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Iris
"So," I start, spinning the straw in my vanilla milkshake.
Alyssa raises her eyebrows, gesturing me to continue. She is drinking her all-time favorite Mocha Boba from straw, happily and loudly.
Alyssa and I are at Ricky's Diner, the place we used to hang out in middle school. After school, I asked Victoria and Alyssa to meet me but Victoria couldn't because she had practice. Nevertheless, Alyssa agreed.
"Thomas asked me out."
I can hear the slurp stop as Alyssa's eyes widen, looking at me. Slowly, she leans away from the glass and saysâin the most dramatic way possible, "The fuck what?"
I repeat, "Thomas asked me out."
"That cockroach-sucking mothâ"
"Alyssa." I give her a look and glance around the diner where people are looking at us as if we're some crazy batch.
Little do they know that we probably are.
"âfucking bastard. How dare heâ?"
"Calm down, woman."
"Iris, gurl," Alyssa starts, holding up her hands. "I ain't gonna calm the fuck down after that set of information."
"For god's sake, please?" I plead.
"Fuck no."
"For me?"
She huffs out, mumbling a fine to me, as she crosses her legs and looks at me. "So, he asked you out. Tell me everything."
I tell her, "It started off with him asking about this Friday and I, very casually, said yeahâ"
Alyssa interrupts. "The match? Dude, you should have got by then that he was asking you out."
"But I didn'tâbecause I am dumb and an idiot." Alyssa nods, agreeing with me. After glaring at her, I continue, "And then he literally asked just directly that I want to go out with him or not, and then I asked why and he said he doesn't want to let me go again."
"What kind of bullshit is that." Alyssa scoffs. "Please, tell me you didn't fall for that."
"I just replied that I have class."
She looks at me, straight into the eye. "Yes, Iris, you have class."
"I don't know whether to kick you or hug you," I say, shaking my head.
"Love me, girl." She winks at me and both of us laugh, lightly easing up the tension in me. She asks, after, "You didn't tell any one of the boys yet?"
"Of course, I didn't," I huff out. "They will put me in a dungeon or something and say that they are trying to protect me."
"I know what Caleb would say." Alyssa clears her throat. She tries to say in a deep voice, "Iris, I am your brother. It is my responsibility to grab hold of all those motherfuckers who try to do anything with you and I will start with Noah."
"You know what he told me a few days back?" I say in the same tone, "You will date only when you get married."
I sigh, pushing back my hair. After taking a long sip of my milkshake, I grumble, "I don't know what to do."
"Just say noâwait a damn sec," Alyssa holds up a finger. "You are leaving a crucial piece of information."
I think about it. "I am pretty sure I told you everything."
She narrows her eyes and crosses her arms over her. "Oh, then tell me, from when are you and Thomas on talking termsâOh. Oh. You pursed your lipsâyou are hiding something!"
I huff out, "Okay, yeah. It happened on Saturday night..."
Alyssa Jones and her ability to catch liars will never cease to surprise me but of course, I should have known as we both binge watch Law and Order episodes every Thanksgiving.
I do tell her about that day. The more I tell her, the more her eyes widen. In between, I try to take a sip of my milkshake but the look Alyssa gives stops me as she gestures me to continue.
"So, ya, that's it." Finally, I drink my milkshake.
"That's it?" Alyssa gives me a look. "It is bloody obvious that Thomas came because he was jealous of Noah and your budding friendship. He is a liar."
"No," I disagree. "He came becauseâ"
"Ms. Cooper," She starts and I have to stop. "Your father is a doctor at the only hospital in the town. Also, I am pretty sure, if any accident would've taken place, my father aka the sheriff would have known and it would all over the news. Do I need to continue?"
Oh god.
Oh my god.
Alyssa is right.
If anything happened to anyone in this town, Mr. Jones and Dad are two of the first people to know about it. Dad definitely would've told me, regardless that Thomas is my ex and has been a touchy topic to me.
