Perfect! I thought after ten minutes of consulting my reflection in the mirror. My green off the shoulders blouse matched with my black, ripped at the knee, jeggings. I left my hair free, twisted from both sides so both strands met at the center, creating a wavy effect. Pulling my across the body purse over my head, I decided I was set and skipped down the stairs.

Amara had invited me to a barbecue at her house today and convinced me that I had to come, because it was the best hangout of the year. Kyle had agreed to let me go when I told him it was at Amara's house, having not realized that she was part of the gang. Colin let me use his car, since he was too lazy to get out of his pajamas to drop me, so it all worked out perfectly.

Pulling up into Amara's driveway, I shut off my phone, where I had the GPS to the address Amara had sent me directing me.

"Come in!" I was greeted with a warm smile once I rang the doorbell from a woman with long brown hair, similar to Amara's. Her mother, I recalled the picture Amara had shown me.

"Hi! Nice to meet you!" I smiled politely.

"You too hun, come inside!" I entered through the doorway to see a cozy looking living room, with a fireplace near the corner and a couch, lined against the wall. The entire gang was sitting on the rug and all turned towards me when I entered, waving with smiles on their faces, before turning back to Kayla.

"Amara for sure," Kayla stated.

"Wait what about me?!" Brook exclaimed.

"If I don't choose her, she won't give me grapes."

"You and your obsession with grapes."

"We're playing truth or dare," Ashton informed me, noticing my questioning glance. Ah, that makes more sense.

"My turn, this is for Adrien," Preston shot a mischievous smile as everyone turned their heads to face Adrien and Preston. "Who do you like?" Adrien's face turned bright red as he looked down at his hands. I felt an immediate pang of jealousy that Adrien liked someone but pushed it away quickly. Why do I care who Adrien likes?

"Who, who, who?" Jayden sang along.

"Fine, I'll be nice. At least tell us if she's in this room," that caught everyone's attention and even Amara who was looking down at her phone, eyed Adrien.

"Yes," he muttered under his breath quietly. Then, in a louder voice, he cleared his throat, "My turn, truth or dare Preston."

"Dare, I know what you were going to ask if I chose Truth," he waggled his eyebrow suspiciously, leaving the rest of us in the dark.

"Fine, go tell Mrs. Baker," he paused for dramatic effect, "that you don't want barbecue."

"No! But I love her barbecue!"

"You chose dare, didn't you?"

"I hate you! Fine," he marched out of the living room and into another room, that I guessed was the kitchen from the clanking pots. We all strained to listen to their conversation but heard nothing more than a murmur. He marched back after two minutes and exclaimed proudly, "done!"

"Are you sure you did it?"

"As offended as I am that you don't trust me, you can even go ask Mrs. Baker," he huffed. "Now my turn. I choose... Autumn! Truth or dare?"

Everyone's eyes turned to look at me and I looked down at the attention. But before I could answer, Mrs. Baker walked into the room, holding a spatula in her hand. "Lunch is ready!" she exclaimed and truth or dare was forgotten about as everyone stampeded into the kitchen. Amara pushed open a sliding glass door and stood back, giving way for everyone to enter the backyard through the door. I thanked her, before stepping cautiously through the door on the wet grass.

There were ten foldable white chairs set out forming a circle in the corner of the backyard and a grill, near the center. A man wearing an apron, who I assumed was Mr. Baker, stepped out behind us holding a plastic ziplock and stepped behind the grill.

"Hey gang!" he turned towards us. "Ready for the final barbecue till next year?"

"Yes!" everyone shouted back in reply, clapping and hollering.

"And I see we have a new comer?" He looked at me with a warm smile, a dad smile, one that I had never seen often because my dad hates me apparently.

Pushing all those thoughts out of my mind, I smiled shyly before introducing myself. "Hi nice to meet you Mr. Baker. I'm Autumn."

"Hi Autumn! Please call me Jay!" I nod politely.

Mrs. Baker steps out from the kitchen and distributes us all paper plates and napkins underneath them, before handing out forks. She then gets an aluminum tray with grilled corn and places one in each of our plates using clippers. We all recite 'thank you' as she places them on our plates.

"My favorite! Thank you Mrs. Baker!" Preston exclaims.

"What happened to not wanting barbecue?" Mrs. Baker asks and we all laugh.

My phone blasts its ringing tone and I take it out of my purse, reading the caller ID as not scary cop, and immediately know it's Kyle.

"Put in on speaker, I want to hear my favorite officer's voice," Adrien commands and I roll my eyes towards him, but obey.

"Frick, Autumn," I freeze at the worried tone in his voice. "You need to come home, their back."

"Who's back, what happened?"

"Mom and dad," my eyes harden immediately as dad's text replays in my head.

"I'll be there," my voice cracks and I feel myself about to cry. Ending the call, I look up to see everyone, including Mr. and Mrs. Baker staring at me. "I- I need to go," I say, stammering before running in through the sliding glass door and out of the house through the front door. The tears start to fall the minute I get into the car and my vision blurs as I stick the key into the ignition. 

a/n: and here's our best friend cliff hanger who's back! one of my favorite chapters in this book stay tuned! have a great great weekend.

 written with lots of love ;)