Strangely Perfect

59. The Sister Code

||unedited||

pretty long one, buckle up : )

F I F T Y N I N E:

I'll admit, I spent a few days feeling sorry for myself with all things Belle but quickly after, realized it wasn't doing either of us any good and decided to talk more. At first, Belle wasn't a fan and would just dismiss me every now and then but soon enough, she became more lenient and even talked about herself as well.

Things were way better than ever before and I wanted it to stay that way, loving how much closer I felt to her.

"You really like this Tate guy?" We were sat on our porch bench wrapped in blankets, staring out at the darkening sky with mugs of hot chocolate in hand.

A smile met my lips. "Yeah." Just the thought of him and I could smell him.

"This is different." Belle pointed out. "From you and Adam-"

"There was never anything there." Belle scoffed, unconvinced. "There wasn't."

"Don't kid yourself."

"Whatever, he's being an ass to me anyways. We don't even talk anymore. And Tate is much better." I took a sip of the hot chocolate. "He makes me happy."

"Who are we talking about today?" Mom rushed over to sit in the middle of Belle and I, the both of us lifting our blankets to let her join in. "Boys? Are my babies talking about boys?"

"Mom." Belle shook her head.

"Yeah."

"Is it Tate we're talking about?" Mom bounced over- excited. "He's cute, isn't he? And that accent of his is really nice. He's a looker."

"I know, mom."

"That's why she picked him, the accent." Belle joked and I rolled my eyes. 

"Sure, the accent. But he's really nice to me. If anything, the accent is just a bonus." Mom shuffled in between us, grabbing more of the blanket when a harsh wind passed us. 

"Is it official? Does my baby finally have a boyfriend? Now I can say one of my girls have dated someone." Mom eagerly rubbed her hands together and I sent over a look toward Belle at Mom's last comment and she pinked, looking away. "What about you, sweetheart? Any boys you're interested in... or girls?" Mom directed to Belle causing me to stifle a laugh. "That Maria girl was cute..."

"God, no Mom! I only brought her over because I knew it'd annoy Aims."

"I knew it!" I threw a hand in the air. "She was way too iffy for you two to be friends."

"She is a friend. But not a close one." 

"So another girl?" Mom continued.

"Mom! I'm not lesbian-"

"Sweetheart, it's okay if you are. I want you to know that you have my full-"

"Mom, no." Belle slapped her hand to her face dragging it down. "Not interested in girls. I'm straight."

"Oh." Mom nodded, looking to me with a face that told me she didn't believe it and I laughed.

Noticing this, Belle's mouth scrunched up slightly frustrated that Mom wouldn't take her word for it which only made things funnier. Oh, Belle. "Actually, I've been meaning to tell you for a while but I wanted to wait for a while but, I'm dating someone." Mom cocked her head at her youngest daughter. "I have a boyfriend, Mom."

"Oh, Isabelle you don't have to make someone up to convince me-"

"I'm not! Aimee, tell her. She can vouch for me!" Belle pointed to me. "His name is Warren Garner and he's on the football team, tell her, Aimee." I coughed in the midst of my laughter and contemplated acting as if I had no idea what Belle was going on about, making it seem like she was using it as a cover and to prove she was straight. But Belle had already figured out my line of thought and gave me a warning forlorn look. "Aimee!"