Novel Sweet
Chapter 20
Mirabella breezed back into the living room, not waiting for Delilah and Shawn to speak up before asking, “Mom, what’s our full address? A friend of mine wants to send me something.”
As she spoke, her fingers were already poised over her phone, ready to take down the details.
Delilah rattled off the address, and after she finished, she paused, then asked in a hushed tone, “A friend of yours? Someone you met while staying at Summer’s grandma’s place?”
Mirabella was busy texting and briefly hesitated upon hearing Delilah’s question. She glanced up, nonchalantly grunted an “Mhm,” and continued with her texting.
Sensing Delilah’s eagerness to probe further, Shawn gently tugged at her arm and shook his head, silently advising restraint. Their daughter had just returned home. It was perhaps best not to pry too much so soon.
After sending off her message, Mirabella pocketed her phone and turned her full attention back to Delilah. “Did you have a question for me?” she inquired.
Delilah hesitated, a faint smile tugging at her lips. She shook her head and said, “No, it’s nothing.”
Then her eyes caught sight of the Parkside High School transfer acceptance letter, and after a few seconds of contemplation, she spoke up. “I almost forgot. Summer goes to Parkside High, too. I’ll call her and ask her to look out for you a bit. You two might have been mixed up at birth, but she’s got a gentle nature. I’m sure you’ll get along.” Despite Summer’s somewhat unpleasant demeanor the previous night, she had studied in Parkside for a while and would be a good ally for Mirabella in unfamiliar territory.
Remembering her first encounter with Summer, Mirabella’s lips curled into a knowing smile as she simply responded with a noncommittal “Oh.”
“Right, Summer’s on that reality show now… What’s it called?” Delilah slapped her forehead, trying to jog her memory.
“Superstar Camp,” Shawn chimed in helpfully.
“That’s it, Superstar Camp. Have you seen it, Mira? It’s all the rage with the young folks,” Delilah said, presuming it would be right up her daughter’s alley.
Mirabella, disinterested, shook her head. “Never watched it.”
Delilah, who had been about to suggest voting for Summer on the show, instead changed tack. “Oh, you don’t watch. that stuff, huh?”
“Nope, it’s a waste of time.” Mirabella replied languidly, adding after a beat, “Gets in the way of studying.”
Delilah’s smile faltered, and she found herself momentarily at a loss for words..
Changing the subject, Mirabella inquired. “So, do my brothers not live here anymore?”
Delilah nodded. “They’ve all got their own lives and moved out some time ago.”
After a brief pause, perhaps sensing potential confusion, Delilah added, “Your return was quite sudden. Only Emmitt is here. Zach, Nick and Leo are out of town. They’ll come visit once they’re less busy.”
At the mention of them having their own lives, Mirabella’s eyebrows arched in curiosity. She deliberately asked. “They all have jobs?”
Delilah blinked, not quite understanding the intent behind her daughter’s pointed question, but she nodded affirmatively nonetheless.
Satisfied with the response, Mirabella didn’t press further. Instead, she said sweetly. “I’m heading back to my room.”
Once in her room, Mirabella’s eyes landed on the brand–new laptop resting atop her desk. She pondered for a few seconds before walking over and booting it up. The desktop was pristine, devoid of any clutter or additional software.
She opened a web browser and quickly typed out a string of words on the keyboard, hitting the ‘Enter‘ key with
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