Chapter Fifty-Two

Cat

It wasn't until I was walking home from work later that evening, that I remembered I'd forgotten to talk to Addie about the birthday party. I'd been so distracted talking to her about her ex, that I'd completely forgotten about me.

I wasn't sure what I needed to say to her, but I knew that I needed to say something. It didn't matter what I felt about her if she didn't feel the same way. I couldn't talk to her at work, that would be too embarrassing, a birthday party seemed like the right kind of social event to bring it up. If I could just say what I needed to say, just get it out, then I could figure out where to go from there after.

I typed out a message to her, inviting her to the party and within a minute, she was calling me.

"Are you telling me right now that it's your birthday tomorrow and you didn't say anything?" she accused down the phone.

I smiled into the receiver. "I'm telling you now. Will you come to the party?"

"Does that mean I get to meet your twin?" she chirped excitedly.

I hadn't thought of that. Only Travis knew about that kiss with Addie, at this point. I had said nothing to Alice and wasn't entirely sure I was even ready to broach that subject with her, especially with her mood at the moment.

"Sure," I replied, wondering how I was even going to introduce her to Alice.

Alice, this is my friend Addie who I like more than a friend.

Alice, meet Addie, she was my first kiss.

Hey Alice, you know you wanted me to get together with someone, well how about this chick right here?

I grimaced at the thought, maybe I was better sticking with no details until I'd even properly had a chance to speak to Addie about how I felt.

"Then totally, I'm all in," said Addie.

"Awesome." I smiled again; I couldn't help it.

"You know it's after midnight, so it's kind of already your birthday. So, Happy birthday!"

I pulled the phone slightly away from my ear as she squealed. "Thanks," I laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Totally!"

We hung up just as I turned the corner to see my house completely lit up like a Christmas tree. This was not good.

I planned on climbing through my window like I usually did, but as I drew nearer the house, the front door swung open and my parents were standing in the doorway glowering out at me.

They were awake, and they had been waiting for me to come home. I was going to be in so much trouble. I braced myself for impact as I got to the door, smiling warily at them as they ushered me inside.

"Where the hell have you been?" My dad demanded, barely waiting for the front door to close behind us.

Alice peeked her head out of our bedroom door and gave me such a rueful look that it was clear she had been somewhat incidental in my discovery. She ducked back inside the room when our dad threw her a stern look.

"Ermm," I mumbled, a thousand thoughts running through my brain as I tried to grasp hold of some explanation they would believe.

"No lying, we now know you've been out on these nightly adventures for a while now," mum warned. "Tell us the truth, please."

It looked like Alice had spilled everything. I felt betrayed for a moment, then it passed. I couldn't blame her for my lies. I'd done this myself; it was nobody's fault but mine. I'd been caught, and now it was my responsibility to own up to that.

"Are you seeing someone you're ashamed to be seen with? Or can't be seen with?" Mum asked. The look of abject horror on her face said she expected the worst. "Is it a married man. Cat, tell us you aren't some older man's bit on the side?"

"What? No!" I shrieked. Did she really think I was that sort of person? "Of course, I'm not."

She looked relieved, clutching a hand to her chest, she closed her eyes briefly. "Come sit with us in the lounge."

I followed them into the lounge, and they made me sit between them on the sofa, as if they were afraid I'd run off and escape the confrontation, which I admit, had crossed my mind.

I placed my final piece I'd had with me to show Addie, on the coffee table in front of me and deflated into the sofa cushions.

They watched me, waiting, my dad's eyebrows knitted together and my mum tapping her foot anxiously.

I scratched my knee. "I got a job and I've been working," I said finally.

"That's not possible, the school won't allow it, no place in the area would hire you. They know not to," said dad. He didn't look entirely convinced.

"It's true," I said. "That's why I go at night. It's at a club, bartending, they don't know my age, they don't even know my real name. Everything's cash in hand so they don't ask any questions."

My mum folded her hands in front of her. She looked so very disappointed which really hurts. "I don't understand Cat. Why do you feel like you need to work? Why all the secrecy?"

"Because you'd have stopped me doing it if you knew."

"And rightly so," dad interjected.

"But I needed the money. There is this program everyone in my art club is submitting portfolios for and its extremely exclusive, as it has all these big names in the art world who do special classes and if I got in, I could go to school anywhere, it would rocket me forward in my career." I paused, looking up through my eyelashes at them each in turn. "It's expensive, very expensive, and I know you are having money problems at the moment."

Mum let out a breath of air through his mouth. "How did you know about that?"

I shrugged lightly. "It's kind of obvious." Even though Alice hadn't seemed to have been aware, though she tended to get wrapped up in her own world.

"Aren't you very astute." Dad arched a brow. "Yet that's exactly what it is, our money problems. It has nothing to do with you and Alice. And we certainly wouldn't want you risking your educations because of it."

"Which is exactly why you're going to quit your job immediately and focus on school and that art program you seem desperate to go to," said mum.

My heart dropped all the way to the floor. "What about the fees for the program if I get in?"

Dad patted my hand. "You let us worry about that. We've always found a way to support this family in its endeavours, and we will continue to do so without you girls getting jobs and sneaking out the house in the middle of the night."

Relief flooded over me. If I was honest with myself, I was tired of the work, tired of the lying, I should have told them about the art program from the beginning. I wiped at my eyes, feeling tears welling up.

"You know we're so proud of how you are doing at school and how amazing your art is, you're so talented," said mum, her voicing breaking. "Just please don't lie to us again. We are your parents and we love you; we will always do our very best to support you in your aspirations." She pulled me into a hug, and I felt all the tension in my body release.

"However," said Dad, sighing heavily. "The next time we find you or Alice disappearing from your beds at some ungodly hour, you'll be grounded until you're married with your own kids. And maybe even then still too."

***I hope you liked this Chapter, I'm finding it difficult as we near the end of the book, closing off stories is such sweet sorrow!

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