Dedicated to Taruey. Thanks for the follow!

THURSDAY

"Winter, could you and your pretty friend help me set up the tables?" A light-skinned woman with black hair in a ponytail requested. Smiling at Lauren's friend, I faced Winter who pocketed his phone.

"We'll be glad to help out, Anna."

We walked silently to the woman's saloon car parked close to the underground garage. It was a little sloppy walking down there and up again.

"Anna and mom have been friends since elementary school, but Anna's parents moved to Norway after the death of her elder brother." Winter explained, unlocking the boot and handing me a white table cloth.

"How unfortunate, her brother's death I mean." I briefly looked at the two women playfully arguing about whatever.

"Yes. They've both been through tough times too. Before mom married dad, Anna was romantically interested in him.'

I snickered. Winter's dad was handsome and he had a lot of money. The kind of thing to send the ladies begging for his attention. But that Winter's mom told him all this was surprising. Mom never discussed any thing regarding her marriages to me.

"Your mom told you this?"

"She did and a lot more other cringey stories-" We walked to where the others were standing on the open field. "So, because of that, they had a little misunderstanding but that got worked out."

"Does she have kids?" I asked, watching my friend erect the table.

"Yes. Geraldine is Willow's best friend. She comes over almost every weekend since dad really doesn't allow our friends in on weekdays."

"Except us."

Winter nodded. "You guys aren't as noisy as Walter and Wendy's friends."

Mr Lionheart hated noisy environments. My parents, Cole's and Summer's did not really mind our yells and playful fights but Winter's dad did. Therefore we had to be extra quiet in his house which we rarely went to.

My house was the open refuge for all my friends because mom and Sven were rarely at home, giving us time to do whatever we wanted.

Anna approached us with a bulky carton. "We should start unpacking the good stuff." She dropped the carton on the table, smiling at the two of us. "Don't take any for yourself."

Winter rubbed his hands together in pleasure when the scent of confectionaries waded in the air. "I'm making no such promises."

"Of course you are." Winter's dad showed up and trapped him in an affectionate headlock.

"Dad!" Winter groaned, embarrassed by the public display of fatherly affection.

Laughing, I captured a photo with my phone and Anna teased Winter before going back into her house. A cheerful Lauren came and pulled them apart.

"Boys behave." She warned, feigning seriousness.

Mr Lionsheart chuckled, rolling up the sleeves of his blue button down shirt. "I'm a man, baby, a full-grown man." He gestured at his muscles, inciting more laughter from me and Winter, and an eye roll from Lauren.

"You're all talk and no show."

Mr Lionheart responded by scooping his wife up in his arms and spinning her around. She squealed in terror, slapping her husband's chest.

"Put me down!!!"

Anna came outside holding pairs of transparent plastic gloves to handle the cakes. She shook her head at the scene and silently offered me and Winter two pairs out of the four.

"I'm going to show you who a man is. Wait till we get home."

Winters and I looked at each other and gagged.

"Okay, we get it. But could you take your action somewhere else." Winter pleaded, dramatically clasping his hands together for emphasis.

Lauren giggled when her husband released her.

"Where's Anna?" Mr Lionheart asked.

"Right here!" She sang in her posh little voice, still strolling out through the front doors of her house with a grumpy and scrawny teenager whose disinterested gaze singled us out.

With horn-rimmed glasses perched on her nose and the bird's nest of a hair, sticking out in a frizzy black mess, she looked like she's been run over by a truck over and over again.

Her yellow shirt was worn inside out and a leg of her blue cotton pajamas was hiked up at her knees.

Did she escape from a madhouse?

Anna noticed my concerned state and chuckled. "Aurora, may I present to you, my graceful daughter, Geraldine. Geraldine, meet Aurora, Winter's friend."

Geraldine's eyes ran up and down my figure before her lips tilted up in a half-smile. Winter stole her focus by touching her hair.

"You've really outdone yourself today, Aldy."

She sighed, a more welcoming smile appearing. "It's a bad morning for me. I thought mother would get my message and leave me alone."

"Did you hurl another vase at the wall?" Winter asked.

Sorrowful, Geraldine nodded. "I'll have to work to replace it somehow. Aurora, I'm glad to put a face to the name finally... Are you always this quiet? I've been watching you from my window and besides Winter, all you do is sit and mope like someone killed your dog, if you have one."

"I just like being quiet, sometimes." I told her.

