© 2016 Shay Spencer. All rights reserved.

Something Real

[ Chapter 1 ] The Mother of All Bad Days

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Most people could handle a quick phone call with their mother. Quintessentially, I was not one of those people.

"I expect a lot from you." Her voice echoed through my poorly furnished apartment, even through the phone.

My mother was one of those people that knew to push all the right buttons when she needed to. Angel Blaine had never failed, and never would. Even after I had moved out almost three years prior, she still had a hold on me.

"I know, mom," I muttered.

"I'm being serious, sweetheart," she coddled. I rolled my eyes as I pushed my tablet across the dark grey kitchen counter. She knew how much I hated that word.

"So am I," I huffed. My words came out forced, and she knew.

"Scarlett!" She shrieked, the sound inadvertently making me pull the phone away.

My ears were still ringing when I moved to place the phone next to my ear once again. "Mom." I sighed, absentmindedly brushing my long blonde hair out with my fingers. "Everything is fine. I'm as serious as I've ever been."

"Well you're visiting, aren't you?" She asked again, indicating just how impatient she was.

I could feel my eyebrows knitting together. For the life of me, I had no clue what she was talking about. But to be honest, I hadn't been paying attention. "For what?"

"Ugh," she groaned. "To meet your step dad and brothers! They've been dying to meet you!"

"Future, step dad and step brothers, mom." I corrected without skipping a beat. "You guys haven't gotten married yet."

"But we will!" The mere sound of her voice sent a shiver down my spine. I could never say the right thing. Not with her, anyways.

College had been a breeze for the last three years, and it had gotten me away from her. I had an all new life, one that was completely my own. Yeah, maybe my living space and grades weren't the best, but it was mine.

During my time away, however, my mother had passed the time by finding a new man.

How their story went, I couldn't remember. The portion of how they met, had something to do with the fruit section at the grocery story. I'm sure my mother was reaching for a pineapple, she loves those, and knocked it over. Her fiancé must have picked it up for her. Which I'm sure, was adorable. To her, anyways.

"Hayden said he sent you a friend request on Facebook," my mother trailed on.

Hayden Pennington, my illustrious and soon to be step brother. He was the younger of the two, both of which I hadn't met yet. He had apparently been trying to make an effort with me, but I couldn't have cared less. I didn't need a brother, let alone two.

"Do you want me to give you his number? I think I wrote it down," she suggested. I could hear her pen scratching against something in the background. For as long as I could remember, my mother wrote things down on tables. Which, was a horrible habit considering we always rented furniture.

"Stop writing on the table," I ordered. I could make out a short line of cuss words before the pen was slammed down against the table. "But I never got a request from Hayden, and I don't need his number."

"Well, he said he sent you one. Jay's been too busy with football tryouts. But Jay's so excited to have a sister, Scarlett. You should see him." My mother mused happily. She was more than ecstatic that one of her new sons had athletic tendencies. She finally had a kid to be proud of.

"What does Hayden do again?" I sighed. I honestly couldn't keep up with the family.

Jay Pennington, the oldest brother, was a football star trying to go pro. He'd been playing football since he could walk. Jay had been 'practicing' on his college team for the last four years, and he finally felt ready to try and go pro. Now that they were here in California, anyways.

Then there was Elias Pennington, my future father, who was partner at some major law firm in town. Before the family had moved here a year ago, he'd been the number one lawyer in Pennsylvania. After the move, he'd transferred to the best law firm in town. I think my mother said he was on the city council here, too. For what reason, I wouldn't know. But it only enhanced his résumé, I'm sure.

Finally, there was Hayden. His drive in life was currently a mystery.

"He's a student like you. He's actually your age, honey. He was attending U-Pen before they moved here. I think he's taking a year off," she quickly brushed the topic aside.

"Well what is he doing for the summer?" I laughed snidely. From what I could tell, I wasn't going to get along with my future family. The father seemed far too uptight, the older brother was a lunkhead jock, and the younger brother was probably going to end up a college drop out.

"I don't know, you'll have to ask him. You're coming home this weekend?" She insinuated once more.

"Sure, fine. Whatever," I shot back. I hadn't been planning on a visit home, but my mother had made it practically impossible for me to say no. I would have to meet the future family at some time. It'd be best if I would through with it before the wedding, too.

"Well, we'll be moving into the Pennington house on Saturday. They're letting you have your own room up there, for when you come home for the holidays," my mother explained.

"Why are you moving in with them? Our house is fine."

"It just makes more sense!" She announced hastily. "You'll love their house, Scarlett! It's absolutely breathtaking."

"I wouldn't have expected less from the Pennington's." I could hear another call coming in. I was positive the person on the other line would be much more entertaining than my mother. "I'll see you then, mom."

"Wait! Honey, we need to talk about your grades from this last semester-"

I bit hard into my lower lip as I cut off the phone call. I didn't need to explain myself, or my schoolwork, to my mother anymore. I was an adult, I could handle myself.

Plus, no one had graded my finals yet. I didn't even know how I did.

I took in a deep breath before answering the next phone call. "Scarlett Blaine," I mused.

"You're late," the voice rasped from the other side of the phone.

"Late for what?" I questioned. "I don't have anything scheduled for today-"

"You're late, on your rent!" There was a slight gasping sound after his words spilled out. I could feel myself cringing at the single sentence. "This is the third month in a row, missy."

"I know, Mr. Garrett. I lost my job a few months ago, and then I had to study for finals. I just lost track of time." I said, tossing out excuse after excuse. Truth be told, though, I had lost my job. It's hard to pay for a place when you have no money.

"Well at this rate, you're about to lose more than time." He cackled.

"What?"

"Your apartment!" He hissed. "I want you out by the end of the week!" Those were his final words before the line went dead. I could feel my heart beating a mile a minute as the conversation played over on a loop in my head.

Out by the end of the week? How on earth would I be able to find a new place by the end of the week?

I felt shaky as I set my phone down on the countertop next to the tablet. My small, correction, Mr. Garrett's small studio apartment, was a dumpster. It was barely the size of my room back home. There was barely room for my bed that rested in the corner. There was also a small bug infested couch had come with the place. The old brown scratchy couch that Mr. Garrett had insisted I keep was now pushed up against the far wall. I didn't dare go anywhere near it.

The bathroom was hardly mentionable. It was cramped into the back corner on my right. It was mere feet from the kitchen, and that was a mess, too. Stains were covering the walls, and the cabinets didn't even have doors. The stove barely worked, and the fridge had broken months ago. I had to buy a cooler this last summer because of that.

A window on the wall facing the street was the only light this place had. You could look out around Christmas time and see the lights adorning the shops below. The place rested above a small dinner on main street that was due to go out of business any time now. This apartment smelled of French fries and regret, for all I was concerned.

But despite all the facts riding against the place, it was my home. This was the apartment I had been living in since I left my mother's. I wasn't ready to give it up, and even if I was, where would I go?

My heart sank into my stomach as one thought raced across my mind. I could only think of one person who would take me in, and ask a million questions while doing so.

I would have to stay with my overbearing mother for the summer. That thought only got better as I remembered the Pennington's and their huge house. I guess that's where I'd be staying. With my mother and new family...

This should be fun.

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Keep reading! Chapter two is up next!
Vote/comment and tell me what you think!

~Shay Spencer