Anyway, where are we going?" I asked. May shrugged. "I don't know. Celeste said it was a surprise. But she guaranteed that you'd love it." I was kind of scared, but I knew Celeste knew how to plan a good time. Suddenly we hear a bang as the door opens. "We're home!" Mom calls. "Is it safe to enter?" she calls from right outside the living room. "You and Maxon aren't up to anything are you?" she asks warningly.
I blush furiously at her suggestive comment and beside me May giggles quietly, using a pillow to muffle the sound. After Mom still doesn't enter I realize that she's waiting for an answer. "Just come in, Mom." Mom walks in and her expression turns into one of surprise when she is greeted by the sight of May and I sitting next to each other on the couch.
"Where's Maxon honey? Did he leave already?" she asked, her face colored with confusion. May and I share a look, my face pained- unable to say what happened. May looks equally lost for words. Mom catches the look and seems to understand the situation perfectly without us even saying a word, walking over to me and hugging me tightly.
"Oh, sweetie. It's ok. Princes are jerks", she said, an undertone of anger in her voice. I laughed weakly at her attempt of comforting me. Though I did have to admit, insulting Maxon did make me feel slightly better. "Come on America, let's go eat some dinner. Get your mind off of this", she said, taking my hand and pulling me towards the kitchen. May and the others followed suit. I made your favorite!" she sang.
Once we entered the kitchen the delicious aroma of freshly made chicken alfredo wafted towards me and my mouth immediately starting watering. Mom led me towards the table and we all took our seats, each one with a hefty serving of chicken alfredo on a plate in front of it. "Wow! Thanks so much Mom, this is amazing!" I exclaimed. Mom blushed and said "It was nothing."
"How were you able to make this much?" I asked, remembering how we had to always ration food before. "Well, the money we received from your participation in the Selection was really helpful", she replied.
"It's nice to know that at least something good came from it", I muttered under my breath. Mom heard and her face immediately fell. "Don't say that honey", she said, shaking her head. "The money is nice but it's not worth you getting your heart broken."
"Well there's no way to reverse that one", I said gloomily. Mom frowned. "Don't be so pessimistic", she berated me.
"Sorry", I apologized. "Can we...can we just eat?" I asked. "Quietly", I added pointedly. Mom looked taken aback by my blunt attitude and nodded once in shock. No one else put up a fight either. We then ate in silence, the only sounds heard were mouths chewing and forks scraping against plates. When I was finished I excused myself to my room, ignoring the worried look Mom and Kenna exchanged.
I settled myself on my bed, staring up at the ceiling of my room. It was painted a pale pink and was decorated by multiple little glow in the dark stars Dad had put up there when we were younger. Remembering that memory of Dad didn't really hurt, unlike when we had walked past his painting supplies earlier. I was confused about why my emotions were changing so frequently, but Aspen had said that it was on and off.
Thinking about Aspen made me think about his relationship with Lucy which reminded me of the palace, which in turn reminded me of Maxon. I didn't know whether to love him or hate him. I got consumed in memories of our time together, each one bringing fresh tears to my eyes. I blinked them back with a new resolve. I was done thinking about Maxon. We could never be together anyway. Tomorrow I would go on the girls day with the rest of the Elite and I would have the time of my life. Maxon had no place in my life anymore. From now on, I would make sure to fill my life with laughter and happiness. And that started with having a blast with my friends tomorrow.
And that's the end of chapter 11! It wasn't much, just some sisterly time between America and May but I hope you guys enjoyed it! I'm sorry if it wasn't amazing, I just really wanted to get something out to you guys. Next chapter will be the girls days out. And Marlee may or may not be making a surprise appearance. (wink wink nudge nudge) Anyway, thank you guys again for over 1K reads! The next chapter will probably be posted within the next week. Bye!