"WHAT? WHY?", I shouted.
"LAURA", Mom also screamed. " I told you not to shout at the dining table. "
"I am sorry Mom. I was just suprised and shocked.", I replied.
" What were you surprised about that you were screaming at the top of your lungs and that too, on the dining table? ", Mom said, angrily.
" What do you mean by saying that you are making a photo album? "
"It is just as you heard. If your stupid brain still did not get, let me repeat again. I AM GOING TO MAKE AN ALBUM FILLED WITH YOUR CHILDHOOD PHOTOS. Got it now. ", she said that near my ears.
"Why are you shouting in my ears now? ", I said, rubbing my ears.
Lydia, who has been quite this whole time said, " Wow! It means that I can see Laura's childhood photos. I have always been curious how Laura was, as a child. I don't even know how she looked back then. "
"Hey Lydia, why are you lying? You have seen my childhood photo. "
"Yeah right. A single photo and that too of your first birthday. Are you kidding me, Laura? How can that even count as seeing childhood photo? ", she said.
Well, she was not wrong. I have never liked seeing any photo of my childhood and neither do I like to show them to anyone. I can't even bear to see them.
Suddenly, I came back to reality and said, " Ok, I admit that but still, you can't say that you never saw any photo. By the way, why are you calling me by my name? You know that this is rude. "
"Oh! Seriously sis, you are curios about that or..are you trying to change the topic? ", she said, smilingly.
" That is better. Lydia, you can't calle by my name. I am nine years older to you. That is considered rude. ", I said to her.
" I actually saw a movie in which the main character was calling her elder sister by her name and I thought that it was cool. So, I decided to call my sister by her name. ", she replied, innocently.
Earlier I was a bit upset when she called me by my name. I don't know why. But, the moment I saw her big, round, black eyes, filled with innocence, my anger just vanished. I mean who even can be upset with those eyes. The way she looks at me with hope, admiration and love. I can't even be angry at her. Even Dad loosens up a bit with Lydia and me.
I said, trying my best to maintain my composure, " Even if it looks cool, it isn't. Calling your elders by their names is not ....... "
I was about to lecture her more but she knows my weakness. She looked at me with her big, black eyes and said, " I am sorry, sis. "
That was the end game for me. I still tried, " Sorry cannot solve every.... " She did not even let me finish my sentence and leaned forward towards me, with spoon in her hand. She said, " Open your mouth sis. Let me feed you a bite. Say ah."
I, without thinking, opened my mouth and took the bite. Everyone burst into laughter.
Mom said, " Ha ha ha ha. Lydia, you have a complete different way of apologizing. "
" You clearly know that Laura will give in to you cuteness and you use that to your full advantage. Ha ha. ", said Taylor, trying to control his laughter.
" I mean how can you remain angry with this sweet girl. ", I started defending myself.
" No need to explain, Laura. Admit that you lost again. ", said Eliza.
I looked at everyone and woah! Max had a smile on his face. Not that fake smile that he has in front of everyone, but a genuine smile, filled with happiness. We rarely see his genuine smile. I have seen that his eyes are always filled with sadness whenever he smiles.
He has round eyes and his iris are brown in colour. His eyelashes are big and beautifull. His eyes are very beautifull and attractive but, if you look closely at them, you will notice that his eyes are filled with sadness and desperation.
His face is well defined and his skin is tanned. He has a muscular body and his height is good too. He is more than 6 feet tall and his hair are short. At a single glance, he looks quite handsome and attractive too but, when you look closely, his eyes. They are filled with sadness. Whenever he smiles, the big smile reaches his eyes but, that smile is not bright. Today, for the first time, I saw him smiling and it was very bright.
That did not go unnoticed by anyone. Taylor said, " Oh Max, you are smiling. "
"Yes.", Max replied. " So what? I usually smile a lot. "
"Yes, you do but, for some reason, this smile is different from usual. ", Eliza said, scratching her head.
Taylor said, " Eliza, why are you scratching your head like that? Do you have lice? "
Eliza immediately smacked Taylor on his back and said, " This is just a way of wondering, you idiot. I don't have lice. "
Mom said, " Oliver is just really happy, nothing else and Eliza, Taylor, finish your lunch now. Without talking, arguing or hitting each other. "
They could only say, ' Yes' to Mom and started eating.
"By the way Laura. Can I ask you something? ", said Max.
" Yes. Go ahead. ", I said, wondering what he wants to ask that he is first asking for my permission.
" Why do you hate showing your childhood pictures so much? I can't be because you are ugly, because you are not. So, why? ", he said.
I was completely caught off guard by this question and was so taken aback that I could not say anything. I tried to speak and think of an excuse but could not.
After a minute or two, I said, " Uh... How do you know that I was not ugly? I was very ugly and that is the reason I don't show my photos to anyone. "
Lydia immediately said, " Sis, you are lying. You were very cute and I am sure you knew that. "
Oliver caught the hint and said, " It is alright, Laura. I won't force you to tell me something you don't want to. "
Eliza took my hand in her left hand and put her right hand above my hand and said, " Laura, let's try to let go of the past. Let's start by talking about it. "
I looked at Taylor and Mom and they gave me an encouraging nod.
"Ok, Eliza, please tell Oliver about that. ", I said.
" No, I won't. "
I looked at her surprisingly. I mean she was the one who said we should try talking about it. Then why is she acting like that.
Mom said, " Eliza is right, sweetheart. You should try talking about it. You were the one who suffered from that incident not Eliza. "
"But I am not courageous enough to talk about it. ", I said, hesitantly.
Mom hugged me and said, ' You can do it' in my ear.
I began, " I was about seven year old and was in class second. There was a boy in my class who always hated me. I still don't know why. He sometimes stole my pencil, pushed me from the chair and even take my lunchbox.His father was a News Reporter , so he knew almost everything going on in the town.
He was always a curious kid so, whenever his father printed his newspapers, he used to sit with him. His father somehow got a photo of me when I was five year old. That photo was taken when an incident happened which made my wings appear. It had me with my wings. He, somehow got that photo and started harrassing me with that photo. He showed it to everyone and other kids started bullying me and started calling me a 'monster'. They all ganged up on me and bullied me to the extent that I just wanted to die.
I even said that the photo was photoshopped, but, except my teacher, no one believed me. They hit me, steal my things and they even broke my things. They teased me with that photo. Situation got so worse that we had to change the town again. I was so traumatised by this that I never clicked or showed my photos to anyone, except Taylor and Eliza.
They were the only ones who were by my side all the time. They were even there for me when we changed towns and when I revealed my powers to them. They just stayed with me and helped me overcome everything. It was because of them that I started school again. "
Tears were threatening to fall my eyes after I completed it and same was Oliver's situation.
Out of nowhere, Oliver hugged me, without saying anything. Everyone just sat there surprised and I did not move at all.