Page 149 of Next to Everything We Wanted
We both jumped at the loud voice, searching the crowd to see who had just called her name.
A middle-aged woman stood a few feet from us, completely out of place in the sea of teens and young adults. When the people in front of her moved out of the way, I was able to take in her face. She pursed her red lips as her dark bangs fell into her eyes, her gaze narrowing at us.
The moment recognition washed over me, I almost fell to the ground.
Ruby Estrella had found me.
And she looked a lot like the girl I’d fallen for.
CHAPTER 36
Sienna
The world completely stopped spinning.
The air in my lungs evaporated, every muscle in my body freezing. I wanted to say something, to get myself out of this situation before all hell broke loose, but I couldn’t move. Not even a centimeter.
“Sienna?” Mom repeated, blinking at me with her long lashes.
I didn’t answer, my thoughts racing laps in my mind.What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?
Life as I knew it was about to completely fall apart.
“Y-You know her?” Gavin stammered, his eyes so wide they could fall out of their sockets. Gone were the beautiful Pacific waters that shone in the lights. A hurricane was coming, and it’d swallow both of us whole.
“I-I don’t know.” I gulped, staring at my wedges.
Mom stepped closer, narrowing her gaze. “You must be her boyfriend,” she told Gavin, her voice steady like this was a normal conversation. “I saw the latter half of your performance—you did great tonight.”
“T-Thank you,” Gavin said, shaking her hand. “I-I’m Ivan.”
She nodded, still studying his face. “Yeah, I think we’ve met.” She drew each word out slowly, painfully.
Gavin turned to me, the hurricane in his eyes roaring. “How do you know her?”
“Um.” I looked away, unable to handle his gaze. Some of the people around us had stopped dancing to stare at us, whispering among themselves.
“How about we find somewhere private to talk?” Mom suggested.
“Yeah, we could use alotof talking,” Gavin said, his voice hard and cold. His tone sent a shockwave of terror through me.
“W-What is there to talk about?” I asked, playing dumb, even though I knew it was a helpless cause. Gavin could put two and two together. I looked too much like this woman to not be related to her.
“Don’t act like you don’t know me,” Mom said, crossing her arms over her chest. “SiennaRubyRowan.”
“Ruby,” Gavin murmured. “Ruby Rowan.”
My chest heaved, my breathing on the verge of hyperventilation territory. “W-What are you doing here?” I asked Mom. “You told me you were in Arizona. On a work trip.” She still looked dressed for work, her button down tucked in her dress pants. “You lied to me.”
“What’s going on?”
I turned around to find Raina pushing through the crowd.
“What’s happening?” she asked again, her brows furrowing as she looked back and forth between Mom and me. Her mouth dropped once she connected the puzzle pieces. “Holy crap. Is this your mom?”
“Your mom?” Gavin echoed.
“Yes, I am.” Mom put her hands on her hips. “Is there somewhere we can talk in private? Backstage or outside or somewhere?”