"But he saidâ" I try to defend but I don't have it in me to defend. I don't have that trust I had for Thomas anymore.
Alyssa puts her hand on mine. "Iris, he lied."
"I cannot believe I just fell for it again," I breathe out and rubbing my forehead. "Hâhe used his mother for lying. That'sâthat's so nuts."
"That shows how fucking desperate he is," Alyssa scoffs.
I hold my head in my hands. "He lied again and I just..."
Noah.
What if Noah has lied to me at some point and I never saw it? What if he lies to me and keeps on lying about it? What if... Noah lied to me about his dad, lied to me about everything he ever told me just to get close to me and ruin me all over again?
I want to believe that he won't do anything to me. But Thomas, who I know for over a year, lied to me. So, how can I be so sure Noah, who I met twenty-one days ago, not to do the same?
"Did you say something?"
Straightening up, I look at Alyssa. "No, nothing..." I reply to her.
She just looks at me and nods. "You know what? The imaginary jury decides that weâyou and Iâshould change Thomas's shampoo into the worst box dye possible."
I know she changed the topic. So, I play along and groan. "This is not a trial, Aly."
"No, it is worse than trial."
"Aly."
"Iris, let me be dramaticâmy dramatic flat ass will give you the best advice."
I look at her in disbelief. "Your ass ain't flat."
Alyssa gives me a dry look. "And your boâ"
"Don't."
***
After Alyssa drops me at home, I find Colt and Daisy with Yeti in the living room. I see there is a first aid kit but that is not what gets my attention.
"What happened?" I drop my bag to go towards Colt. He looks so distressed as his blonde hair is sticking in a different direction and his hands are bandaged.
"Iris," He groans as I hug him, tightly.
"What's wrong? Tell me," I say, looking at him. He rubs his forehead, looking down, and I look at Daisy.
"Victoria," She mouths to me and I look back at my best friend, wide-eyed.
"Colt," I say, looking at him, and he sighs.
"I hate that Sean Libers," He breathes out and I see the pulse in his veins pulsing fast.
"First, calm down. Breathe." He groans as Daisy tells him to do it. She gives him a stern look and he does.
After eight counts, he calms down and I sit across him, looking at him. He rubs his forehead, continuing, "Sean Libers said some shit about how I play with girl's feelings and leave them broken. How I... take them to date and give them hopes butâ"
"I going to beat theâ"
"I already have beaten the hell out of him." He shows me his knuckles. "See," He says, proudly, to me.
"Okay, guys, that is... all well and good but how is Victoria in all of this...?" Daisy says, looking at Colt.
I look at him too. "Yeah, how?"
"She heard it," He says, looking up at the ceiling.
Daisy and I look at each other for a second and give Colt a look, which he notices two seconds later. Puzzled, he looks at us.
"What?" Yeti barks at him and he looks at him. "Yeti...?"
"You are an idiot," Daisy and I say to him.
"Why?"
"She heard it but did she believe it?" I ask back.
"Exactly, did she?" Daisy says, shaking her head. "Many women I have met overthink a lotâone is right here."
I roll my eyes when she points her thumb towards me.
She continues, "Some even come to conclusions, quickly, and as far as my analysis of Victoria goes, she isn't like thatâshe believes what is in front of her."
"What do you... ¡soy un idiota!" He sighs and puts his head in his hands. "Shit. She doesn't believe the things but definitely has given a thought about it."
"And if she hasn't told you anything yet, that's because she is still thinking about it," I tell him.
"Fucking shit," He murmurs into his hand and looks up at us. "I did another thing."
"What now?" I ask him.
"Her father and I kind of had... a fight."
Twenty-five minutes and six seconds later, Colt and I are standing in front of the door of Victoria's home while Daisy and Yeti are in the car.
