"How's the food, hija?" Amanda asked, swallowing a mouthful of spaghetti.
"It's great mami, just like every other night Thank you," Emma thanked her mother.
"You're lovely, dear. What about you, Olivia? Do you like the food?"
Olivia gulped. She was never good with parents. Not now, not ever.
"It's uhh— it's great! Thank you, Amanda," the green-eyed girl responded shyly.
"You don't sound so sure," Alejandro pointed out.
"I am!" Olivia said, a little too quickly, in fact. She composed herself and tried again. "I am, Mr. Jensen. I'm just never good with parents, so I'm a little bit flustered," she apologised, not daring to use his first name as he did with Emma's mother.
"Olivia, you may end up being a huge part of our family one day. I hope you'll be more comfortable with us," Emma's father told her seriously.
"Yes, Mr. Jensen, I—"
Alejandro cut the girl off. "I told you to just call me Alejandro," he laughed, patting Olivia on the back.
"Right, sorry sir," the raven-haired girl laughed. "I most definitely do understand that you would like me to be more comfortable with you and the family, and I will when time passes," she looked at Emma, then Amanda, and little Sofi sitting across from her.
"I just wanted to tell you, all of you...that I am so happy and so grateful for the acceptance I've received from this household,"
Emma instinctively grabbed her hand under the table and rubbed soothing patterns on her palm as the older girl spoke.
"You're very much welcome, dear. Just make sure you take care of her," Amanda pointed out.
"Yeah, if you make kaki cry, I'll break you!" Sofi said, placing her hands on her hips.
"Sofi!" Emma chided. Olivia, on the other hand, found the two siblings extremely adorable.
"No, she's quite right hija. If anything happens to her Olivia, you're gonna regret it," Alejandro rephrased his second daughter's words, making it sound a lot more menacing than when Sofi had said it.
"He's just joking," Emma reassured the girl beside her.
Alejandro simply shrugged. "I may, I may not be,"
Olivia was a little shaken up, but she knew Emma's father only wanted the best for his daughter.
That, she understood.
"Yes Mr. Cab— I mean, yes Alejandro, Amanda, and of course Sofi," she winked at the young brunette. "I promise to take care of Emma. She means the world to me, even if we just met. I'll protect her with my own life if I have to," Olivia assured the three other Jensen's.
•••
"That was interesting," Olivia said as she laid down on the bed, Emma joining her soon after.
"Mhm," the younger brunette mumbled, snuggling closer into Olivia's side.
"Do you want to continue your story, love?" Olivia asked, stroking the brown-eyed girl's hair.
Emma simply sighed. "Yeah, I probably should, shouldn't I?"
"You don't have to if you don't want to, but it's one way for me to help you," the green-eyed girl assured her.
The cheerleader nodded her head and took a deep breath before she continued.
"So, as I was saying..."
— Flashback —
At the party, Austin drank...a lot. Be it vodka, tequila, mixed beverages or simply just beer, he drank like there was no return.
Unfortunately for Emma, she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Hey babe," Austin slurred, walking slowly towards his girlfriend, who hadn't had even a sip of alcohol.
"H-Hey," Emma replied, scared of what her boyfriend could and would do to her.
Drunk Austin was very, very terrifying.
"How 'bout you come upstairs with me and we'll have some fun on our own?" he whispered in her ear.
"I'm good down here Austin, Ava's w-waiting for me. I gotta go," she said.
•••
"Hey there," Ava said, approaching the mysterious girl from the cafeteria earlier today.
"Hey," the girl simply nodded and acknowledged the blonde's presence.
"What are you looking at?" Ava asked.
When there was no response from her, Ava followed the girl's line of sight and saw what her eyes were fixated on.
There she was, a very scared Emma with a very drunk Austin hovering over her, trying to get into her pants, probably.
Ava's fists curled up into a ball. "He's so gonna get it from me,"
Before she could walk up to the two of them, the girl held onto her hand and kept a firm — but somehow soothing — grip on her arm.
"Don't," she said lowly.
"Why not?" Ava whined impatiently. "That's my best friend! I can't let anything happen to her,"
"And nothing will. Just stay calm, you can't take him anyway. Not without getting hurt, A pretty girl like yourself shouldn't have to get hurt,"
Ava blushed, but quickly regained her composure."He's drunk, I can do whatever I want to him. Little pussy can't handle himself anyway," she tried to reason with the girl, who only shook her head.
"Ava Jane, don't. I'm warning you,"
"I never got your name," the blonde tried again, changing the topic.
The girl's eyes never left the duo in front of them. "Valerie. Valerie Elizabeth,"
"Pretty name," Ava said, unaware of the fact that Austin now had Emma over his shoulder as he carried her upstairs.
Valerie growled and let go of Ava's arm, running upstairs quickly but quietly after the duo.
"Wait!" Ava called out after her, but the brunette was already gone.
•••
"Austin please! I don't want this," Emma pleaded to the drunk boy hovering above her, who was in the midst of removing his jeans.
"Shut up! I promise you babe, I'll make you feel good tonight," he assured her, sending chills down her spine.
Not the good kind.
Austin made his way down her body, leaving kisses all over as Emma struggled to get out of his tight grip.
Suddenly, the door flung open to reveal a very angry Valerie.
"Get. Off. Her. Now," she spoke slowly.
"Why should I?" Austin replied with a smirk on his face.
"I told you before, Miller, you don't treat a girl this way. Emma deserves much more than what you're giving her. Let her go," Valerie told him off.
"Make me," Austin smirked.
"Since you asked so nicely," Valerie immediately launched forward, punching him square in the jaw and sending him off his feet.
Emma scrambled to get up. Thank god Austin hadn't gotten to her clothes yet.
"Go," Valerie told her, turning her around and pushing her out the door.
"What about you?" Emma asked worriedly.
"I'll be fine. Just go! Ava's downstairs in the kitchen. Tell her what happened, just leave me out of the picture," the brunette appealed to her with begging eyes. "Maybe not tell her about how I punched this guy in the jaw?"
Emma nodded and ran downstairs to find her best friend, leaving Valerie to deal with her boyfrie- well, ex boyfriend.
After what just happened? No way was she staying with him.
— End of Flashback —
"So where's Valerie now?" Olivia asked curiously.
"That's a story for another day. Just wanted to tell you why I broke up with Austin, remember?"
The older girl nodded in understanding and kissed her head. "Got it," she whispered.