Chapter 5 What the hell...

Elinor Roy – POV

I sang loudly while cleaning the house and helping Grandma with the remaining chores...

The weather was beautiful today, and I was in a good mood. It had been a quiet week since my mom's wedding. Not much happened-just some calls with Dad, and I hung out occasionally with the twins and Scarlett.

Scarlett and I visited the neighborhood to say hello to Rio and Mrs. Paola, and I often ran into Dominic, who did nothing but give me that weird look before silently walking away...

Ugh, as if I'm dying for you to talk to me, jerk!

After finishing my tasks, I collapsed onto the couch, panting with exhaustion. This was how I planned to spend the rest of the day-lazy and relaxed...

But my peace didn't last long. Sasha and Suzy barged into the house like a freaking drug raid team!

"Elinor! Move it, you old panda!" Sasha screamed in a voice that could burst eardrums before launching herself onto me. I shrieked in pain and sat up straight.

"What the hell...? Sasha, what is wrong with you?!"

Suzy laughed. "She's just too excited. She doesn't know how to act when she gets like this."

I groaned, rubbing my right shoulder, and asked irritably, "So, care to explain why you're this hyped?"

We were both sitting on the couch, while Suzy stood with her arms crossed and a beautiful smile on her face. I turned to Sasha, curiosity practically killing me...

"My suspicions were right!" Sasha shouted, raising her hands in the air.

I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "And...?"

"Bigfoot! He's real!" she said, eyes gleaming.

She's kidding, right?!

Crap. She's not kidding.

"Bigfoot?! Sasha, I know you're crazy, but that doesn't mean you're stupid too, does it?" I mocked her with a half-smile. But she shook her head, that dumb smile never leaving her face.

"No, Elinor, I've got proof this time!" she said in her best Detective Conan impression. She pulled out her phone, swiped through it, then shoved it in front of my eyes.

It was a photo of a giant footprint in the muddy ground...

Despite how clear it was, it wasn't hard to tell that the foot was unusually large-but still, it made no sense...

"Maybe it's just someone with gigantism," I said flatly.

"Or maybe... it's Bigfoot!" she insisted. I took a deep breath and looked to Suzy for help, but she only shrugged, clearly indicating there was no point trying to argue with Sasha...

"We're going into the forest-all three of us-to find Bigfoot!"

"And who's your third? Because it's not me!" I said firmly, getting up from the couch.

"Why not?! It'll be an awesome adventure!" Suzy exclaimed, tilting her head to the side.

"I hate forests," I said sharply, a slight shiver running down my spine as a certain dream came to mind...

---

"You freaking traitor!" Courtney screamed over the phone, forcing me to pull it away from my ear and shut my left eye in annoyance at her piercing tone.

"Courtney, lower your voice! I can hear you just fine," I snapped, putting the phone back to my ear.

"You little brat! I didn't even know you had traveled until a month later! Neither you nor Uncle Wendy said a word!"

"Oh please, if you actually cared, you would've known earlier."

I could practically hear her rolling her eyes as she said, "Haha, very funny."

I laughed out loud. "Okay, okay, forget that. So how's your mom's city?"

I glanced around before replying, "It's nice... a little boring though."

"I don't think the city's boring-I think you're boring, Elinor."

"Come over here and take a real dose of boredom, then decide!"

She let out that charming laugh of hers. "With that tone of yours, I don't doubt it." Then, excitedly: "By the way-I've started dating someone-"

"Again?!" I yelled in disbelief.

"Elinor, lower your damn voice!"

"Who's the new idiot?!"

"Larry. He's amazing. You're going to love him!"

"I'll give you my opinion when I meet him-assuming you haven't broken up by then."

"You're such a jerk, Elinor!" she joked, and I laughed just to tease her. "I know."

---

Grandma drove the car while I sat beside her on our way to the Harold family's neighborhood. We chatted about all sorts of things...

I had grown much closer to Grandma during my stay here. Turns out, she's a truly wonderful and fun woman. We didn't spend a ton of time together, but just having her around brought me comfort...

"It's sweet of you to come, little Elin," Grandma said with a smile.

"Well, Rio invited us. It's only fair that I accept," I replied honestly.

"You and Rio get along well-unlike Dominic," she remarked.

"Rio is great. Totally worth being friends with. His idiot brother? Not so much."

The old lady chuckled, steering smoothly into a right turn and then onto the dirt road Harry once drove us through...

We arrived at the neighborhood and drove through it until we reached the Richards' house, where Rio and Dominic were already waiting for us.

My jaw practically hit the floor when I saw Dominic there. I never expected him to actually greet us...

"Hello, Ms. Mary, Elinor. We're happy you could come," Rio greeted us warmly with a sincere smile, while Dominic simply nodded in greeting.

"Just call me Mary, kid," Grandma teased as we entered the house with all those damn glass windows...

Jeez! I hate this house. No privacy whatsoever!

"Please have a seat. Mrs. Paola is preparing dinner," Dominic said politely. Judging by his tone and expression, I bet he was forcing himself to be civil...

Grandma and I sat on a couch, while the brothers sat across from us. Most of the conversation was with Rio, while his brother remained quiet-saying only what was necessary, then going silent. I wouldn't have minded... if it weren't for his sneaky glances in my direction every now and then...

Each time I met his gaze, he'd quickly look away like nothing had happened...

I felt Dominic's eyes on me again, so I hit him with a sharp glare that said, "Stop looking at me!" But to my surprise, this time he didn't look away. He stared right back... like he was trying to see into my soul...

My heart pounded under the weight of his stare, and I noticed his eyes looked darker than usual. I remembered them being brown... but now they were pitch black...

This guy seriously scares me!

I scooted closer to Grandma until I was practically glued to her. She noticed, as did Rio, but neither of them commented. They just kept chatting about Mom and Harry until a man and woman entered... I recognized them from my mom and Harry's wedding.

I think their names were Mark and Alexandra-Dominic's friends. I really wish Ralph had come with them... I missed his dumb jokes and goofy charm...

They sat on the third couch, and everyone joined in the conversation-Dominic included this time, which made me feel a bit better. At least he'd stop staring for a while.

I watched everyone, especially Alexandra. She was stunning-tall, blonde, like a supermodel.

But what really caught my attention were the looks she kept throwing Dominic's way...

Admiring... and definitely secretive!

Looks like Dominic has his own little fan club... During my visits to this neighborhood, I noticed the girls always fawning over him, as if he's the only attractive guy in the universe!

Why don't they look at Rio? Or Ralph? Or even Mark? They're all just as handsome!

Idiots.

"Hey Rio, could you show me where the bathroom is?"

"Oh, third door down that hallway." He pointed it out before returning to his conversation with Grandma and Mark...

I got up quickly and left-completely unaware of the eyes that followed me with great interest...