Allison
I was still in my room when Mom called me, so I trudged downstairs to find her in the kitchen. “Mom, what are you doing now?” I asked, trying to stifle a yawn.
Mom laughed, nearly choking on her own amusement. “As you can see, I’m trying to prepare dinner for the family,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes.
I raised an eyebrow. “Mom, I can do it myself.”
Mom’s laughter intensified, and she couldn’t stop giggling. When she finally composed herself, she looked at me with a hint of amusement. “You can cook? When did you start cooking so perfectly? I’m sure you remember you’re a kitchen terrorizer, right?”
I rolled my eyes, feeling a flush rise to my cheeks. “Mom, please.”
She chuckled and handed me a task. “Just help me pass those things from the table so I can start getting ready for dinner.”
I began gathering the items and handing them to her. As we worked, I asked, “What about Tom? Isn’t he back from work?”
“Allison dear?” she called softly, and I looked up to face her. “Tell me, for how long will you keep calling your stepfather by his name? Are you not ready to call him dad or something?”
I shrugged, feeling a twinge of discomfort. “I’m not used to it yet.”
Mom’s laughter filled the kitchen once more. “You’re never used to it.”
I couldn’t help but smile, and I also noticed she laughed more now, which was something to be grateful for, considering the fact that she nearly divorced Tom and had an accident.
As we continued cooking, chopping tomatoes, dicing the onions I hated because of how much it makes my eyes water, and stirring the pan, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off. My mom hadn’t asked about Sally once, and it felt strange. I mean, her daughter hasn’t come home, and she didn’t seem to care.
I decided to bring it up. “Mom,” I said, trying to get her attention.
She glanced at me, her eyes flicking back to the pan. “Yes, dear?”
I took a deep breath. “You’re not going to ask about Sally?”
Mom’s hands paused for a moment, but she continued stirring without looking up. I called out again, “Mom, aren’t you worried?”
This time, she put down the spoon and pulled out her phone. She tried to video call Sally, but there was no answer. My mom’s expression turned neutral. “See, she’s not replying. Now, can I have some peace?”
I felt a surge of concern. Like, what the hell is going on between these two?
“Mom, what’s wrong with you and Sally? What’s going on? Is something wrong?”
Mom’s voice was calm, but I detected a hint of tension. “Nothing is wrong, dear. I’m sure your sister will be back. She’s not a little child.”
I remained quiet, unsure of what to say or do. The tension in the kitchen was palpable, and I felt like I was losing my mind. We finished cooking in silence, the only sound being the sizzle of food and the tick of the clock.
As soon as I could, I excused myself and went upstairs. I pulled out my phone and messaged Sally again, but she didn’t respond. I tried calling her, but it went straight to voicemail. Fear crept in, and I felt a chill run down my spine.
I glanced out the window and noticed Colby’s window was still shut. I remembered him seeing me with Jayden earlier, and I knew I had to explain things to him. I dialed Colby’s number, but he didn’t answer. I tried again, and this time, he picked up.
His voice was cold, harder than I’d ever heard before. “Hello?”
I swallowed, trying to sound calm. “Hi, can you open your window, please?”
There was a pause before he asked, “Why?”
Oh, guess who’s cold now?
“Colby, please!” I begged, my voice shaky.
He eventually opened his window, and I waved at him, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety. He looked like he was about to shut the window again, but I quickly said, “Wait, please!”
Colby lifted the window open, his expression unreadable. “What do you want, Allison?” he asked, his voice still cold.
“I’m really sorry,” I said, feeling a pang of guilt.
Colby’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you sorry?”
“For what I did then,” I sighed, biting the side of my lip. “You know, what you saw then, but look, I can explain.”
“Explain?” he scoffed softly, a hint of mockery in his voice. “I’m not blind. I saw you kiss Jayden. You don’t need to explain anything! How could you? He’s your fucking brother and my sister’s boyfriend!”
“Stepbrother, Colby,” I corrected quickly, a low grunt escaping my lips.
“I don’t give a fuck, Allison! Tell me, was that why you rejected me? Because of that bastard? Wait, do you… like that guy?”
I bit my lip and looked down, feeling ashamed. “Anyway, I don’t have anything to say about that, but I promise, we’ll talk about that later…”
Colby’s face reddened, and he clenched his jaw. He was about to close the window again, but I stopped him with a, “Wait, please.”
He looked at me, his eyes still flashing with anger. “What is it? Listen, I’m still mad at you, for crying out loud. We shouldn’t even be talking to each other after what I saw. Aren’t you even slightly embarrassed? Because I am, on your behalf.”
I took a deep breath. “I know, and I’m… oh goodness, I’m really embarrassed now, like fucking embarrassed, but let’s not talk about that now, please. I’m going to tell you everything you need to know for now, I promise, but I think I need your help… I need a favor from you, Colby.”
Colby raised an eyebrow.
“You should be ashamed of yourself, trust me, but what do you want? And wait, shouldn’t you ask Jayden instead?”
Oh goodness! That annoying sound of scorn in his voice.
I simply rolled my eyes and said. “My sister hasn’t come home, and I’m so worried. I was wondering if you could help me call her.”
“Sally?” he asked.
“Who else, if not her?” I asked, letting out a frustrated sigh.
“Firstly, I don’t have your sister’s number, and secondly, why would I call her? Why don’t you call her yourself?”
I shook my head. “She’s not picking up my calls. Neither is she responding to my texts. Maybe she’ll answer yours or something.”
Colby’s expression turned bitter. “You think she’ll pick up just because I’m… what?” He snapped his mouth shut, gnashing his teeth.
“I don’t know,” I chuckled, shrugging casually. “She won’t even know it’s you. Honestly, I’m not sure she has your number saved. She’ll probably think you’re just some random stranger-or, maybe she saved it without telling you. You know, considering how big of a crush she has on you.”
I winked and chuckled again.
“Can you stop?” he growled, clearly annoyed.
“Oops. Sorry!”
Letting out a soft sigh, he muttered. “If you’re worried about her, send me her number. Let me give her a call.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank you so much.”
I quickly sent Sally’s number to him, and he dialed it. When Sally picked up, Colby whispered a, “Hello?”
But there was no response. Colby looked at me, confused.
“She isn’t responding,” he mouthed.
I slapped my palm against my forehead, mortified. “You dummy, she’s mute!”
Colby’s eyes widened in realization, and I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me.
“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry.”