East Kids - Tessa & Elijah

Chapter 15

Tessa

"Tessa, they're here," my mother announces so happily that I can already imagine that she's smiling like a monkey on drugs. Although I growl a bit, I don't lift my gaze from the mobile phone in my hands.

About half an hour ago Jil called me and told me in tears that everyone would hate her. During this phone call I hardly had a chance to speak and I didn't really understand what she was talking about. That's exactly what I'm trying to find out now. However, Jil is not answering any of my questions right now, which almost makes me lose my mind. She really sounded finished and I'm really worried about her. I would love to just storm out of the restaurant, call a taxi and drive to her. She's the only thing I can think about right now. If she would just finally tell me what she seems so afraid of, I could take her away. But right now it's my mother's turn.

When I don't answer her, she simply takes my mobile away: "Mom, that's not fair. I really need my cell phone." She reacts by letting her right eyebrow rise. "Please, you don't understand," I try to make her understand the importance of my actions: "It's a matter of life and death." "Tessa", she begins with a sharp tone, which makes me appear much smaller in comparison to her: "You always say that and in the end it's all about the next shopping tour with Thalia". "But this time it's really important," I insist. "When we get back home, you can be stubborn, but not now," she warns me: "It's really important for me to make a good impression and for that you have to play along. "Why should I," I hiss angrily. "Because otherwise you won't get your cell phone back," she says, making my smartphone disappear into her right coat pocket.

I'd like to say something in return, tell her that I'm not going to let it be that easy with me, but the sight of the boy next to Cole upsets me completely. I can feel the jaw falling down right down the chin. Oh my God! I really have to muster all my restraint not to swear out loud.

Elijah Baxter is standing there next to my mother's new boyfriend. Long hated classmate, most popular boy of the school and Womanizer. He's wearing a shirt - I never would have guessed he owned anything like that - and black jeans that look much more like something he'd wear. But today it doesn't sit so deep that you think it's going to slip off his hips at any moment. Instead he even wears a black leather belt. Even his dark hair doesn't fall into his eyes today for a change. Instead he seems to have combed it back somehow. This new look almost makes him look like a new person. But I know for a fact that he would never change his innermost being so drastically. He likes himself way too much for that.

Shortly my gaze wanders to Cole, who stares at my mother as happily as she does at him. The facial expressions of her children both seem to be completely hidden or just ignored.

Only when I look at Cole do I realize why I never thought that this could be his son. In contrast to Elijah his hair is much lighter and also in the eye colour both are completely different. Cole's eyes are bright blue and gentle, while his son's are green and insincere. Apparently Elijah is more like his mother.

"M-Mom, I am sick," is the only thing I am able to bring out. She stares at me briefly, but has no more time to say anything, because just at this moment both of them come over to us together. Although if you look closely, you might think that Cole is dragging his son with him. He just stood there and stared at me.

Cole gives me a strange smile, which only makes me feel like a toddler who is trying to be taught that his favourite cuddly toy has unfortunately disappeared in the laundry. "It's nice that you also came," he says friendly: "Then you'll also have the opportunity to get to know each other."

For the love of my mom, I put on a smile and nod. But I can't say anything, because then I would surely explain to him in a not very distinguished way that I had the pleasure to meet Elijah and wouldn't like to repeat it.

But if I did, my mother would never speak to me again as soon as we got in the car. That's why I prefer to hold back and just nod.

"Elijah, this is Tessa," he introduces me to his son when he realizes that I have no intention of saying anything: "And Tessa, this is my son Elijah." "Unfortunately, I already know that, Dad," it comes immediately from him.

Reflexively I send him a look of death. He doesn't seem to have any intention of behaving well for his father, which makes me hate him even more.

I can't say that I'm happy that he is Cole's son, but that can't be changed anymore. But you can't choose your children either.

"Oh, that's right. You go to the same school," both parents remember at the same time. "Yes, we go to a class, my mood sinks into the cellar.

Didn't I say that I would support my mother? At the moment this decision is about to sink like the Titanic. Because if I have to spend another minute with this unbearable boy, I'll probably go crazy. While I'm really trying to pull myself together for my mother, Elijah is really pushing me to my limits. How does anyone manage to bear his presence without running out of the room screaming! When he becomes my stepbrother at some point, I move out.