Chapter 7: Back home

Nova's POV

"Hey mom!" we shout.

She comes to us, "Hi," she smiles and hugs the three of us in unison, "I'm so happy you're home," she says.

"Yeah," I say. Usually I say me too, but this time I'm not happy.

"Hi. I haven't seen you two for a while," mom says and hugs Rory and Isabella.

"Hi," they both chuckle.

"Mom, can I go upstairs?" I ask.

"Yeah, sure, just leave me your dirty clothes, okay?" she asks. I nod and take Isabella's hand and pull her upstairs with all of our stuff.

"What?" she chuckles as we're in my room and the door is closed.

"You took some of Emerald's clothes?" I ask.

She nods. "I don't know what to do with them. I mean my mom's crazy, if she'll know.."

"Yeah, I have the same problem," I say as we pull all of our clothes out of our bags. Our style is so different. I'm just wearing like casual surfer clothes or something, but Isabella has like fancy clothes. Well, her family is rich, so..

"I don't want the smell out. I need to hide them somewhere. And I need for you to find me a good place," I say.

She chuckles, "Okay." She's the best in hiding things. I mean, she hid the fact that she's a lesbian for her whole life until now. Well, I knew, but none of our friends or siblings did.

"But wouldn't it just be better if you said you bought these things?" she asks.

"Then she'll want to wash them. I can't let his smell out," I say.

She chuckles and walks to the drawer what has a fake bottom. She lifts it up, "Here," she says and points next to my diary.

I smile, "Thanks, Bella. You're the best. And I can start wearing them in a few days when she's done with laundry," I say.

She smiles and I kiss her cheek. I take out all of my clothes and stuff while we're talking. Sometimes I even forgot about the camp and our lovers.

*Time pass, 1h*

"Mom, we're going skateboarding," Jordan says.

"All of you?" she asks.

"That's why we keep them here," Rory smiles and he and Bella show their skateboards.

Mom chuckles, "Okay. But you three... I need to talk to you for a minute," she says.

We sigh and look at Bella and Rory. "Sure, we'll just practice some skills," Rory says and he and Bella go outside.

The three of us sigh. "What is it?" Chic asks.

"I... Found someone," she says.

"You mean like a puppy or like you're dating someone?" I ask.

They all chuckle at me. "Yes. I'm dating someone. And he'd like to meet you," she says to all of us.

"Cool. When?" Jordan asks.

"At 7," mom says.

"Wait.. As in today?" Chic asks.

"Yes. And he'll be here with his kids. So I want all of you to dress into something polite, okay?" she asks.

"Sure," the boys say.

"Yeah, you're not the problem," she says and looks at me, "When I tell you to wear shoes, I don’t mean this kind of shoes," she says and points on my broken sneakers.

"We'll be back in a few hours to get ready," I smile and walk out of the door.

I hear my brothers laughing. "Bye mom," they say and we all go on the sidewalk.

"What's the talk about?" Bella smirks.

"She found someone and we'll meet him and his family today," I say.

She smiles and nods, "Happy for her. About time."

"I know," I chuckle.

I run and let my skateboard drop. We all jump on ours and start riding towards Puck's.

"If they're coming over at 7, do you think mom will cook?" Jordan asks.

"Definitely. So no Puck's," Chic says.

"Why not? My team won at the camp, you still owe me 50 bucks," I tell both of them.

They roll their eyes. "Fine, let's go on the ramp," I say and we skateboard in the other direction now.

*6PM*

"Nova! Get downstairs!" Chic shouts.

"I still have an hour!" I yell back. I'm lying on my bed, already 'dressed up' and reading a book.

"Mom said the wrong time! And I bet you'd want to come downstairs!" Jordan yells and I hear him chuckling afterwards.

I heard a few minutes ago, that a car came, but I didn't think they'd already be in here.

"Well, you bet wrong! I want my money!" I yell with a smirk.

