I bite my lip as I watch May and Temi and Lola wall past the security line. Chase pops the bubblegum in his mouth, I nearly roll my eyes as Temi blows us a kiss and smacks her butt before running to meet the rest of them.
"So... that's it?" Chase asks causing me to look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"What, did you think I'd start crying?" I ask, turning to walk away.
"Well yeah, you did when I was leaving for college."
"Okay, enough, no more embarrassing memories, it's just gonna be me, you, Macy and Adam." I breathe and walk out of the airport.
"And Luke."
"And Luk- wait, what? No, no, no!" I warn, pointing my index finger at him with a do-you-understand-me face. He rolls his eyes and opens the car door once we reach the parking lot.
I get into the passenger seat and close my door, pulling the locks of my hair back into a big bun.
"So did she cry?" Chase screams and falls out of his seat and onto the floor. Hysterical laughter from the backseat causes me to look back at Mia clutching her stomach.
"What is wrong with you?" Chase asks when he stands up, clutching his chest and breathing hard. I can almost see the shape of his heart pumping in and out of his chest like Tom and Jerry.
Mia just rolls her eyes and lays down on the backseat.
"You didn't answer my question so I can't answer yours." She says and twirls her red hair. She adjusts her glasses and looks at me.
"I don't see any trail of tears, seems like she's actually growing up." She says and winks at me. I roll my eyes and pull put my phone.
"So, you guys wanna eat?" Chase asks as he starts the car.
"Yep, we can just get some subway subs." Mia says and I shrug, humming along to the idea.
I quickly text Macy, telling her that we're going to get some Subs and if she wants any.
"So, are we going to pretend that Batman wasn't in love with Poison Ivy?"
°•|•°
I hug the pillow tighter and make a stupid smile at the TV from the warmth of the pillow. Chase's fingers tug softly at my hair, playing with it. I turn to look at his face but only see his jaw because my head is on his lap.
"You aren't even watching the movie." I say and he pulls his phone away, looking directly at my face.
"I'm just texting Fayette." I smile at him and he rolls his eyes but I can also see the admiration in his eyes as he looks back at his phone.
"Tell her to come over, it's going to be a hella fun." I say and he shrugs, texting her whatever. I look back at the TV, noticing that it's only Mia that's still concentrated on it. Macy and Adam are busy cuddling, probably have slept off or something.
"She's going to be here soon." He says after a while and I roll until I'm facing the ceiling.
"Do you think she'll remember us?" I ask and he looks at me. It's quiet for a while before he sighs, closing his phone.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure she will and if she doesn't, I'll show her the pictures you had with her." He says and I smile a tight smile. My phone starts vibrating and I grab it, answering whoever's calling without even looking at the ID.
"April, have you spoken to Ethan lately?" My mom's voice asks and I frown.
"No, why?"
"Kira is having another breakdown and Ethan is nowhere to be found, I'm panicking April, I've tried calling June and May, but they don't know either, is Chase there?" She asks and I reply a yes.
"Hey, have you heard from Ethan?" I ask him and he shakes his head, raising a brow.
"No mom, I'll try to get to him, don't worry, so enjoy your vacation with dad and don't call for any reason unless you're going to tell me how wonderful it is, got it?" I ask and she sighs, muttering under her breath.
"Okay love, talk to you whenever I talk to you."
"Bye mom."
The line goes dead and I close my eyes, blowing out a breath.
"What's wrong?" Chase asks, his eyes closed.
"Kira and her breakdowns, Ethan is nowhere to be found and now no one can calm her down, again!" I say and he laughs.
"Ethan always knows when it's right to come, don't bother yourself." He says just as the doorbell rings.
"Is any of you guys expecting someone, or should I run and hide?" Mia asks, standing up and clutching her blanket close.
"Nothing, it's just Fayette." I say and let Chase stand up to get the door. I stand up to get to them when I see Chase locking lips with Fayette.
My jaw drops and my eyes widen. I hear the sound of a camera going off and Chase groans, pulling away and packing her lips once more before turning to face us.
The blonde girl with green cat eyes stare at me with a small smile on her face.
"Guys, meet Fayette, my girlfriend."
Mic drop.
°•|•°
I stare at Chase, blinking really fast and hard.
"When did this happen?" I shriek, and he scratches the back of his head.
"College project, she goes to the same college as me." He says and my lips stretch into a smile that threatens to split my face in half.
"Hey, do you remember me?" I ask, moving a little closer to her. She blinks at Chase and at me.
"I'm sorry, am I supposed to remember you, I get that a lot of times." She says and the apologetic look on her face makes me smile a sad smile.
"Well, yes, but it's no problem. I'm April, this dork's sister, and this is Mia, she was your mentor at some point." I say and she nods, her eyes widening a little when they land on Mia.
"I remember you, from Canada right?" She says and Mia smiles, nodding and hugging her.
"I'm so sorry that I don't remember you." She says and I roll my eyes, brushing it off.
"That's not a problem, what I'm just wondering about is who in the world convinced you to date this goofball?"
