your family better not be crazy. 

i showered and blow dried my hair. 

what do i even wear? 

Alex's fingers were quick to send Kandi three separate, and anxious, messages. She knew she could've gone to Cadenza for advice on what to wear, but Alex wanted the information from the primary source. 

clothes 

Alex's eyes narrow at the one worded response. Kandi must've thought she was hilarious on the other side of her screen. This was weird. You don't just get invited to dinner. You especially don't get invited to dinner because you managed to become a conversation topic on the first day of school. 

fuck you 

no thank you 

The three dots on the bottom of Alex's screen were hopeful. 

you're overthinking this anyway. look however you want. just not homeless or in a ballgown.

Alex decided the three dots on the bottom of the screen were traitors. 

lovely. thanks for the advice 

anytime

garroth said he's leaving in thirty minutes to come get you. i'll come with so he isn't a creep again. 

She sent a thumbs up in response. She really wanted to send two thumbs down, but that would've looked bad. Now she has thirty minutes to get ready, and Alex suddenly hates everything in her closet. 

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Cadenza fixed Alex's issue by choosing her outfit herself. It was simple but what Cadenza considered to be elegant. Alex wasn't aware she owned anything like that. 

we're in your driveway 

Nerves flip inside of her stomach. She clutches tighter onto her phone at the pop up notification. Even from the other side of the screen, Cadenza knew what was going on. She was quick to end the call after dismissing her sister in a final comment. “You should get going. Call me when you're back and tell me what happened.” 

Alex stops when she opens her front door. Garroth was standing next to the passenger side door, ready to open it for her. She turns on her heel, ready to go back inside. 

“Where are you going?” Garroth asks. 

“To get my scarf and gloves. I wasn't aware we were in the ‘50s.” 

A shade of pink coats Garroth's cheek. It was evident he was embarrassed. “I happen to like my car,” he tells her, looking her over for a second. She had been retreating from her actions, walking towards him. Garroth opens the door for her. “She's vintage.” 

“Glad to see chivalry isn't completely dead yet.” 

“Are you two done flirting? I'm starting to get hungry.” The dark haired female in the backseat makes her presence known. 

The blonde turns back to look at Kandi, flashing her a grin. “You're always hungry.” 

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“How crazy is your family?” 

Garroth can't help but to stifle a short laugh. Embarrassed, he turns it into a cough. Alex turns to him with a locked eyebrow, confused. She didn't feel confident in that response. 

“On a scale of one to ten?” Kandi says, looking for assurance from Alex. When she blonde nods her head, Kandi reaches for the doorknob. “Fifteen.” 

If eyes could pop out of someone's head, Alex's would've fallen out. That wasn't something Kandi should've told her as she opened the door to her house. Alex was anxious to say the least. 

“Lovely.” 

With the image Kandi planted in Alex's head, she expected chaos behind the closed doors. So when it appeared relatively normal and calm, she was shocked. She feels a soft touch on her back, warm fingers ever so slightly grazing the fabric. 

“My sister exaggerates. The worst in the family is Zane. He's rather pessimistic,” Garroth says, offering a soft smile. He glances towards his sister, gesturing to the kitchen with a flick of his head. Alex eyes him cautiously, questioning if he was getting ready to kill her. “Up for a tour? It'll kill some time before dinner.” 

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

If it was even possible, the house was larger on the inside than it looked from the outside. It was far more modern than her old home in Meteli, but that's expected from an old farmhouse. She still missed that house, but Phoenix Drop wasn't that bad. 

Zianna was as kind as her children made her out to be. She insisted on being called by her name despite Alex's protests of insisting she used Mrs. Ro'meave instead. She made the table lively. 

Garte intimidated her. Alex felt the need to shrink in her chair as his interrogating eyes would flick her way. She felt foolish feeling the way she did, but he radiated power that made her nervous. He was a man of business. Of course he would ooze off power. 

“The twins tell me you moved here in early June. How did you find your way onto the cheer team?” 

Alex's eyes quickly dart up to Zianna, delicately patting her lips against a napkin. 

“Late tryouts. It took a lot of convincing, and quick learning, but they offered me a tryout. The rest is history.” 

Zianna hums in response, finding it to be pleasing. She always enjoyed when good happened to people. Alex hadn't been an exception. 

“And you said you're from Meteli? What made you want to move here?” 

“Garte, this isn't an interrogation.” 

“It's just a question, Zianna.” 

“My father was offered a high position at his work,” Alex says. “The move was more convenient.” 

“You certainly left a mark on my children,” Zianna tells her, placing her silverware down. 

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The rest of the dinner went by quickly. Alex didn't linger long afterwards. It had been a school night, and she still had some homework left to do. She had already called Cadenza, but even Cadenza had work she needed to get done. 

She was brushing through her hair when her phone pinged on her vanity. 

sorry about my family. they really like you though. hope they didn't scare you away too much. 

your mom's sweet. your dad's intimidating.

you're telling me. he's just putting up that tough guy act. he's not around much anyway. 

Alex didn't know how to respond. Her eyes scan over the text again, trying to think of some form of response. She didn't like leaving people on read messages. 

Dots appeared again.  

garroth says hi. 

That was enough for her mood to lift.