He laughs, "Just get down here!" Jor yells.

I sigh and get up from my bed. I look into the mirror, and after deciding I look fine in my casual clothing, I go downstairs, reading the book.

I get into the dining room, but here are only Chic and Jordan, so I sit down on a chair, still not looking up.

"Nove, you should look up," Chic whispers into my ear when people walk into the room

"You're the one yelling for me to get downstairs, now wait one page," I say.

He ruffles my hair before I push his hand away. I read the page and then sigh, folding the corner of the page. I close the book and stand up and put it onto my chair. Now is the first time I look up.

Fuck. I'm fucked up. Nick chuckles at my face, though he's trying to hold his laugh back. This shit only makes it harder.

"Hi," I smile at the man and the girl.

"Hi, I'm Andy," he says.

"Nova," I say with a smile.

"I'm Em," Emery smiles.

"No, you're Emery, quit trying making yourself cool," Nick says.

Em looks mad. I chuckle, "Okay, I'm calling you Em, if you want," I say.

"Thank you," she says. I chuckle a little and then look at Nick and raise my eyebrows.

"Oh, right.. I'm Nicholas," he says.

"You're Floyd Nicholas, quit trying making yourself cool," Em says to him.

I burst out laughing, "Your name is Floyd?" I ask Nick.

He sighs, "Family name. I'm the third. Dad's Junior. And.. Em is Floydia actually," he says.

"Once I get 18, I'm changing my name," Em says, making us chuckle again. She's cute.

Mom walks into the room.

"Didn't I tell you to dress up?" she sighs, looking at me.

I look down at my clothes, "In case you haven't noticed, this is me, dressing up," I say.

She sighs and smirks a little. I look at my brothers. "Wait are you actually wearing jeans right now?" I smirk at them.

Jordan ruffles my hair while Chic rolls his eyes. I chuckle and sit down. Nick sits next to me and when our parents aren't looking, I whisper.

"Did you know?"

"I've met your mom before, but no. You don't look alike," he whispers back.

I look at him, "Wow. Discovery," I say loudly, making him laugh.

They all sit down. Everyone is quiet now. We start eating. Well our parents and Em start eating, though Em is smirking too.

Nick whispers into my ear, "We need to tell them."

I look at him and nod.

"So. How long have you guys knows each other?" I ask mom and Andy. Mom looks thankful that I broke the silence.

"A few months," she says.

"And when did you start dating again?" I ask.

"A few weeks ago," mom says.

I nod. "Do you guys live in Hillwood?" I ask them.

"Yeah," Andy says.

"Why have I never seen you?" I ask, looking at him and then turn my eyes to Nick. He smiles, knowing what I'm planning.

"We umm.. Live on the Southside," Andy says.

I raise my eyebrows and look at mom. She's looking at her food, like everything is normal.

"Hey, mom?" I ask.

She looks up at me, "Don't start right now," she says.

"Start what?" I ask with an innocent smile, "Remember before camp, I told you I needed a few bucks?" I ask.

She furrows her eyebrows, "Yeah?" She is confused about why I just started talking about this.

"Well. You asked me how much I needed. I said a hundred," I say. They all laugh.

"Wow," I hear Jordan saying.

I smile a little. "Okay? What about that?" mom chuckles.

"After that you said to me that a few is not more than 2 or 3," I say.

"What are you saying?" she asks.

I put my fork down and look at her and Andy, "Well." I say and look back at her now. And only her. "Why are you lying to me?"

"What?" she asks in confusion.

I look at Chic and Jordan who are chuckling. "That's gonna be great," Chic says quietly, making me roll my eyes.

I look back at mom. "So you two met a few months ago? So like 2 or 3," I say.

She sighs, "Novella."

"What? You just lied into my face. You two have known each other much longer than that. And you've been dating for half a year," I tell mom, "6. Months."

Andy looks at mom, but mom keeps staring at me. "So?" she asks.