°•°|•°•
"Remember I told you I have four sisters, well, April is one of them, the first girl is Kira, twin sister of Ethan. April, May and June are triplets but the others aren't here. That good?" Chase asks her and she nods, smiling.
I laugh at the look on Chase's face and dust my hands, going back to the pot. Macy walks in, smiling as she hums. "What smells so nice, and who is this?"
Mia sighs and ribs her forehead, Macy runs her eyes and opens them again. They widen as she takes in the position Chase is in with Fayette.
"Am I dreaming or is that Chase cuddling Fayette?" She asks, looking at me.
"If I'm cooking, then it's definitely not your dream." I say and she screams, causing Adam to jump up, yelling that he's up and getting into a karate pose.
When he sees Fayette he yells and runs away before running back and looking her directly in the eye so close that if he should move any closer, he'd almost be kissing her. Chase pushes his face away and brings Fayette closer to him, glaring at Adam.
"You have your own girl man, leave mine!" He growls and my brows shoot up. This is like impossible. Chase is getting jealous. Chase is getting jealous. Chase is getting JEALOUS!
Macy squeals and rushes for Chase's cheeks and pinching it. He smacks her hands away and frowns.
"Touch your own man." He says simply and I start laughing at him.
"Fayette, these are my best friends Macy and Adam, you might not remember them but they surely do remember you." I say and she smiles at them, shyly waving. Macy coos and nearly pinches her cheeks but the glare on Chase's face sends her back.
"Fay-Fay, you've grown so much." Adam whispers and Fayette looks at him.
"Addy?" She asks and his eyes brighten up. He jumps up, staring at me with wide eyes and a hanging jaw.
"She remembers me! She remembers me!" He squeals, doing a funny dance.
Macy smacks him upside the head and he stops to kiss her cheeks before sitting criss-cross in front of Fayette.
He does a hand sign and she smiles, making another hand sign and he makes a face.
Fayette was born with short term memory loss. She was Chase's friend from elementary school and since then, we have all been helping her. Adam taught her how to swim, but she tends to forget some things. Once, she had an accident and she forgot her parents and everybody so we had to start over again. But Chase was always there for her, I'm guessing it shouldn't have come as a surprise when he told me that they were dating.
It's really sad how she lost her parents but can't even remember them. All she knows is her aunt who she assumes is her real mom.
"Hey, what are you guys talking or signing about?" Chase asks with narrowed eyes. Adam stops and blows a raspberry at him before standing up and kissing Fayette's cheek.
Chase frowns and runs the spot with his sleeve before placing a kiss there. She giggles and slaps his arm just as the timer for the oven dings.
"Finally, I'm starving!" I hear a voice behind me and jump, turning to see Adam peering so close at me.
"I have a creep as a husband."
°•°|°•°
Chase took Fayette somewhere a while after we had lunch and I'm left alone in the house. Mia had to get back to her place since her boyfriend called and said he was waiting for her, Macy and Adam went to see Adam's cousin. And since there's nothing to do, I'm on my bed, reading one of Austin's latest books, 'Dearest Apple'. Pretty weird name for a character am I right?
My phone pings and I answer, pressing my phone to my ear.
"Hey baby sis."
"Ethan! Mom is so going to kill you! Have you spoken to Kira? Where were you?" I yell into the phone and he nervously laughs.
"Wow, you really destroyed my eardrums, I'm here with Kira right now, don't worry your little head. And no how are you doing? How's little Ethan and my wife Brooke?" He says and I slowly close the book.
"What do you mean little Ethan?" I ask slowly and he laughs.
"Brooke is pregnant!" I could already hear the smile in his voice.
I'm going to be an aunt.
I'm going to be an aunt.
I'm going to be a freaking AUNT!
And the screaming starts.
°•°•°•°|°•°•°•°
I'm really in my dream world. It's like when I'm high off sugar. I really don't know how I ended up here, but I know I did.
Number 337.
I'm standing right in front of this white door, eyeing the doorbell. I turn back to the door and knock instead, the doorbell will seem way too normal. And I'm not normal.
The door opens and I stare at the black woman I'd seen at the restaurant with Austin yesterday.
I blink a few times as her eyes narrow on me.
"Hi, is Austin home?" I ask and she gives me a once over.
"Yeah. Why?" She questions, folding her hands over her chest. Her muscles bulge and I gulp.
"Who is it?" I hear his voice ask and I smile.
"Some girl." The woman says and I nearly roll my eyes. She knows very well that I'm not just some girl, we've met, five years ago, where I told her I was going to roast her, and she knows it. She's taunting me.
Austin comes into view and he looks over her shoulder at me.
"My favourite April!" He exclaims and the girl rolls her eyes. She leaves the door post and walks inside the house. Austin jerks his head for me to come in and I smile, entering.
He closes the door behind him and I walk to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, feeling the burning gaze of the woman on the back of my head but I ignore it.
"So, what brings you here, I learnt how to crack an egg and you said you give up after the fifteenth ti-" someone clearing their throat cuts him off and we turn our heads to the woman.
"Aren't you forgetting something Luke?" She asks with a teasing smile.
