POV: Victoria Chaos. Absolute Chaos. That was the only way to describe everything that was happening around me. “Archie! Get back here! You need to put your pants on.” My nephew ran past me in his underwear as his mom, my cousin tried to keep up with him waving around a pair of trousers in her hand. I embraced it though. It’s not every day that your mother gets married for the third time. Although this was her third wedding, she was remarrying her first husband so I didn’t know if that counted. My mother and Mr. Thomas Stallone, her husband-to-be, met when they were in college. They were both smitten with each other and they fell in love. Thomas came from a wealthy family which did not approve of his relationship with my mom so they decided to elope. They ran off and my mom got married in Vegas in a white ill-fitting wedding dress she had found at a thrift shop. They were happy for a while but quickly realized that they had been too impulsive and neither one of them was actu
POV: Caleb The wedding goes on as planned. The ceremony was beautiful. Mom and Thomas shared an uncomfortably raunchy kiss at the end. Seeing one of your parents make out with someone never gets easier. After the ceremony, there was a brief photo session. I was roped into a few pictures but quickly excused myself and left the wedding party to it. Don't get me wrong, I had nothing against Melissa. I was actually glad that my dad met someone that he loved so much, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. I just hadn't been involved in any of the wedding planning so far and it didn't feel right to butt in all of a sudden. I decided to keep my distance and proceeded to the reception tent with the rest of the guests. Immediately I entered the tent, I felt as though I had been transported to a whole other world. The decorations in the tent made the whole thing look whimsical. The inside of the tent was brimming with fresh flowers and lush greenery. There was a dance floor set u
Ten years ago POV: Victoria Every kid’s favorite day of the week has got to be Friday. It’s the beacon light at the end of the tunnel after a long week. I lived for Fridays. I dreamt of them, wanted to marry them, and have their children if possible. So the fact that I was dreading that particular Friday said a lot. I had to make a presentation on the British Colonization of the Americas in front of the entire class. To say I was nervous would have been an understatement. “Come on Tori, this is the third time I’m waking you up. You’re going to be late for school if you don’t hustle,” my mom shouted from the corridor. “That’s the goal,” I said to myself as I threw off my covers. My history class was the first lesson of the day so maybe if I got ready as slowly as was humanly possible, I’d miss the whole thing. I dismissed the idea completely. My mother would never let that happen. She would put the clothes on my body and physically drag me out of the house and to school if she
POV: CalebMoving to a new school in my last year of high school was not something I expected yet there I was pulling up to McKinley High School. The past few weeks felt like a fever dream. My family and I had moved from Berkshire, England to Sedona, Arizona. It was the town that my father grew up in and where he'd apparently always wanted to retire to. The move was rather unexpected but there is nothing I could do about it.I could see myself being happy there. The weather was nice and warm compared to the constant gloom in England, the people were really nice and over the weekend, I had the best barbecue I had ever tasted. My little brother Eric, on the other hand, was having a hard time adjusting to our new home. He missed his old friends and the familiarity of our home in Berkshire. I couldn’t blame him. The thought of having to start a new one was nerve-wracking. "How are you feeling? Nervous?" my dad asked me.I shrugged and replied, "No, not really." He turned to look at me cl
POV: VictoriaI was right. By the time the next week rolled over, my little barfing incident was already forgotten. The rumour mill had moved on to Carl Stevens lying about his family owning a vacation home in Los Angeles. Even though I felt sorry for Carl, I was glad that the heat was off of me.That Friday had been rough. Everywhere I went people stared and pointed. Some were even bold enough to call me puke face. Of course I hated that they were being mean but what I hated even more was the fact that the spotlight was on me. It made me very uncomfortable but I got through the day. By the time the school day ended, I was in an unbelievably foul mood. I was mad at Mr Finkle for making me do the presentation in the first place. I was mad at my mother for making me go to school and for making me eat breakfast. When she came to pick me up, I sulked the whole way home and refused to talk to her. I know that wasn’t my most mature moment but it was justified.All, however, was forgiven an
POV: CalebI got paired with Victoria. I remembered that I hadn’t sought her out since that history lesson. I had seen her in some of my classes but she seemed very reserved. The only person I had seen her interact with was the Asian girl who was always dressed in funky clothes. In my defense, a lot of things had happened since that Friday.Brianna (who I quickly realized was the most popular girl in school) sort of took me under her wing. She introduced me to her group of friends, most of whom were athletes and cheerleaders. They all seemed really nice. We even hung out that weekend. I wasn’t blind though. I knew that Brianna was interested in me. I could see myself dating her but not just yet.The next week, principal Gilligan had gotten the coach to let me try out for the team even though try outs were already over and I got in. I was McKinley High School’s new linebacker. I had started getting comfortable there. I had formed a little community.I was standing next to Brianna when
POV: Victoria My encounter with Caleb wasn’t anything like I expected it to be. He was… nice. He made me laugh and seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. I felt at ease around him, like I didn’t have to be anyone other than myself. It honestly scared me a little. I had let my guard down so quickly with him it almost seemed natural. Sam bombarded me with a million questions after the class. “How was it? Were you nervous? Of course, you were. What did you guys talk about? I saw you laughing. Is he funny? How did you manage to keep your composure? If it were me, I would jump him there and then. What about his eyes? Are they as dreamy as everyone says they are?” she asked me all these questions in one breath, I was surprised that she didn’t pass out.I did not know what to tell her. A part of me didn't want to share any part of my experience with Caleb with anyone including my best friend. I doubted that I would get a repeat of it any time soon.“Come on Tori, spill! I’d tell