Colt had gone to talk to Victoria in an angry state but when he had reached, he remembered that she had her music classes today and wouldn't be home. Before he can go away, Victoria's dad opened the door and (like any concerned father) asked about Colt and his state of coming there. The reply he gave was so unacceptable that I don't want to say it. That led to something and it ends with Victoria's dad closing the door on his face and prohibiting him to meet his daughter, ever again.
Trust me, we are just thankful that no adult (we don't count Daisy as an adult) in our family knows about it because he would have been dead inside a coffin full of mice or cockroaches.
"Victoria won't be home, right now," He tells me as he shifts uncomfortably on the porch.
I roll my eyes, before replying, "We aren't here to meet her. We are here to meet her dadâactually, you are here to meet and apologize for your unacceptable behavior. I am just here toâ"
"Save me?" he gives a grin and I glare at him.
"Anger changes how humans think," I say, before ringing the doorbell.
"Coming!" We hear a man's voice before he opens the door. Smiling, he looks at me, first, "Iris."
"Hello, Mr. Mendes," I say, smiling.
Yes, I know Victoria's dad, ever since I had first dropped Victoria at her house. He is a man in his late forties and has a few grey strands in his light brown hair and a lovely pair of green eyes, just like Victoria. He is a professor in the community college and has expertise in cars and their functioning.
Mr. Mendes, now, looks at Colt and his face turns into a scowl. "What are you doing here?"
"Mr. Mendes, he, uh, is Colten Dias, my best friend and... well, you know, the one who came finding Victoria," I say before Colt can say anything at all.
"Colten Dias?" He looks at Colt from up and down. "Never thought the guy Victoria talks to so much would be some arrogant fighter."
Colt sighs, rubbing his neck, awkwardly. "Yes, sir, I am the guy and I am really sorry about what happened."
Mr. Mendes crosses his arms over his chest. "Oh, now, I am sir? What aboutâ"
"Mr. Mendes, I know whatever Colt did was wrong. Extremely wrong." I give Colt a glare to which he flinches a bit and I turn back to Mr. Mendes. "But it was driven out of anger and, trust me, Colt's not a bad guy."
"Iris, why are you saying those things when he should be the one to say them?" he says, looking directly at Colt.
Colt breathes out and I see his confidence slowly building up as he replies, "Sir, can we talk inside?"
I hold his hand. "What are youâ?"
I am cut off by Mr. Mendes who says, "You coming alone, or are you getting your lawyer with you, too?"
Colt looks at me and says, "Go to the car. I'll be alright." Then, he looks at Mr. Mendes's stern expression. "... I guess."
"Butâ"
"Iris, I let you fight your battles alone sometimes, right? I am trusting you to let me fight this battle of mine alone," He says, earnestly.
I sigh, nodding. "Come back... soon?"
Mr. Mendes goes inside but not before saying, "Just know that I'm licensed to carry."
Gaping, Colt looks at Mr. Mendes's retreating figure as he so casually says that he has a gun. Panicked, Colt gulps before looking at me. "Pray that I come back alive."
Suppressing my laughter, I nod. "Yeah. We, all, will."
Ignoring his eye roll, I back away, giving him a thumbs-up, and enter the car. Yeti woofs at me, from the back seat, while Daisy looks at Colt and then, at me.
"So, he did decide to grow some pussy and talk to the dad, himself," Daisy states as Colt enters the house, closing the door, behind him.
"Yup and, apparently, Mr. Mendes has a gun," I tell her and she looks at me, amused, before bursting out in laughter. I look at her in confusion.
Yeti woofs and I pet him as he looks at me in confusion, too.
She starts the car and looks at me, "Let's roam around the town till he comes back."
"Oh-kay. Why did you laugh?" I ask her, seeing her amused expression on her face.
She grins and tells me, "Dad told Percy that his aim is to cure people but, if Percy does anything, he might have to change that."
"Really?" I say, laughing, too. "I thought Dad wasn't like that."
