After dinner, I just sat aimlessly staring at the TV. The lotion actually helped and a tiny, almost microscopic portion of me was grateful to Ethan for it.
It was after about half an hour after my dinner that everyone returned home. I should’ve just locked myself in my room.
Olivia came bouncing towards me and literally dragged me to her room which I was actually thankful to her for.
She gushed about her new friendship with Rachael and how she has taught her some makeup tricks and hair styles and things like that. She also told me how the paparazzi had flooded them once they stepped out of their cars to make their way to the restaurant. Thank God I didn’t go then.
Olivia remained completely oblivious to my obvious lack of attention to her twaddle once she started on the topic of makeup, dresses and hair again.
I contemplated whether I should tell her or not. She was my best friend and I never kept anything from her. But this was different. I didn’t want anyone knowing about this. I knew Ethan wouldn’t tell anyone for sure. And even if he did, he would’ve had to worry about me telling everyone about that day his towel fell off of his waist.
“Okay, Olivia. I want you to shut up for some time now.” I interrupted her in one of her rants about something I hadn’t bothered to pay attention to.
She stopped and stared at me. “What? Why?”
I sighed. I should tell her. She would go all “Oh my gosh! Are you serious? Did that really happen?!” on me.
So I told her. I told her how Ethan smeared itching powder onto my clothes and how it itched till my skin was all red. I told her about how I accidentally and very stupidly ran into Ethan’s bedroom and stripped myself half naked whilst not knowing that he was there behind me.
Olivia’s mouth grazed the ground after I finished telling her. “Oh my gosh! Are you serious? Did that really happen?!” Olivia clamored.
“Yes, it did,” I sighed, expecting her to react like that.
“You guys, what is even going on between you two? On other days, you two would be at each other’s throats and these days, you two are like, I don’t know, showing your half naked selves to each other and then being awkward afterwards. Should I expect you to pop out babies the next time?”
“Shut up.”
“This is messed up. You should figure out what you want with him, Julie. Just don’t react to him. Show that he doesn’t affect you. That’s the best kind of revenge you can get.”
“I can’t!” I cried out. “I’m never going to do that. That’s basically saying that I give up and I can’t fight with you anymore. I’ll never do that and give him the satisfaction of winning over me. I don’t want him to feel that I’m tired of these sick pranks even though I am. I don’t want him to think that I couldn’t take it anymore and so I gave up and called a peace treaty.”
“Doing that doesn’t mean that you’re weak, Julie. Not giving him a reaction will make him think that you aren’t bothered by him. He’ll frustrate himself to no end because he wouldn’t get any reaction out of you,” Olivia said and deep down I knew she was right. “When you strike him back with another prank, he knows that he can affect you. Don’t give him the satisfaction of seeing you annoyed or troubled because of him.”
“I can’t just ignore what he does.”
“I never told you to ignore. Sometimes just smiling and moving on is the best kind of revenge.”
“I don’t want to do that. That, for me isn’t the best kind of revenge. If someone has to put a stop to this, it’ll be Ethan because I won’t be the one to give up first.”
Olivia shook her head at me. “You two are so infantile. Grow up, Julie. You two aren’t kids anymore so stop acting like one.”
“Hey, it was he who started to act all childish with me first. Why don’t you go and lecture him about his behavior.”
“Whatever. I just told you what you should do. Now it’s up to you if you want to do the right thing or not.”
“I won’t do it. And that’s the right thing to do,” I said obdurately.
“What happened to you, Julie. You were never like this. Okay, you were like this that one time when we broke into Ashley’s house to cut up her dress and stuff, but apart from that one time, you were never like this.”
“People change. Especially when surrounded by contemptible people like Ethan, and an unsupportive best friend.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “I’m just advising you on what’s best for you but you ostensibly don’t want to abide by it.”
“And I told you that I’ll stop when he’ll stop.”
“Whatever, just don’t get us in trouble because you’ll be blamed for it.”
“I don’t get myself in trouble. I guess trouble just finds me.”
“True.”
“I’ll just go to my room now. Gotta think up a nice retaliation plan,” I said, winking at her.
Olivia huffed. “You two are unbelievable.”
I blew her a kiss and swiftly closed the door behind me.
On the way to my room, I unfortunately had to pass the living room.
Once I entered the living room, I saw that Rachael, Rebecca and Antonio looked ready to leave. Ethan was silently sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels on the TV.
Rachael was putting on a cute pair of Cinderella sandals on Rebecca’s feet.
“So you guys are ready to leave?” I asked, making my presence known to them.
Antonio ended the call he was on and turned to glare at me. “Why did you lie to me?”
I looked at him, puzzled. “What? When did I lie to you?”
This seemed to annoy him. “You said Audrey was here this morning but she wasn’t. I asked everybody and they said she didn’t come to visit. I even called her and she said she didn’t fly down here and that she was in the middle of an important photoshoot,” he said, waving his phone at me.
Oh.? That? lie.
“You weren’t getting out of bed. I had to do something.”
“I agree, it’s not Juliet’s fault. You couldn’t be woken up any other way. And thank, Juliet. Now I know what to say to get him out of bed,” Rachael chuckled.
“You two are those evil sisters I never wanted,” Antonio grumbled as he motioned for a helper to load his bags into the backseat of his car.
“So you guys are leaving.” I stated, ignoring Antonio.
“Yeah, but we’ll visit soon. Me with Robert and Antonio with Audrey.” Rachael smiled at me and I returned the gesture. “Don’t miss us too much. But we will miss you terribly, my baby sister,” Rachael said, giving me a hug.
“I won’t,” Antonio snubbed. “Now come on, we need to go, Rachael. I want to go home.”
“Nope, you want to go to Audrey,” Rachael said.
He opened his mouth as if to deny but then closed it and shrugged. “Yeah, she’s home.”
“At least say goodbye to your little sister!” Rachael scolded him and he rolled his eyes.
“We’re going to meet in a week or two for her birthday anyways. What’s the date again?”
Rachael gasped. “You forgot your own little sister’s birth date?! What kind of brother are you?”
“Chill. It’s not a big deal. I mean I don’t even remember yours. I just know mine, Audrey’s and dad’s and mum’s.”
Rachael glared at him. “I hate you, Ant.” She turned back to place a kiss on my cheek and with a quick goodbye to Ethan, she left to sit in her car.
Antonio chuckled, staring after Rachael’s retreating figure. He walked towards me and pulled me into a hug. “I’ll miss you, J.”
“You really don’t remember when my birthday is?” I murmured into his chest.
He smiled into my hair. “Of course I remember, and Rachael’s as well. I just did that to piss her off.”
“It worked.”
“Thank God.”
He pulled away a few moments later and kissed my forehead. “Take care, okay?”
He looked over at Ethan. “Ethan, man. Good bye.”
Ethan got up and gave him a half hug.
“See you soon, Antonio.”
Something hugged my legs and I looked down to see Rebecca. I picked her up.
“Goodbye, Rebecca.” I said, kissing her chubby cheeks.
“Bye bye,” she said, not looking at me as she was bust playing with a lock of my hair.
Antonio looked over at us. “Rachael forgot to take her. Again.”
“Again?”
“Don’t ask. Its not the first time she has forgotten Rebecca.”
I chuckled. “Really?”
“Yeah, I better give her back to Rachael. Goodbye.”
We bid goodbye to them once Antonio had returned Rebecca to her mother.
With their departure came an air of awkwardness between Ethan and I. He resumed his position at the couch and I felt too weird to do anything. Good thing he had his eyes on the TV and so I was able to slip out of the living room without him saying anything to me.