Chapter Nineteen

The Andersons and the twins left an hour later, and I was now cleaning up the kitchen. A lot of the leftovers went into the refrigerator. They would serve as Lillian's and me breakfast for the next few days. Lillian had yet to come down, and I was getting sicker by the second. I felt horrible for what I said, even if she did deserve it but did she. Did she deserve me talking about a touchy matter with her? Did I deserve it? Shit! Why was I feeling bad? She started with me. I looked at my reflection in the Kitchens' circular mirror. Real mature, Mi'a.

"Everybody gone?" Lillian said, spooking me a little.

"Yeah. They left not too long ago." I answered. I sucked at apologies. I sucked at forgiving. I sucked at forgiving, especially. "Breakfast is in the fridge."

Lillian nodded her head and went to the fridge. I moved the balloons aside and went into the cupboards for some paper towels. A box of chocolate delights looking at me. I opened the package and took one out. Lillian was now sitting at the kitchen counter eating her birthday breakfast.

"Look, you said some things, and I said some things. This can be super awkward or super fun. You're only seventeen once." I began. Come on, Mi'a. Come on, I thought to myself. "I'm sorry," I said the cookie over to Lillian.

She looked up at me and then at the oreo. "I'm sorry too. I love your hair and how free it is. I was just mad about not having a more grownup party. Now I am, and I want it to be fun. I'm glad you're here, and I love Oreos. I think I'll keep the nickname." Lillian mumbled with a shy smile.

"Well, here's to nicknames," I said, grabbing myself an oreo and pouring a tiny cup of milk in a cup.

"Too awkward first dates," Lillian said, dunking her cookie at the same as me.

"What!" I gasped, dropping my cookie in the milk. "Date?"

"Well, it's just you and me-"

"And five other teens," I added.

"We'll be together all weekend-"

"That doesn't make it a date."

"It's a special date-"

"This isn't happening."

"I'm seventeen, and your nineteen-"

"I don't care if you're eighteen."

"This is going to happen-"

"This is never going to happen."

"I'm feeling something-"

"That's because you ate a cookie at eight in the morning," I stressed as I massaged my aching temples. It was only day one of being with this child, and we had fought, and now we're discussing whether today was a date or not.

"I should be heading to school. I'll see you at nine. My friends and I are going to get pedicures and then to the mall. Is that cool?"Lillian asked, dropping her dishes into the sink.

"Yeah, that's fine. Hurry to school. You don't want to be late, and I will see you at nine. Please don't be late; your mom made it clear she wanted you in by then. I'll have to tell her if you're not."

"Don't worry. I'll be home on time. Try not to miss me too much." Lillian said as she grabbed her schoolbag from the couch. She opened the door, and I followed her to her car.

"Just text or call me with updates, and I won't miss you," I added for measure. I trotted back to the house and turned around. "Happy birthday. . .oreo."

"Happy birthday Lillian!" My friends cheered to me in homeroom.

"Thanks, everyone. Now you all know the plan my mom is paying for us to get pedicures and manicures at the spa, and then we are hitting up the mall. Then it's my house at nine for a sleepover. Marijuana and alcohol are not allowed. Danny, I'm talking to you." I scolded her. It was her fault my mom made the rule period after she brought weed and wine coolers to my house last spring.

"Omg, I thought you said your parents were leaving?" Danny grumbled.

"They are, but there's still my- ugh. Friend. My neighbors' daughter. She's there with us." I mumbled to the group.

Sasha, my closest friend, eyed me suspiciously, "Your neighbors' daughter? Aren't they like eight?" Sasha had long, brown legs and kept her hair in box braids most of the time. She dazzled the boys with her dance skills, and her sharp tongue kept the teachers on edge. She was like my second idol.

"No, they have an older daughter. It'll be fine. She's just their to-"

"Babysit." Danny laughed, her blonde hair rolling down her crimson shirt. Jade and Zoey laughed with her as I rolled my eyes.

If she knew how right she was, Danny would never let me live this down. A babysitter at my seventeenth sleepover. It was okay. I just had to entertain them for a night, and they would be gone tomorrow afternoon. I could just tell Mi'a to keep it on the DL that she was my sitter. "No, she's cool. She's nineteen. If anything, it'll be lit. She's there. She goes to Peachtree University too."

Zoey squealed, "Ooh, do you think she'll be cool if we brought our boyfriends? Is she going to have hers there?"

"Yeah, can we invite our boyfriends?" Danny dared me. She was always trying to make me prove myself. I was the captain of the softball squad, the one in ads when I was a baby, and the first to get a car. I was the leader of our squad, but Danny stayed trying to dethrone me. She was captain of the cheer squad and was equally competitive outside cheer practice.

"Maybe. I'll ask her." I finally said.

"It'll be cool if we can, Lil. Danny couldn't invite boys to her sleepover last year." Sasha pointed out, inking Danny.

"I was sixteen. We're turning seventeen now, and Lillian is the first to do so, so it's okay if we can't invite boys, but- ya know." Danny said with a shrug.

"No, what?" I growled.

"It just means not only are you a virgin, boyfriendless, but you're still just a baby to your parents. You might as well be a sophomore. It's a good thing I'm captain of the cheer squad now. Softball is more in line with you. As captain of cheer, you have to be a role model ya kno-"

I couldn't take anymore, "First things first, Danielle, I quit cheer, and your definition of a role model is basic as fuck. You lost your virginity to the quarterback freshman year. Basic. You're going to school to be a stay-at-home wife. Basic. You try to be as fly as me. Guess what? Basic." I said with all the sass I could muster. I shook my head, making my bangs fly. I stand up, dust my birthday outfit off and open the classroom door.

"Miss.Anderson, the bell has not rung." The teacher called.

Ding!!!!!

"It just did," I said, lifting my shoulders.