Chapter 36: Chapter 36

"What did you say to him?" Dina kept mumbling behind me as she followed me to our car. I was honestly getting exhausted by her, she possibly knew what I did back there, but wanted to hear it out from my own damn lips.

"He told me he can't go to the party with me, his mother needs him for some work that day," I told her and she stared at my face in confusion. I had no idea what she was thinking.

"I don't know this Giselle." her lips mumbled and I was shocked to hear my full name from her mouth. All of a sudden, she doesn't know me? Is it a crime to consider my happiness for once in my life? Tucker has been my dream since I started dreaming, I was not letting go of this chance of being with him. I was finally having fun with his attention, he cared about me.

"Dina you are acting like Steven and I were dating." I rolled my eyes at her, seriously she was making a big issue of nothing. She knew I had loved Tucker since I have known him, what made her think I will ever choose Steven over Tucker?

"And you are acting like you were never even his friend. It's one thing to not love him, but who gave you a right to play with his feelings? " She commented, giving me a disappointed look. Tucker approached the car and Dina slightly glared at him for a second before walking away from us. Her body movement was a clear hint that she was not going to support me if I go into a relationship with Tucker.

"Is everything okay?" Tucker, who too glanced at Dina walking away, asked me without even looking at my face.

"Nothing," I mumbled and sat in the car. In no time we were at home, finally. Now I was just looking for a perfect time to ask Tucker about going together to this party. I did the lunch and even the house chores too.

"How was your day?" Lauren smiled when I was about to leave the kitchen, she had just arrived from the neighborhood.

"It was great actually." In my heart, I was very happy to go with Tucker to this party. Everyone will have their jaw dropped when they will see us together, my whole life I have wanted Tucker to be mine and now was the time.

"I was in the neighbors." She murmured sadly, sighing and shaking her head slightly. Her lack of energy made me worried, her own daughter never cared for her so I have to be there for her as she was always there for me.

"What happened, Aunt Lauren?" I rubbed her arm and worriedly watched her face. She wasn't ready to raise her face and stare me in the eye, it seemed like a very serious issue.

"The things they told me," she whispered into her mouth, shivering visibly and rubbing her palms nervously.

"Oh my God, please sit down." I held her hand and helped her sit down on the chair in the kitchen. She was scared, afraid about something or who knows, maybe she was shocked at the news.

"I'm worried about you," she uttered, and I felt my heart stopped beating in my chest. "only you can tell me the truth," she added, veering to look at me, hoping I would satisfy her with my answers, but answers about what?

"I don't understand, what truth?" I trembled in my skin and felt my body light, "did they say something about me?" I questioned, followed by her nod.

"People are saying things about you now Giselle," she announced and my whole world shook under my feet. She must be joking, right? I'm a good girl, everybody loves me, right? I have to be a good girl or Tucker won't accept me.

"i---," I whispered and remained silent, not finishing my sentence.

"Ever since you started hanging out with The Orphans and their leader, Mrs. Lock son, they are saying stuff about you." she declared, shaking her head in disappointment. "you shouldn't have continued your friendship with that girl Dina again," she added, her eyes getting watery.

"What are they saying?" I asked in a whisper, mentally not ready to hear the answers. I was perched down on the floor in front of her, holding her hands in her lap.

"That you are sleeping with that drug addict Steven and going to the clubs, getting drunk and all that." she didn't wanna look me in the eye, and honestly, after hearing that, I didn't wanna see myself too. A loud gasp left my mouth and I lowered my head. "I'm disappointed in you Giselle, you lied to me and went to the sleepover at Diana's place." I was stupid enough to think she wouldn't know about it and considering she never confronted me to not embarrass me, made me feel even more guilty.

"I swear he hasn't even touched me and I don't even feel anything for him." I sputtered in haste, why had his presence affected me this bad? Was it a bad decision to be friends with him? When did I stop caring for my image? It has everything to do with me losing hope in getting together with Tucker.

"And, what about clubbing?" she asked and looked me in the eye, how the hell did they know about that?

"I---," I lowered my face in shame. I can't lie to her like that, especially when I knew somebody has seen me in the club, getting drunk.

"Does Tucker know about this?" she inquired and my heart missed a beat, he doesn't have to dammit. I stared in her eye in panic, my tongue losing its voice.

"I don't want him to know, nothing actually happened," I uttered, grabbing her hand tightly. I was watching her face in hopes of some sympathy. If she tells Tucker now, I'll be ruined.

"And what about the drunk dance with that guy and druggie Steven?" She kept mentioning Steven as a drug addict, every time she would say that my veins will pop up in anger, but I had to divert my mind from it. I shouldn't be concerned about Steven since he was the reason I was in talks now.

"That was nothing." I lowered my head and mumbled. What if she tells him about what happened in the club, oh wait, did anyone see me in the parking with Steven as well?

"See, hanging around with them had ruined your image, but you can still mend everything." She held my hand and reassured me with a smile.

"I will, I am anyways done with them." yes, I told her what I meant, I was not going to risk my image for anyone.

"That's good, now don't stress about it." She ran her hand through my hair and got up to do bake cookies for us. I left the kitchen in order to walk upstairs but found Tucker perched on the couch. He was laying in his bed, playing games on his phone, which reminded me of Steven when he was playing games while it was raining cats and dogs and I was at the stop a----, wait, he is out of my life, I shouldn't be thinking about him. He was the reason that people were talking bad about me, I need to cut all ties with him.

"Peeping Tom," Tucker stated and smirked, I quickly jumped on my spot and cleared my throat.

"Actually," I tried to think of an excuse, but as soon as he sat straight and tilted his head to the right to stare at me, I lost my voice.

"What were you looking at?" his smirk grew bigger, making me feel uneasy from his stare.