CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: ATHENA

I took my phone from my bag, opened my chats, and clicked on the new message from Austin after saving his phone number, looking at the texts it was obviously from him.

Nobody except Barney and Austin refers to me as Red, and Barney isn't crazy enough to send me messages like this. As I read the messages, I couldn't stop laughing at his ridiculous messages; he's the annoying little brother I've always wanted.

Austin the Weirdo: "Hello, Little Red Riding Hood!"

Austin the Weirdo: "Hellllo, Red"

Austin the Weirdo: "Stop ignoring me Red"

Austin the Weirdo: "I just checked the time and I'm guessing you're sleeping or dead, so text me when you wake up, so I can know you're not dead, bye Red ''.

Austin the Weirdo: "Hello, Little Red Riding Hood! Are you dead?".

The last one was sent earlier this morning, which made me wonder if these boys ever sleep.

Red: "Austin, seriously, who sends this many texts at once? Anyway, how are you doing? I hope you're feeling better now ". After sending the text, I put my phone away and got comfortable so I could sleep.

The sound of a voice over the plane's speakers saying "We will soon land" jolted me awake. I pulled out my phone and checked the time; it was about 8:00 a.m, so I turned to Sophia, who was still sleeping, and gently nudged her awake.

"What's going on, honey? Are we there yet?" She asked, stretching before turning to face me with a sleepy smile.

"Yes, the pilot just announced it; I'll get our carry-on bags," I stood up from my chair and took our bags from the cabinet above us; when the pilot cleared us for landing, Sophia and I buckled up in our seats.

When the plane touched down, the door opened and everyone descended in a straight line; I turned back and waved at Mr Anderson as we exited, and he returned my wave with a warm smile; 'I hope he found his son,' I thought as Sophia and I walked towards the airport.

When we arrived at the airport, I scanned the room for the man Uncle Jerry had asked to come pick us up, and my gaze was drawn to a man holding a card with our names on it.

"Aunt Sophia, over there," I said, pointing to the man. Sophia and I dragged our bags behind us as we walked over to him.

"Hello, we're Sophia and Athena, and you must be Daniel, James' driver," Sophia said with a small smile.

"Yes, ma, welcome to New York, did you enjoy your flight?"

"Oh yes, thank you," we both said together, earning a smile from Mr Daniel.

"May I assist you with your bags?" Mr Daniel asked.

"No need, we can handle it," Sophia replied as we followed the man to the car. The thirty-minute drive to Uncle Jerry's house gave me time to check my phone for new messages from the guys.

Austin the weirdo: "Hey, Red, I miss you a lot; do you miss me?"

Red: "Nope :p"

Austin the weirdo: "That hurts Red, anyways I texted you so I could snitch on Leo, Lover boy is moping around because you're not here."

Red: "Stop teasing me Austin"

Austin the weirdo: "Seriously, I'm not joking, he has been in a grumpy mood."

Red: "Maybe it's because his brother was injured and he's in the hospital, you weirdo."

Austin the weirdo: "Nope, he just misses your kisses."

Red: "Stop being a weirdo, Austin; we're just friends, you know that."

Austin the weirdo: "I don't know anything, Red, and you should tell Lover boy that."

The car has already arrived at Uncle Jerry's house. So I quickly texted Austin that I would respond to him later,

Red: "Whatever, I will talk to you later."

Austin the weirdo: "Bye.....TTYL xoxo" I put my phone away after reading his response before exiting the car.

Sophia and I took our bags from the trunk, and Mr Daniel led us into the house, where Uncle Jerry and a blond woman I assumed was the new girlfriend were watching a movie.

"Hey, Jerry," Sophia said, and Jerry turned to see who had called him, and when he saw us, his face lit up with a smile.

"My beautiful girls, I missed you so much," he said, walking over to me and engulfing me in a hug, which I returned with a kiss on the cheek, and he let go and hugged Sophia, who also kissed him on the cheek before pulling away after a few minutes.

"I didn't miss you, so move away from my personal space," Sophia said as Uncle Jerry drew her into another hug to annoy her.

"If you didn't, I know my little butterfly missed me, grouch," Uncle Jerry said, earning a playful glare from Sophia.

"Yes, Uncle Jerry, I missed you." I said, and uncle Jerry smiled mischievously as he turned to Sophia.

"So, grouch, a little bird, told me you've got a new boyfriend; when can I meet him and see if he's good enough for my sister?" Uncle Jerry inquired, wiggling his brow.

"Stay out of my love life, Athena," she said as she turned to face me, "and you stop feeding him information, Athena."

"I make no promises, Sophia," I laughed, and she gave me a playful glare.

"Where have my manners gone? Vera is my girlfriend and the birthday girl." Uncle Jerry said as he wrapped his arm around Vera's waist and drew her closer to us.

"It's nice to meet you two, Jerry talks about you two all the time, so I asked him to invite you guys," Vera said with a small smile, she looked like she was a few years younger than Sophia.

"Nice to meet you, Vera," Sophia and I said together.

"I'm sure you're tired; allow me to show you to your rooms." Uncle Jerry said this as he took our bags and led us to our rooms up the stairs. Sophia's room was directly across from mine.

Uncle Jerry left Sophia's bag in her room before we went to my room so I could settle in as well.

"Thank you, uncle Jerry," I said as I took the bags from him and placed them on the couch.

"If you guys need anything, just call the landline," uncle Jerry said before leaving us to rest. After my shower, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Uncle Jerry knocked on our doors at nine o'clock to let us know it was time for dinner. It took me a little while to get out of bed, so when I finally did and went downstairs to the dining room, everyone was already seated and waiting for me at the table.

