Lana Pipes

A million feelings passed through my body like ions passing through an electric pole. I tightened my grasp around him squeezing him tightly. He smelt of mint and some intoxicating perfume.

"Woah, babycakes!" He exclaimed. I chuckled, now I am starting to like his silly nickname completely. 

"Lana?" He whispered, it kinda of sounded seductive. "Are you alright? Cause you have been hugging me for the past 3 minutes and the sane Lana I know would never even come close to me unless she's hammered," He chuckled, reminiscing the first time I hugged him.

"Maybe, I am insane," I giggled still hugging him. "I heard you were the brains behind Roger's change of heart. You helped me again and again, like a guardian angel. Saved this little arrogant girl. How could I ever repay you?" I questioned.

"Well, maybe first you could release me from this nuzzled hug. I hate to admit it but you are stronger than you look and your grip is feisty like you," He hummed.

"For the love of god, there she is again," I heard a voice behind me, urging me to let him go of that nestle. I turned around to have a peek and found a grumpy redhead giving me a grievous gaze.

"You know what? I'm fed up with this shit," She said disgusted. "So sorry to interrupt your comfy little Huggies, I will leave and you guys can continue," She mocked.

"Angelina, you misread the situation in here, I and Lana, we were just-," He stopped running a hand through his shiny raven hair. "She was just thanking me, that's it. I swear," Jaro explained.

"Yes, Miss. He was right. I was just really excited and it was nothing more than a friendly gesture," I assured. But I am not sure myself. I mean she is his girlfriend and she has every right to react the way she is reacting.

"Fine. Jaro you told me no, you begged and beseeched me to take you back.," She admitted looking him right in the eye. "These 2 days without talking to you were hell. I like you," She tugged a strand of her red hair behind her ear.

"I want you and you want me. So, I have decided to give us one more chance," She wiped a tear from her brown eyes which I didn't notice. "But then I see you guys hugging," she yelled bringing a hand to her face.

"Angelina, please. Don't you dare give up on us," He urged her, holding her hands.

"I won't but you need to give her up," She said coldly looking at me. "I want you to stay the hell away from her. There should be 0 contact between you guys and I mean it Jaro. I do. You want me? You lose her," She declared.

"Angelina you are being ridiculous. There is absolutely nothing going on between us. She's just my neighbour and I don't understand why I shouldn't-" He stopped looking at me and her.

"Fine, I won't talk to him and vice versa. I can never forgive myself if I ever were the reason for the separation of you both. You both make quite a pair. I am out of here," I answered. I wish I had hugged him for some more time. I always thought I hated him but not having to talk to him, greatly hurts me. I didn't even think I had any positive opinion of him but right now...

"Lana, right now you have no friends and you are in a dark phase of your life. You need someone to be there for you," Jaro expressed his concern.

"That's none of your concern. She can take care of her life," Angelina snapped.

"She's right. What is it they say? All the friends and enemies we make in this life are only until where their character ends in your play. I guess your character ends in my play and mine in yours," I sobbed, hiding my invisible tears.

I walked home feeling heartbroken. Why is my heart arching? This makes no sense.

..........

"I wanted to have a word with you," Michelle wailed. "A few combinations of words and a few more sentences," She added, holding my hand. "But first, I am happy that you are home. Welcome home, baby," She pulled me into a hug draping me with her arms.

"It's good to be home, mother." I hugged her back.

"Let's go somewhere more private," She smiled directing me towards her room.

"Did you two get into a fight again or something? You guys use to be as thick as thieves. Now I barely notice you guys exchange words," Dad dragged.

"Honey, what did I say? Leave your cop mind at your work and walk into this house as my darling husband Holder. Didn't I say this the day we got married? We girlies fight and fix the next day, it's our thing. Do you need to give your all creepy questionable interrogative tone and shoot your questions at us like we are your suspects?" Mom sneered.

"Honey, with all due respect now you were the one who gave me that all creepy questionable interrogative tone," He coughed looking at his wife. "Come here boy, let's leave these two grumpy girlies to claw at each other. We tots will go and get some ice cream," Dad said grabbing Ben.

"Bring us some," I and Mom yelled at the same time. We both looked at each other and laughed like idiots. Dad and Ben joined their laughs with us.

