Almost Always You

Chapter 17

It was Sunday, and my stay at Xander’s house was over. I got ready in the morning and made my way downstairs with my bag. Breakfast was served. I ate a little cereal with milk and nothing else. Mrs. Matthews insisted I eat something else, but I refused politely. Xander was nowhere to be seen.

After breakfast Marie and Mrs. Matthews cleared the table. I was about to go and see if Xander was ready when he came downstairs with bed hair.

“You aren’t ready yet?”

“Good morning to you too. Why are you up so early?”

“Early? It’s almost eleven. How long will it take for you to get ready?”

“We will leave after lunch. What’s the rush?”

“I’m meeting Peter for lunch. I promised him. If you can’t come, it’s alright. I’ll take a cab.”

“No. You don’t even know where you are. Just give me twenty minutes. I’ll be ready, and then we can go.”

“Okay.”

Xander went upstairs. He came down a little while later looking hot. His wet hair sticking to his forehead. He was wearing a white t-shirt and black jeans. I was eyeing him up and down. He smiled and winked at me.

“Just let me have my breakfast, and then we can leave.” I nodded.

Emma came up to me and asked, “You are leaving?”

“Yes, dear.”

“Are you going back to a castle?”

“Yeah, not yet.”

“Why not?”

“I’m here to study. My castle is back in America.”

“You are a princess; then why do you have to study?”

“Princesses also have to study so that when they become queen, they can rule and make decisions without any mistakes.”

“So, I have to study to be a princess?”

“Yes, dear. You should study so that you can help everyone in need,” I said with a smile.

“Okay,” she said, giving me a cute smile and hugging me. I love this kid. Xander came back, and we were ready to go. Everyone came with us to the front door.

“Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, for this lovely weekend. I loved my stay here. I wish I could stay here forever.”

“Ella, honey, I was so happy to see you. You know you can come here whenever you want. “Just give me a call, and I will send a car,” she said. She took my phone and typed her number.

“You know I’m your child, right?” asked Xander.

“Yes, honey. But Ella is away from her family, and she needs someone here. I love you both, okay?”

“That’s good,” said Xander. “And you don’t have to send a car; I can bring her here anytime she wants.”

“Oh, please, you came home after a month. We don’t expect you to see for another. I’ve told you to stay here, but you have to stay at that frat house,” said Mr. Matthews.

“Dad, please don’t start,” Xander said and walked towards his car.

I said goodbye to everyone and followed him, but Mrs. Matthews called me. I turned around and saw her coming towards me with a Tupperware.

“I forgot to give you this. I baked some cookies for you. Just so you don’t miss home. And forget everything Skylar said; you are very beautiful.” She gave me a hug.

I was about to cry, maybe because I could never miss my family. We never cared for each other or maybe because I’m going to miss Mrs. Matthews’ love.

And what Skylar said really triggered my mind. It's not that easy to forget. I just hugged her back without saying anything. I got in the car, and Xander started driving.

“Are you alright? “You seem quite—” he asked. I gave him a fake smile.

“Yes.”

“Are you sure? Why are you lying?”

“Okay. I just feel sad that I’m leaving. I never felt bad leaving my home. I was happy, but after the way your family treated me, I wanted to stay forever. I know that’s not possible unless you have a secret brother whom I can marry,” I said, laughing.

Xander rolled his eyes and said, “You don’t have to get married in order to stay at my house. My parents love you more than they love me, and that’s super clear. My sister is crazy about you; after all, she thinks you are a princess. You can visit them anytime you want; just let me know and I’ll take you home,” he said. I stayed silent. My mind was going back to what Skylar said about me gaining weight. I know the way she said it was not right, but what she said was true. I can’t gain any more weight.

“So, when do you want to continue our assignment?’ Xander asked. “We only have one week, and we haven’t even finished half of it. El. I seriously want to pass this class.”

“Okay. How about you come to my room by three? I’ll be back then.”

“But we met at your place last time. This time you come at the frat house.”

“All right, stop whining like a child. I’ll be there by three; you better be prepared.”

“Oh, I will,” he said, smirking.

I know what he’s thinking, but I can’t do anything physical until I lose weight; otherwise, he will always think about me being fat and will make fun of me.

Xander dropped me at my dorm. I went into my room. Mercy wasn’t there. She might be at the frat house with Josh. I placed my bag and went to the bathroom. I threw up everything I ate at breakfast. I know it was just cereal and milk, but I couldn’t risk it. I cleaned myself and got by into my room. I scrolled through my phone and decided to call Mom. It was almost seven there; she would be up by now.

“Hey, Mom! How are you?”

“Ella Jones, I thought you forgot you had a mother. You called last week, and then nothing. I hope you are not skipping class with your friends, eating junk food, and gaining weight.” Yup, that’s my mom. I'm not worried about my mental health but my physical health. “No, Mom. I’m not gaining weight. I’m following the diet chart that you gave me.”

“Good. Now tell me, how’s class?”

“It’s going great, and I joined the cheer team.”

“That’s great. It’ll help you to stay in shape.” She always talks about my weight and nothing else.

“How is Dad?” I asked to change the topic.

“He is great. Out of town for business. James is calling. I’ll talk to you later.” She hung up the call. It’s always James. She never even asked me how I am doing. She doesn’t care. I decided to listen to some music to distract my mind, and it worked.

Soon it was lunchtime. Peter texted me saying he’s outside my dorm. I was already dressed, so I just redid my makeup. I went outside and saw him talking to some guy. He said goodbye when he saw me.

“Who was that?” I asked.

“Just one of my hookups,” he said, grinning, and I just rolled my eyes.