"He isn't but, I guess, he thought that I was keeping the relationship a secret because Percy told me to or something."
"Wait a damn minute, you told them?" I ask her. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I had told them the day Percy and I made it official. Mom and Dad just grinned at each other and then, looked at me, saying, 'we are happy for you but we need to call him for dinner when we are there.' Oh! That reminds me."
She looks at me, uncertain. "What now?" I ask, looking at her.
"Eli called us to join them for dinner," She states and looks at the road.
"Eli?" I ask her, confused.
"Elliot Radcliffe, Percy's Dad. He has invited us for dinner this Wednesday."
"Us?"
"You and I. Oh, that reminds have you heardâ"
"But why me?" I ask her, interrupting her One Direction thoughts. "You are the girlfriend."
She rolls her eyes. "Iris Cooper, I wasn't going to leave you alone at home, and also, they want you to come too."
"They?"
"The adult Radcliffes."
"Oh." I look at Yeti, who is looking out of the closed window, sticking his tongue out. "What about Yeti? Someone has toâ"
"He will be at Colt's. Won't you, boy?" She coos at Yeti and he woofs back, agreeing.
"You knew that, Yeti?" I swear the dog gives a smug expression and I groan out. "But I don't know anything about them. You didn't know Noah and Percy were like brothers when you both talked that day."
"So, we will know more after the dinner," She replies. "Also, I didn't know that the guy Mom told me about was Noah Radcliffe. I thought he was some other Noah because I had seen him in pictures then and he definitely didn't look like he had then. He... changed a lot."
Before I can even ask her anything, she grins at me. "Let me tell you the basic details of the Radcliffe family as much as I know."
And, then, she tells me.
Noah's dad (she doesn't remember his name) runs the family business that had been started by their grandfather. Mrs. Radcliffe, Noah's mom, was a painter and, now, has her own bridal fashion line. Percy's dad is the head of a renowned publishing house and Percy's mom used to be his secretary, that's how they met.
Noah's dad and Elliot are pretty close to each other so they decided to stay together here as they wanted to grow up their businesses well from the west and thus, they came here seven years ago.
Before she can continue, my phone rings up with God is a Woman by Ariana Grande and I know it's Victoria. Daisy looks at me before I pick up Victoria's call.
"What is Colt doing here?" She asks me in a very low voice.
"You will know and, probably, kill Colt, before Mr. Mendes himself kills him."
"Ha. Ha. So funny that my throat almost dried out," Victoria replies, sarcastically, and I roll my eyes. "Really, Iris, tell me."
"Colt will tell you, Vic, really."
"Ugh. I hate curiosity."
"The feeling is very much mutual," I reply to her and I hear some laughing in the background. "Uh, Vic?"
"Colt's staying for dinner," She says but seems like a question.
"You are... not sure?"
There is some more laughter and I think one of the laughs is of Colt. "I am talking to Iris. So, are... youâ"
"Yes, tell Iris that her client will be staying over for dinner," I hear Mr. Mendes say to his daughter. "Tell her she was right."
"Uh, Iris?"
"I heard that, Vic. Okay, I will tell his mom." I tell Victoria and Daisy gives me a puzzled look.
"Okay, see you tomorrow, then?" Victoria's voice still shows a sign of confusion and I let out a laugh.
"Chill, Vic. You will know soon. Bye, see you soon." We bid our byes and end the call. I look over at Daisy. "He will be staying for dinner there."
"How much time did he take?" Daisy asks me, turning towards a left.
"Forty-five minutes and fifty-six seconds," I tell her, laughing.
"I hope Colt proposes Victoria soon," Daisy says, laughing back.
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- a u t h o r ' s n o t e -
soooooo... sup, people? i have such a boring and single life which includes studies, binge-watching, and listening to songs. i need a gang but i guess, my baby iris is fulfilling the dream ð¥º
my binge-watching update: completed the originals and right now, watching legacies season 3 (i love love landon)