Phoebe knocked at the door and her mom’s soft voice answered, “come in.” She slowly opened the door and poked her head inside first before her whole body joined. She shut the door behind her afterwards and went to meet her mom who was reading a novel. “Where are you coming from?” Claudia asked, her eyes not leaving the novel she was reading.
“Um, I… I… went… um… ”
Claudia had to look up at her. “You didn’t hear me?”
“I did…”
“Then you should know that I am expecting an answer.” Claudia cuts in. Her voice made Phoebe shudder in fear.
“I went over to Erik’s place.”
“To do what?” she focused back on the book she was reading.
Phoebe was confused. Why is her mother interrogating her? What could have Gwen and Chad said to make her feel this way? She thought. “We just talked, that’s all.”
Claudia closed the book and walked to meet her. She stood infront of her and asked, “Is there something going on between you and Erik?”
Phoebe’s eyes widened in shock. What kind of question is mom asking me? I swear… If Gwen and Chad has something to do with this, they will pay for it.
“Phoebe,”
“There is nothing going on between Erik and I, we are just friends”
“That is not what I heard.”
“What you heard? From who?”
Claudia grabbed Phoebe’s hands and the poor girl froze. “Are you dating Erik?”
“No mom…” she paused and gave it a deep thought. If she tells her parents they were dating, then she won’t have any reason to doubt if she sees Erik with her. She went on her knees and apologized to her mother, holding her mother’s two legs. “Mom, I am so sorry for keeping it a secret from you. I wanted to tell you but I was scared that you would refuse and I am so in love with Erik.”
Claudia was shocked. “You are dating him?” Phoebe nodded. “Do I need to remind you who he is?” Phoebe was still on her knees. “He is the son of the man that wiped away your kind, do I need to tell you that?”
“I know, mother but Erik isn’t the one that killed my mother, it was his father…”
“And what’s the difference?” Claudia cuts in. “Like father like son.”
“That’s not always the case, mother.” She paused for a while, joined her two hands together in form of prayer and pleaded with her mother to accept him. “Mom, I have never fallen in love with anyone and now that I am, you want to take it away from me…”
“Phoebe…” Claudia tried to cut in but Phoebe continued.
“I have no idea how it all started and why but I do love the Prince, mom.”
Claudia sighed. She took a closer look at her daughter and asked, “Does he know who you are?” Phoebe shook her head. She was hurt deep inside that she was lying to her but then, she has no other choice. Claudia would try everything to stop her from helping the Prince and she didn’t want it. “Let it be that way. It is best if he doesn’t know who you are.” Phoebe nodded. “Also, tell him I would like to see him tomorrow, at least to know his plans for you.”
“Thank you, mom.” She got up and hugged her mother.
“You can go.”
Phoebe left the room in a haste as she needed to deal with Gwen and Chad for putting her in this position. She searched everywhere in the sitting room but they weren’t there. She searched the rooms and still no sign of them. She opened the door and went outside only to find them hiding.
She moved closer to where they were hiding without them knowing that she had seen them and she stood behind them.
“Phoebe would skin us…” Gwen said as she paused and thought about why she was hiding. “… wait! Why am I hiding?” She asked Chad. “I mean this was all your suggestion.”
Phoebe was behind them with her arms folded across her chest. She didn’t say anything, she just stood there and was watching the two of them.
“Are you forgetting that at some you also agreed to it?”
Gwen thought about it and she was right. “We are so dead when she finds out.”
“Yeah, you guys are so dead.”
They turned back to see Phoebe standing behind them. Chad was the first to stand up. He was going to go close to her but the way Phoebe was glaring at him, made him stop. “Phoebe, it’s not what you think?”
“oh really?” Phoebe asked.
“Yeah.” Gwen spoke up. “We needed to give mom a lie that she would believe in. You know how mom is, right?”
Phoebe sighed. “But of all things, it had to be that.”
“Well, it’s not like it’s not true.” Chad muttered.
“What was that?” Phoebe asked.
“Do you want to tell me that you don’t have feelings for the Prince?” Phoebe was about to answer but he continued. “All we did is tell mom about the future.”
“The future you predicted, right?” Phoebe asked him.
“I have seen the way you both are to each other. I have seen the way he stares at you and all that, I am not stupid.”
“Where is all these coming from, Chad?” Phoebe asked in shock.
“I can’t believe I am letting him take my place in your life,” after he said that, he left.
Phoebe was shocked. She looked at Gwen and she could see that Gwen had no idea about this. “What just happened?” she asked Gwen.
Gwen watched Chad leave then turn to face Phoebe. “Let’s just say that he is jealous.”
“Jealous?” Gwen nodded. “But why?”
“He isn’t lying when he said he noticed something, I mean, I have also noticed it too.”
“Are you both crazy?” Phoebe asked. “I am just agreed to mom that we are dating just so that we don’t get punished for lying to her and you both are here telling me all these?” she shook her head in disbelief. “If this was from you, I won’t have seen it as anything but from Chad?” she was deeply hurt and without saying anything, she left.