"Oh, yeah right, April this is K-"
"Kai Morales, world famous kickboxer. Yes, I know her, we met five years ago when I told her I was going to roast her." I say, raising a challenging brow at her.
She snarls and glares at me but when a little girl tugs at her hand, she looks down and smiles at her, crouching to ask her what was wrong.
"So she has a heart?" I ask surprised but I already kind of knew.
"That's her daughter, Neferankh. You know she's the one married to River Morales right?" Austin asks and I roll my eyes.
"Whatever, she's a kickboxer but I'd kick her butt in two seconds. She thinks she's intimidating, I'll intimidate the intimidation out of her!" And when I look at Austin's face, I see him smiling at me.
"What?"
"You're cute. So, what'd you come here for?" He asks and I grab an apple.
"Temi, Lola May and June left this morning and Chase is out with his girlfriend, Macy and Adam went to see his cousin and I was the only person at home, so I decided to come here. And also, Ethan is having a baby!" I squeal and he laughs.
"That's good, so you're expecting two babies now, one from Macy and another from Ethan, that's cool, when should we expect ours?"
I turn fifty shades of red.
°•°•°•°|°•°•°•°
I put a polenta in my mouth, chewing while watching prank videos on my laptop. The slide door to the small garden was open, letting the wind inside. The door to my room is open and I can hear the soft music coming from Chase's room. I look back at my plate and realise that my food is finished.
I pause the video and throw my legs over the bed. I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen to dump my plate in the sink. I grab the dishwashing liquid and get the scrubber.
"What are you doing fatty?" I hear Chase's voice and I look over my shoulder.
"Putting on spongebob's underwear, what else do you think?" I shoot back sarcastically and he rolls his eyes. He grabs a bottle of water as I finish rinsing of all the soap from the dish and drying it.
"Where's Macy and Adam?" He asks and I dry my hands.
"Adam wanted to take her to that new aquarium, said they'll stay out until sunrise for him to quote this weird love poem that Austin helped him with." I tell him and he starts laughing.
"What love can do to you." He sighs and smiles. I stand beside him, my five foot four inches body a small figure to his six foot two inches frame. And yet Austin is still taller.
"Hey, can you stay in my room tonight?" Chase's small voice calls out to me and I turn to look at him.
"It's Marley's birthday today and I thought- I don't wanna be alone tonight or I won't sleep." He says and I look down. When I look up again, I see the broken look on his face and I nod.
"I'll go get my laptop and blanket." I say and he smiles at me but it doesn't really reach his eyes. I grab my laptop and blanket and my pillow and rush into Chase's room.
When I get there, I see that he's already made a barrier of pillows and I smile gratefully at him. I lay on the other side and put the laptop on the pillow barrier. He starts searching just like he used to do when we were kids. He chooses the same videos he used to when he was ten, he looks at me with pleading eyes and I tell him yes just like I used to.
So we lay in his bed, watching videos about zodiac signs, and I can't help but smile at this, at how I'm not alone. And it feels good, the warmth of his room, the voice of the person on the laptop pulling me in and out of my thoughts.
And when I close my eyes, I feel peace, peace that I haven't felt in a long time. And I love it.
°•°•°|°•°•°
My locks drop to frame my face and I pull out the book, opening it to where I'd stopped last. The fall air blows the pages and I smile at the sound of little children laughing and playing around.
"Can you put that away?" I hear a voice and look up to striking ocean blue eyes. I smile and and turn to him, raising my brows.
"Why would I do that?" I ask and he shrugs, sitting close to me.
"I don't know, I just don't like it when someone reads what I write in front of me, I get nervous and embarassed." He says and I roll my eyes, finally closing it.
I stare ahead at two kids talking, the boy looking as proud as ever as he tries to flirt with the girl. The girl rolls her eyes and goes back to climbing the tree.
It reminds me of when I was younger, how I'd beat up the boys if they came more than three feet close. Funny because then I'd be getting in their personal bubble. Except one boy, with blue eyes that I could stare into all night.
"What are you thinking about?" Austin asks and I look back to him then at the book in my lap.
"What made you write this book? Dearest Apple?" He looks down and then back at me. And for the first time, I see pain in those eyes that are always cheerful and happy.
"I was staring at an apple when the idea really came." He says shortly and I pause.
"But that's not the real reason why you wrote this book, I mean, even after all the letters she got, even after she left jail, even when she met her true love, she still dies." I say and he frowns.
"Why does everyone care so much about her? She left Dakota behind but no one ever sees him, they only feel the loss of her but do they feel the loss of him? They don't see that he's utterly lost without her, they don't see that she still lives in their memories but he doesn't, they don't understand that it wasn't Apple that died but Dakota! They don't see that it's not Apple that needed help, it was Dakota because he was drowning, he was the one that needed to be pulled away from her, they don't know that they're still trying to keep a dead girl alive while they're slowly killing someone that's right in front of them." He exclaims and I see the tears threatening to spill.
He abruptly stands up and starts walking away, leaving me to think about what he was going to say next.
They don't stop him when he ended his life for her right in front of them.
And I know, that all this is not an idea, it's a past.