"I'm so sorry for keeping you guys waiting, I overslept," I apologized as I took my seat next to Sophia.

"Don't worry, it's probably jet lag," Uncle Jerry said as the cook brought us dinner and we all dug in after saying grace.

As we sat down to eat, I couldn't help but notice the lovely table setting. The plates were perfectly arranged, and the silverware was polished to a shine, something I can't even imagine having at Anwood; it's not that Uncle Jerry doesn't help us out, but Sophia and I don't like bothering him.

"I hope you enjoy the food," Vera said as she served us soup. "The cook made your favorite, Uncle Jerry's famous chicken soup."

"It smells amazing," I said as I took a sip of the soup. "It's delicious." And it was truly tasty; Uncle Jerry's cook always prepares the best meals when I visit.

"Thank you, dear," Vera said, smiling. "I'm glad you like it."

As we ate, Sophia and I talked with Vera, simply trying to get to know her better.

"So, Vera, where did you two meet?" As Sophia took a sip of her soup, I noticed a slight blush on Vera's cheek, revealing that even at her age, she still gets embarrassed so there is hope for me.

"Well, I was his physical trainer when he was trying to get used to his new heart, and your uncle would always flirt with me any chance he got, and I slowly fell for him," Vera explained with a huge smile as she talked about where they met, I wasn't surprised uncle Jerry was the one who made the first move, he is an incorrigible flirt.

"It took a long time for her to agree to a date with me, there was a lot of grovelling involved," uncle jerry said as he kissed her cheeks.

"Good job, Vera; he deserves to grovel for a change," Sophia said to Uncle Jerry, sticking out her tongue. I used to wonder who was the teenager between the two of us.

"How mature Sophia," Uncle Jerry said, rolling his eyes at her, causing everyone to laugh.

"So, Athena, I hear you're in your senior year?" Vera asked.

"Yes, in my final year," I replied with a small smile

"So, what do you want to do after school?"

"I want to be a paediatrician because I love medicine and I love children, so why not combine the two and do what I love?"

"That's very mature of you, Athena,"

"Thank you"

"That's why we're so proud of her," Uncle Jerry and Sophia said, smiling.

"How cute is the guy Jerry mentioned, Sophia?" Vera asked, wiggling her brows, and Sophia couldn't help but blush; she was completely smitten with Stephen.

"Yes, he is, and he is quite a gentleman, Vera," Sophia replied.

"We'd love to meet him someday," Vera said with a small smile.

"Speak for yourself, I don't care if I haven't met him or know him, he's not good for my girl," Uncle Jerry said, causing Sophia to chuckle.

"Then you won't like Athena's crush then," Sophia said as I turned to look at her, surprised. Why would she bring up Leo?

"I don't have a crush," I said quickly, and Sophia laughed at my embarrassed reaction.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Right, so you acting like a lovesick puppy around Leo isn't you having a crush," At this moment, I wished the ground would swallow me up.

"We're just friends," I said

"And the sky is red," Sophia said, making my face flush with embarrassment.

"Awwn, she has it bad," Vera said.

"I know right, you should see her with him, she is a complete mess," Sophia said as she and Vera laughed at me.

"I hate you," I muttered under my breath as I cast a playful glare at her.

"You can never hate me," Sophia said as she stuck her tongue out at me, "that's payback for babbling about Stephen."

"I'm gonna get you back, Sophia"

"I'd like to see you try, baby girl"

"Seems like I have two guys on my hit list now," Uncle Jerry said, and we couldn't help but laugh at his reaction.

The four of us kept talking, and the more I learned about Vera, the more she seemed like a wonderful person. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and volunteering at the animal shelter. She seems to be too good to be true, so I've decided to keep an eye on her just in case.

After dinner, the maid came to collect our plates, and Vera suggested a midnight movie, but I was too tired to stay awake long enough for a movie.

"I'm sorry I can't stay because I'm too tired, but you guys have fun."

"You okay love?" Sophia asked, her face concerned.

"Don't worry, Sophia, I'm fine; I'm just tired from the flight,"

"Okay, if you need me, just call," Sophia said.

"Sure, goodnight guys," I said, hugging each of them. Even Vera was taken aback, but she smiled it off.

"Goodnight Athena," they all said together as they made their way to the living room, and I went up to my room. Before going to bed, I decided to text Leo and see how the guys were doing.

Athena: "What's up, Leo?"

Leo: "I'm fine; Shane misses you and keeps asking when you'll be back."

Athena: "Awwn, I miss him as well; tell him I'll be back before he knows it."

Leo: "Will do, how was your journey?"

Athena: "Good, so how are you feeling now?"

Leo: "Better, I still feel guilty about him being hurt, but he insists it wasn't my fault."

Athena: "He is right, Leo; stop beating yourself up; those boys are to blame, not you."

Leo: "All right, I'll try not to feel guilty, so what are you guys doing now?"

Athena: "I was feeling a little bit tired so I decided to go to bed early".

Leo: "Oh, please go to bed; we'll talk tomorrow."

Athena: "I can still talk," I yawned, and Leo laughed, "wow, I didn't realize I was this tired."

Leo: "Athena, go to bed; we'll talk tomorrow."

Athena: "I'm sorry we couldn't talk more; I didn't realize how tired I was."

Leo: "No worries Athena, sleep tight"

Athena: "Goodnight, Leo, and sweet dreams."

I sent my final text before plugging in my phone; it took a while, but I was finally able to fall asleep, and Leo wasn't far from my dreams; perhaps I should act on my feelings and date him, as Austin suggested that if Leo is still interested in me.