Falling For Amelia Manning

Phoebe's mother, the great Margaret Edan, sat in the middle of the living room on the ottoman that belonged to on part of the couch. She wanted to give the girls plenty of room to breathe, but she also wanted her aura of intimidation to be seen. She knew very well that her daughter didn't take her seriously unless she was red in the face or silent when she should speak, but she didn't necessarily want to make Phoebe aware of the anger she was feeling right now, because she didn't want her to think it was about kissing a girl. She had to make sure Phoebe knew she was upset about sneaking another person in her room, when she's grounded, but not about the kiss.

Phoebe and Amelia slowly walked into the living room with their eyes down. Phoebe took the far-right side while Amelia stayed closer to the exit. They made sure to keep a safe distance between each other.

Taking in a deep breath, Margaret Edan prepared herself for a conversation she never imagined having in front of a girl she hadn't seen in years and her daughter.

"I want to start by saying that you broke a few rules tonight, one being that you're grounded and shouldn't be having sleepovers," she started.

"Can I intervein and say that you're supposed to knock before you enter a room?" Phoebe started but her voice was squashed when her mom's sweeping look came over her. Pushing herself back into the couch further, she told herself to keep her eyes down, she didn't want to look over at Amelia and see the hate in her eyes again.

"That's not what this is about, and I only came in there because I thought you had snuck James into your room. I had my fingers on my cell phone waiting to hit the number for her father, so I had a right to barge in." Margaret composed herself long enough to think of what to talk about next. She didn't want to come across as if part of the scene was a bad thing, she had it in her head that her daughter would hate her forever if she thought she was unsupportive.

"This is about you breaking the rules when you know you're grounded and on thin ice, as it is. Now, I would like to know the reason you were hiding a girl in your room." Phoebe's heart lurched in her chest. She didn't have a reason that sounded good enough and she didn't want to just say Amelia's business out loud. She just gained a bit of the trust between them back. Even she wasn't dumb enough to just throw it away.

"It's complicated, mom. I couldn't tell you because – "

"Because she was protecting me, Mrs. Edan. I'm sorry to have caused this rift between the two of you, I can leave once I grab my bag." She made a move to get up, but Phoebe's mom stopped her with a few words.

"What happened?" She started, making Amelia freeze, mid-rise, and then slowly sit back down.

"You don't have to answer that," Phoebe took the floor. "Mom, you can't just ask her what happened, what if it's really bad and she can't talk about it?" Amelia's heart froze in her chest. It's been years since she's heard Phoebe stand up for her. Years since she's been on her side about anything. Pushing herself back into the couch cushions, she cleared her throat, making them both look at her.

"Mrs. Edan, it's not some big secret, but I appreciate Phoebe keeping it for me regardless," Amelia seemed to speak only to her, but Phoebe snapped out of the trance she was being pulled under and focused enough to see the softer look on her mom's face.

"If you feel like you're in danger at your home, I can do something about that. But I need to know what's going on."

"It's not a dangerous situation," Amelia started again and made Phoebe scoff. Giving her a pointed look, Amelia continued. "After we got in trouble for the food fight, I was kicked off the team and that meant my scholarship was taken away." She tried to ignore the sympathetic sounds coming from the woman in front of them before finishing her story. "My mom didn't really care, she hasn't in a long time, but my sister yelled at me. Told me to get a job since I won't be graduating – which I got – but she kicked me out of the house when I told her I was gay." Amelia shrugged and looked down at her nails with newfound curiosity, so she wouldn't see the look on Margaret's face.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, and I'd hate to admit that I never thought I'd see you around this house again, Mia. Yet here you are, sitting in this living room like you three would do as kids." Margaret looked off behind their heads at the wall, as if she was remembering something fondly. "You two are still kids, same for James, and you shouldn't be going through such adult issues. But I guess stuff like this doesn't really have an age labeled on it, huh?" She drifted back to reality and saw her daughter and Amelia sitting in front of her. She saw them as if they were still in kindergarten. Sharing crayons and running on the playground together. Taking in a deep breath, she concluded.

"Mia, stay here �� in the guest room – as long as you need to. If you don't feel safe at your home, and you're at least 18, then there isn't anything anyone can do about it." She told her, as a matter of fact, and both of their hearts seemed to beat out of their chests. They weren't expecting something like this.

"Phoebe, you will still help out at that house, and I'm adding in more chores for the sneaking around. Laundry, dinner, dishes, and yard work." She pointed an accusing finger at Phoebe who slumped back on the couch with her head hung low. "Mia, if you're going to stay with us, and I think you should, you'll need to work alongside her with the chores, go to school regularly, and get those grades up to graduate. Does that work for you?" She asked her, trying not to break into a broad smile that would undermine her intense look.

"That sounds amazing, I'm sorry for causing such trouble, and I don't just mean recently. I've been getting Phoebe into trouble for years and I think I was just covering up this big secret I never wanted to let slip. Saying it to my sister when she asked me why I've been getting into trouble made this weight come off my shoulders." Amelia explained, and Phoebe knew exactly what she was saying. Had her mom not walked in on them, she would carry her own weight around, not knowing when she'd be able to let it go.

"First of all, Phoebe gets herself into trouble," she looked over at Phoebe who just rolled her eyes, "secondly, this is a safe house. Leave your burdens at the door, that's the first rule. Now get back upstairs and grab all your dirty clothes, you two have a lot to start before bed." She dismissed the room and Amelia jumped up from the couch, wanting to get out of the thick tension in the room. When Phoebe tried to walk around her mom and to the entrance of the living room, she was stopped with open arms.

"Never ever think you have to lie to me. If someone is in trouble, come to me, okay? If you ever feel unsafe, come to me, okay?" She broke their bodies apart and held her daughter's face for a moment.

"Thank you, mom, I would have said something, but she wanted it to stay a secret and I didn't want to break that again. We'll do better in school, I promise." Smiling up at her she wondered how she was able to get such an amazing mother and the reality set in. What would she tell James when they saw each other next? Would she freak out and condemn this whole thing? Or would she be just as understanding? She wanted to think it would be the ladder, but her and Amelia kissing sounded like a cruel joke she would tell her.

"Get that butt up there and get the laundry done. You have walls and pipes to fix tomorrow at that house." Her mom shoved her toward the stairs where Amelia was bringing down the basket of clothes. Smiling at her, she directed her toward the laundry room where they would start the clothes before heading to bed for some much-needed sleep.

"I'm not going to say your mom is the coolest being to walk the Earth, 'cause you already know that, but she really is the coolest." Amelia started pulling pieces of clothes out to sort them alongside Phoebe who was stuck in thought.

Phoebe was trapped in the notion that everything was going to change now. Even the sweet words about her mom didn't register because all she could think about was what happens next? What would the school dynamic be? Would she really stay with her until she graduated? Would she go back to pissing her off at school but be nice behind the walls of the house? A million and one questions circled her head. So much so, that she didn't hear Amelia's question.

"Sorry, what?" She asked, dazed.

"I asked since your mom knows I'm here now, does that mean we can get ice cream from the freezer?" Amelia smiled at her, an actual smile that made her heart thump in her chest. All the questions from before left her brain and were replaced with that burning image.

"Yeah, I think two jailbirds like us can have some ice cream," she laughed and tossed a few pieces of clothes in the washer before adding soap and starting it up. Maybe all the fear was in her head, she thought. Or maybe good things never last forever.