"What? Why not? We are leaving tomorrow; I already have my bag all set. That's why I came here in the first place—to help you pack." Matilda's words rushed out without hesitation, swinging her hands in the air, demonstrating her frustration as she talked.
"Calm down," I raised my hands in defeat before placing them on her shoulder, which was already tense. "It just never came up yet, and I am scared they will say no."
Matilda looked concerned. "Piper, you can't just not tell them. You know how important this concert is to you."
I nodded, feeling a knot of anxiety forming in my stomach. "I know, Matilda, but every time I try to bring it up, they're either arguing or just too busy. They don't even notice me, and it's only getting worse."
Matilda sighed sympathetically. "I get it, but we still have to tell them." She massaged her temples, pacing back and forth in my room before turning to face me. "Let's practice how you're going to tell your mom. Maybe I can help you come up with the right words."
"Really?" I asked in a sarcastic tone, raising my brow, and she nodded in response. I appreciated her support, so I got up, standing on my feet right next to her. "Okay, let's give it a try." Taking a deep breath, I imagined my mom in the room and began, "Mom, I have something important to talk to you about..."
Matilda chimed in, playing the role of my mom. "What is it, Piper?"
I stumbled over my words for a moment, feeling the weight of the conversation. "Well, you see, there's this Blackpink concert tomorrow, and I really, really want to go."
Matilda, as my mom, raised an eyebrow. "A concert? Piper, you know we're going through a tough time right now. Is this the right moment for such things?"
I sighed, my shoulders dropping to my side as those words sank in. Even though this wasn't actually my mother standing in front of me, she was right. Do I really want to go to this concert? Of course, I do, but now it doesn't really seem worth it. I couldn't leave Gavin all alone, especially after the time we spent together yesterday.
It showed just how much we have been apart even though we lived in the same house, and that made me feel a surge of guilt. But then there was Matilda.
Trying to find the right words, mimicking Matilda's advice, I said, "I know things have been tough, Mom, but this concert means a lot to me. It's like a dream come true, and I promise I'll be responsible. We already have everything booked and a place to stay."
Matilda gasped, which caught me off guard. "Where did you get the money and a place to stay? How long are you going to be gone? Why are you telling me all this just now?" Matilda yelled, startling me.
I took a step backward, my brow furrowing as I stared at my friend, who seemed to be playing this character a little too well. "You are not helping!" I yelled back at her, and she burst out laughing.
"It's not funny," I whined, my voice mimicking that of a child.
"Oh, Piper. You are thinking too much of this. All you have to do is go down there and just talk to your mom. She's your mom; she will understand, and if she doesn't..." Her voice trailed off before she continued, "We will just go with plan B."
"And what's plan B?" I asked, scrunching my eyes as I stared suspiciously at this girl in front of me.
Matilda smiled mischievously. "Plan B, my dear Piper, is all about the element of surprise. We're leaving tomorrow, right? So, in the worst-case scenario, we sneak out in the middle of the night like secret agents!"
"What? No! I can't do that." I mean I have snuck out before. Not the first time and probably won't be the last, but not when it means going to another city and not to talk of staying there for days. My absence will be noticed.
She winked at me. "Well, sometimes real life needs a little movie magic. But seriously, let's try talking to your mom first. Maybe she'll surprise you and say yes."
I nodded, feeling a bit more determined after our playful practice session. "You're right. I'll talk to her tonight and see how it goes. If it doesn't work, then..."
"We consider plan B," she interrupted.
"No!" I made sure my word was firm. "You will go alone." I added and watched as a frown settled on her face.
"What a boomer," she rolled her eyes before walking back to the bed.
A few minutes later, I walked down the stairs, my heart racing the closer I got to the living room. My gaze first sighted Mom, who was sitting with her laptop placed on the dining table. Her keyboard made a loud clicking sound as she typed.
On the other side of the room was Dad, who sat quietly in his usual spot, the couch. He had his legs crossed, reading a folded newspaper.
Although they refused to admit it, I couldn't help but feel Dad left his job. The man I knew was always out of the house as early as he could before the sun fully rose and he came home late, mostly when we were asleep. But now he was just sitting in his PJs, doing nothing.
The house seemed quiet, as each was occupied in their own space, but the atmosphere was extremely tense, which only made my situation more complicated.
"Mom," I called as I finally climbed down the stairs, now standing in front of her. I nervously clenched my hands to the side, taking in deep breaths.
The sound of the ticking clock added another layer of tension to the silence, and I watched as she slowly lifted her head up away from her screen to stare at me.
"Yes, sweetie," her voice was calm as she spoke, but it only made me more nervous.
"Uhm… Mom, you see, I have something planned for tomorrow, and well, I was hoping..."
"The concert." My brow furrowed, I stared at her, confused about how she had been able to figure that out.
"How did you know…?" I stammered, my words caught in my throat.
"Well, I got a message from the school saying you were one of the lucky five to win a concert ticket to Blackpink." My mind went blank as I stared, lost in further confusion. It wasn't the school that I was sure of. I glanced over at Matilda, who stood by the door, and she shrugged in response as a way of saying she had nothing to do with this. Mom added, "At first, I was really excited, you know; you were always a huge fan of those Asian girl groups and would go crazy about it." She chuckled.
"It was sad that when I watched you turn down buying merch because we couldn't afford it." I watched as her smile faded to sadness as she was lost
in thoughts. She was right, though; there were many times I had to stop my excitement whenever I saw any Blackpink-labeled items, but I never knew she would notice. "That's why I was really upset when you hadn't told me about the concert. Did you come here to tell me you can't go? That would be disappointing." I couldn't believe what I was hearing; was she really giving me permission to go? My mouth fell wide open, short of words. I couldn't describe what I was feeling right now, and I wouldn't give up this feeling for the words.
"Really, you are giving me permission to go!" I squealed.
"Why not? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It's not every time your school does stuff like this. In fact, I don't even recall this ever happening since you got admitted." Her words stung, causing my smile to slowly fade. I wasn't excited with the thought of lying to her.
"Yeah," was my only response.
I climbed back up the stairs, my shoulders dropped to the side. Closing my bedroom door, a sigh escaped my lips, which was interesting, with an overly excited Matilda popping out from behind the door. "I can't believe it was that easy. I obviously had my doubts, but damn!" She squealed.
"I think Jake has something to do with this," I said.
"You think," she said sarcastically, followed by a scoff. "That guy is just full of surprises, which makes me wonder what his true intentions actually are." She grinned. "But that's not important for now. I can't believe we are going to the concert."
"I don't know; I feel bad about lying to my mom."
"Shut up! Shake that thought off your head. If you think of it, we aren't actually lying; we are just not saying the truth." She tried to explain.
"Doesn't that still count as lying?"
She rolled her eyes, which was followed by a frustrated sigh. As if explaining math to a child, she said, "Just look at it as a white lie. No one gets hurt."