Page 50 of Would You Rather
When am I not?Part of me wants to tell her about the deal I have with Lucas, but if she knew that I was trying to pursue acting again, I know she would disapprove. I get it, she doesn’t think it’s a stable career, but am I going to have to hide this from her forever?
Even if this thing with Lucas doesn’t bring anything, I’m not going to stop. Being an actress is all I have ever wanted, and the thought of giving up that dream crushes my heart. Would my parents really be that disappointed with me if Iended up doing something completely different from what they envisioned for me, or more accurately, Nia?
I swallow down the lump in my throat. I don’t want to find out. Not until I’m certain that I can make my dream happen.
“Yep,” I tell her. “These assignments are busting my ass though.”
A heavy sigh escapes me when she laughs along. I miss her so much. I miss the shopping trips we used to take. Me, her and Nia, getting our nails done together, our hair… We haven’t done anything like that together in a long time. Not since the last time with Nia.
“It’ll all be worth it once you get into law school,” she reassures, her cheerful tone evident in her words. “You’ll see.”
I squeeze my eyes closed at the pang of disappointment in my chest. I can hear how happy it makes her to think I’ll be following in her footsteps. “Yeah,” I say with little conviction. “I have to go, Mom. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, darling. Get well soon.”
A smile spreads across her face as I hang up the phone, sinking into bed. If I do what they want and go to law school, I know it will make them happy. And that’s all I want. But in order for that to happen, it’ll be at the cost ofmyhappiness.
I take out my planner and scan my to-do list for the day, but there's not a single desire within me to complete any of it. I’m so damn tired. Fuck, I hate feeling like this.
I’m interrupted by a knock on my door, prompting me to stuff my planner back in my nightstand. “Yes?”
Gabi’s head peeks through the door, and my gaze narrows, locking onto the blue surgical mask covering her face as she holds out a spray can in her hand. “Is it safe?” she asks, keeping the rest of her body outside of the door.
My eyes roll as a smile appears on my lips. “You’re such a weirdo.” She might be the biggest drama queen of all time, but I know that whenever she’s around, I’ll have a good time.
“I have dance practice to go to,” she says, spraying some of the vanilla scent in my room. “I can’t get sick.”
“And room spray is going to prevent that?” I ask, amused.
She glances at the bottle, letting out a sigh. “Dammit, I got the wrong thing. One sec.”
“I’m fine,” I reply before she has a chance to leave. I might not be feeling great, but I highly doubt I’m contagious. The sneezing has subsided, and now all that’s left is my body feeling like it's been through the wringer.
“Are you sure?” she asks, stepping into my room. “Lucas said you weren’t feeling well.”
“What?” My eyes widen at the mention of his name. “You talked to him? When?”
“This morning,” she says, finally pulling off the mask. “He left some more chicken soup for you.”
My heart starts to race, my mouth watering at the thought. “He did?”
She nods. “That guy can cook. It was fucking delicious.”
“You ate my soup?” I narrow my eyes at her. “You’re not even sick.”
She laughs, lifting her shoulder in a shrug. “It smelled good, beside, there’s loads. He brought over a pot full of it.”
My stomach starts to rumble at the thought of having some more of the soup, but before I can get up, Gabi sits on my bed with a grin. “So… Lucas, huh?”
I let out a sigh. “We’re in a fake relationship, Gabi. You know this.”
She nods. “I know, but he was still here when I came home yesterday.” A grin spreads across her face, and she wiggles her eyebrows. “What happened?”
“Nothing happened,” I assure her with a shove on her arm.
She tilts her head, studying me. “I thought you hated him.”
“I do,” I say with a shrug, the words feeling funny on my lips. I’m not sure I do… anymore.