Geraldine struck Winter's arm out of annoyance at something known to only the both of them. "No offence, can you sit in a quiet corner or something? I'll like to have a friendly chat with Winter." Her voice came out respectful, meaning I didn't have to throw the unpleasant words hanging on my lips at her.

"Sure." I flashed Winter a malicious smile and stalked off to help Anna with some items.

Fuck.

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After the successful bake sale, Geraldine suggested we check out a burger shop she frequented on evenings like this.

The burger shop was a small but decent blue-themed building that would fit in about fifteen people. Inside, the staff were courteous, smiling as we walked in through the sliding doors.

Only one of the tables were occupied by a young couple. They sat next to the transparent glass panes which afforded everyone in here a good view of the outside world.

We chose a table at the east end of the shop and soon, a waiter came to take our orders.

"What can I get you?" The waiter, a charming black teenage boy asked, straightening out his blue T-shirt that rested on a pair of black denim trousers. The entire staff were dressed similarly and all their shirts had the burger logo on them.

"Hey Franklynn." Geraldine smiled coyly at the boy.

Franklynn rubbed the back of his head, managing to drag his eyes away from Geraldine. My brow raised in curiousity.

"Aldy, who are your friends?" He asked, intentionally avoiding Winter's thoughtful and scrutinizing eyes.

Why the hell is he nosy?

"Aldy?" Winter smirked.

Geraldine kicked Winter under the table and smiled upward at Franklynn. "Remember my mom's bake sale?" Franklynn nodded. "Winter and Aurora helped us out."

Franklynn grinned. "That's so thoughtful."

"Frankie! Stop disturbing the customers!" A high-pitched and annoying female voice yelled from somewhere.

Who's that person? Judging from her voice, she would be the type to order people around and I'm quite certain she wasn't the boss.

Geraldine scoffed. "Banana milkshake and fries."

Franklynn seemed pained that her mood shifted but he silently penned down her order.

"Straw berry milkshake and a meat burger." I said.

"Same." As Franklynn left, Winter perched a hand on my right knee under the table. I almost choked when his hand gradually edged upwards.

Geraldine gazed from me to Winter. "Aurora, are you okay?"

"I got bitten by an ant." Swatting Winter's hand away, I warned him with an unpleasant glare and faced Geraldine with a smile.

"How's my bratty friend, Winter?" She shrugged.

Bratty friend? Wait, she knows Willow's bratty and is still friends with the disrespectful bug?

"Same old, same old, Aldy. Willow's insufferable." Winter responded.

I met his gaze briefly. "Insufferable? She's a little witch. Wait, why are you friends with her?"

Geraldine shrugged. "Everyone needs a friend, Aura. Willow is a kind girl beneath that tough shell.

Winter and I snorted at the same time. Geraldine chuckled. "Kind? I think the fuck not. Aura, how many times has that girl snuck snakes into my bed?" Geraldine blinked.

I frowned. "Or the dye pranks. What about the time when I broke my coccyx when she deliberately spilled oil on the floor at your house. Aldy, that girl is nothing but pure evil."

Franklynn brought our foods and discreetly snuck away. Then we ate, talking about other interesting subjects.

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The clock read 9:07pm when I returned home rather exhausted. Winter suggested we take a walk around Geraldine's neighborhood before coming back. She even introduced me to some of her friends who I recognized as students from my school. Winter and I didn't talk about that hand incident. Maybe it was just a mistake or it was him being naughty.

Going the the kitchen, I gulped down a glass of water and was about turning on the gas cooker when I realized something.

Mom should have been sprawled in the sitting room sofa, shoes and briefcase abandoned on the rug like as always. Her car was parked in the garage.

Strange.

It didn't feel right when I checked in the laundry and our backyard and didn't see her there.

The last place to check was her room. I never went in there. Not ever. But now she gave me no choice.

Pushing the sturdy door open, I stepped in the coral themed bedroom with every furniture in its proper order. Inhaling the scent of her body spray, I concluded she was here. But where?

Maybe in the bathroom.

Turning around, I almost left but an inner voice pressurized me to go her bathroom.

"Mo-" The words died out when I discovered my mom lying lifeless on the floor.

And I love cliff hangers! Yipeee!!!

It's another update and I'm grateful to all of you who have been reading since the beginning.

A little tension is in place, yeah?

Stick around and find out what happens next.

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