"So it's true? You've been dating for 6 months?" I ask.

"Maybe. What about it?" she asks.

I look at her, "Isn't it obvious? You know how many years you've been telling me to keep away from the Southside, cause people there are 'dangerous'?" I quote it in the air.

"Nova-" she sighs.

"No... You've yelled at me so many times for telling you that they're not that bad and it's only people talking. And now you're dating a Southsider?" I see Andy sighing while he's looking at me.

"And not just a Southsider. A Honey Badger," I say.

"Woah, how do you know all of this?" mom asks.

"And not just a Honey Badger.. The Honey Badger king," I say.

Andy's eyes widen, "Nova. How do you know all of this?" he asks me.

Mom seems stunned. I ignore Andy. "So after years of listening you about how bad the Honey Badgers and the Ghoulies are and how I should keep away from them.. You start dating the Honey Badger King and lie us about that?" I ask.

Now she's quiet. She hides her face into her hands, like she's so done with me. Andy sighs and puts his hand onto her back while looking at me.

"I-" he starts.

"No need. You seem like a good person. I just don't get it why you wanted to lie," I say.

"It's not safe if you know about me, being the king. You shouldn't even know there is a king," Andy says worriedly. "Where did you hear that?" he asks me.

"Why did you lie?" Nick asks.

Mom looks up now, "Nova," she says and I look at her with raised eyebrows, "I needed for you to keep away from the Honey Badgers, because they ARE dangerous," she says.

I start to say something, but she interrupts, "Let me finish... I grew up on the Southside," she says. I raise my eyebrows. "But I left after knowing I'm having a baby. I had to. It wasn't safe that time. And people still hate me because I left them behind," she says.

"What people?" I ask.

She sighs and pulls her shirt up a little. A Honey Badger tattoo. On her waist. My eyes widen and I start smiling.

"You're a Honey Badger?" I ask.

"Was," she says.

"Still are," Andy says and mom smiles sadly.

"Yeah, after I left I'm too scared to go back," mom says.

I sigh, "Seriously? And why did you never let me hang out with Honey Badgers?" I ask.

"They'd recognize you," she says.

"Yeah no," Nick says, "You two look nothing alike," he says awkwardly.

Chic and Jordan burst out of laughing and we all look at them. I narrow my eyes a little, making them press their lips together and try to hold their laugh back.

"What's so funny?" mom asks.

"Nothing," they say and keep eating, smirking and me.

I gulp. "So what would you do if I'd tell you that I'm dating a Honey Badger?" I ask.

"I'd be.. A little freaked out, but overall fine," she says.

"Nope," Jordan says, "You'd at first, freak out, but not show it."

"Then you'd say you're fine," Chic says.

"And then you'd start yelling," I say.

"And later apologize," Jordan says.

"Wow these kids know you," Andy smirks. Mom hits his arm, making us smile and them chuckle. Andy goes out of the room for a moment and comes back with some juice.

"So you're telling me right now, that... You have a boyfriend?" mom asks.

"Uh. Yeah," I say quietly and look at my plate.

She raises my chin up with a smirk, "And you were going on about me lying to you, because you were too scared to tell me," she states.

I smirk, "Kinda. But more like... Tell both of you," I say and look at Andy.

He smiles, "What?" he's still standing though.

"You might want to sit down, Andy," Chic smirks.

He raises his eyebrows and does it. I look at Nick with raised eyebrows. He chuckles quietly and raises or hands out from under the table. Our fingers are intertwined.

We're in some deep shit now.

Mom's eyes widen and so do Andy's. Em bursts out laughing and so do Chic and Jordan. I press my lips together and look at Nick for a minute.

He chuckles, "Let me guess your words. 'We're in some deep shit now'," he says.

I chuckle and pull my feet onto the chair and cross my legs on it, starting to play with my bracelet until one of them says something. And I don't have to wait too long...