"Everyone loves ice cream," Ben laughed.

"And you," I said instantly.

"We love you too," Mom smiled.

"Do not forget you," Dad added.

And the funny thing is all three of us said at the same time. Once again the house filled with our laughter. Dad and Ben left laughing which left me and Mom alone in the house.

"Come sit," She gestured me towards the sofa, plumping herself in a comfortable position.

"Lana, my past self was not so a great character to introduce. I have suffered a bad childhood and a messed up teenage hood. There were a few circumstances where my character couldn't be corrected and dare I say even criticized and commented," She inhaled.

"My Mom was not exactly a great mother. She was often disappointed in me and sometimes I think that she might have regretted birthing me. My Dad was my hero. He was the one person who truly understood me and stood by me," She confided.

"Your grandmother, Moe Cornelle. She cheated on your grandfather. He was a great father, Lana, believe it or not. He is the one person I truly admire and adore. He taught me how to love your child unconditionally. And yes he killed my mother and am I hurt by it? Maybe. I don't know, she was my mother after all but I can't hate my father," She wept.

"This may all seem crazy to you. I did tear an ear of my classmate in school. She bullied me saying that my father is a cobbler. That comment irrationalized my senses. I spent 6 months in jail, indeed. Later I changed schools. That's where I met Jaro. I might have gone out with him a couple of times and did stuff. We were teenagers.," She confessed.

"That day in the park, yes I hit Your brother, Ben, he was intolerant. I didn't wanna give him a bad reputation for his mother so I told him that he fell from a swing. That was an unforgivable act of me." She closed her eyes, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Your pet Willow, if you remember. You killed it and I covered it. I was just saving you from the lifelong trauma of that haunting incident, Lana. I am your mother and I am here to protect you. Protect you from the world and even here to protect you from yourself," She argued.

"Lying and sugarcoating is not protecting Mom. It is manipulating." I yelled. "You did all those horrible things and you expect me to forgive you?" I broke.

"Lana all I did was-" She tried to justify.

"Mom, you need to stop this. At this instant. Please I was devastated to learn this all. I disdained Jaro about you but-" I cried again, burying my face in my palms.

"Mom, did you kill Mary? Layla's sister, Jaro's friend, and Glendora's Aunt." I elaborated.

"No," She said wiping her sweat.

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Yes. I am not that horrible of a person, Lana," She whispered.

"Okay. Were you the reason for my peanut butter phobia?" She questioned.

"Lana, please. Not this again." her blue eyes pleaded. My reflection was visible from her eyes.

"Mother. I will believe you this one last time. Do not break my trust. So there is nothing you are hiding right?" I queried.

"No," She snapped looking away.

"If I find out that you were hiding any more of your malicious stuff, Mom, I will report you to the cops and consider you will no longer have me as your daughter," I declared.

"Lana, baby. No. I was just- I didn't wanna be my mother but it turns out that I am as horrible as my mother or maybe even worse. Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," She sobbed.

"Mom. You have a dark side and you were just scared to admit it. It's alright. You still got me," I assured hugging her. "But if there is any truth you are hiding-" I didn't finish the sentence.

"I get it daughter. There's no need to repeat it again and again. But I do hear voices and I am really worried that you hear them too," She grunted. "Your grandpa told even he heard those voices," She uttered.

"Mom, I need to meet him. Please," I replied. She nodded.

"Your father did you-" She stopped the sentence halfway.

"No. As I mentioned earlier, you can tell him whenever you are ready," I blurted.

"Tell me, what?" Dad barged in with Ben holding tubes of ice cream and popsicles.

"That you have the worst taste in ice cream," Mom cracked a joke, laughing.

"That hurts," He pouted handing over a butterscotch to me, strawberry to Mom and chocolate to Ben.

"To ice cream," Ben giggled.

"To ice cream, no matter how the room is, the one thing that settles the hot air and cools down your mood," I avouched, taking an appetizing bite.

Q/A

Q. Do you like ice creams? If so, which flavour?

A-

Q. Do you trust Michelle?

A-

Author's Note :

I hope you guys like this chapter about Lana and Michelle. Please stay tunned to know what more dirty little lies and hidden secrets Michelle have under her sleeve.

👻