Pov: CalebShe was avoiding me. It irked me. I don’t know why but it did. I hadn’t talked to her since that Friday. Every time that she would see me coming in the hallways, she would either duck into the nearest room or just flat-out turn and go in the other direction. After our classes, she would be the first person out of the room. One time, she actually sprinted away from me.I didn’t think that I had done anything to offend her so her behavior didn’t make sense to me. I also did not help that Brianna was around all the time. She was basically monopolizing me. She was a really nice girl but she was way too clingy. Sometimes it annoyed me but I couldn’t say anything. The last thing that I wanted was to make her mad at me. It would cause too much drama.Thursday finally rolled around. I found myself looking forward to the biology lab lesson scheduled for that afternoon. I knew that it had nothing to do with my interest in the actual subject and everything to do with a certain elusiv
One Year LaterVictoria's POV“Annabelle, no. don’t put that flower in your mouth,” I heard Gloria’s voice shout followed by the sound of little feet running.The next thing I knew, two little figures came running into the room I was in. Annabelle who was in a beautiful blush pink poofy tulle dress had a rose stalk in her hand and my son, Liam followed right behind her with a huge smile on his face. When I saw him in his little tux, my heart melted. I couldn't believe that it had only been a year since I gave birth to him. He had gotten Caleb’s brown hair and my blue eye; the best of both worlds. Even at one year old, he had so much personality.He was the happiest baby that I knew. I didn’t know that I could love someone so little so much. Being a mom meant that you literally walked around every day with your heart outside your body. I wanted to just scoop him up and smother him with kisses.“No no no. Resist the cuteness. We have work to do,” Kathy, my makeup artist said, snapping
Victoria's POVEveryone had been acting rather strange for the past two weeks. I didn’t know exactly what was going on but I could tell that something was up. When I asked Caleb if he saw it too, he told me that it was probably in my head. My mom invited all of us to their place for dinner because she thought that it had been a while since we were all together. I didn’t mind because that meant that I got to see Caleb. He had been so busy with work for the past two weeks, that I hadn’t gotten the chance to see him.I had started getting used to the idea of being pregnant. The only people who knew were me, Caleb, Alice, and Sam. I called Sam immediately after Caleb left and she was so happy for me. She told me that she hoped that it would be a girl because her head was already bursting with ideas of all the clothes she could make for her.I was honestly excited. Sure, I was very nervous about bringing new life to the world but he or she would be a product of the love between Caleb and
Caleb's POVI rushed over to Tori’s apartment as soon as she called me. I could hear the panic in her voice and I knew something was wrong. I was already in Sedona to visit Eric, so it wasn’t too far of a drive.When I arrived, Tori was standing at the door, tears in her eyes. “Caleb, I don’t know how to say this, but I’m pregnant.”I felt a rush of emotions wash over me. I was elated, overjoyed, and terrified all at the same time. I couldn’t believe that I was finally going to have a family with the woman that I loved. This was everything that I had ever wanted, and I knew that I had to do whatever it took to make this work.I pulled her into a tight hug and hugged her really tight. She had no idea what it meant to me. Ever since Annabelle was born, I had the overwhelming desire to settle down and have a family of my own. I wanted someone to come home to every day.Someone to love and hold and grow old with. I wanted a mini version of me running around the house and making a mess. I
Victoria's POVBliss.Pure unadulterated bliss. That's what I felt every second of the day. dating Caleb was the easiest decision that I had ever made. He made me feel like the most special girl in the world and made sure that I knew I was loved.He constantly sent me sweet texts. We would talk on the phone for hours and would drive to and from Arizona to Sedona every two days just because we couldn’t bear to be apart for too long. He had sent so many flowers to my house that I was running out of counter space to keep all of it. I had only dated Caleb for a month but I immediately knew that this was what dating should feel like. I was happy and felt secure knowing that my heart was in his hands. Everyone else before him faded in comparison like a distant foggy memory. Everyone was thrilled for us. We decided to keep our relationship under wraps at first. We wanted to remain in our little love bubble but that plan quickly went to the dogs two weeks after we started dating. Gloria had
Caleb's POVI placed my phone beside me on the couch and tried to ignore it. my eyes however kept drifting back to it hoping that it would light up with a response from Tori. When I heard a chime, I basically dove for it. Just like I had hoped, it was a message from Tori.Hi Caleb!Don’t worry about me. I’m going to be okay. I think we should meet and talk about everything. Let me know when you’re available.ToriI pumped my fist up in the air. This was huge. I had absolutely no hope that she would text back let alone be open to meeting with me. If she wanted, I would get into my car and drive to Sedona right away as tired as I was, I felt a surge of energy go through my body. I had to take deep breaths to calm myself down before I responded. I didn’t want to push my luck.How about tomorrow? I could come down to Sedona.I texted back then dropped my phone like it was hot metal. I worried that maybe I sounded too eager. I was so nervous, I didn't think I was capable of playing it coo
Victoria's POVIt had been two weeks since my bakery was vandalized and I still couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease. Every time I heard a sudden noise, my heart skipped a beat and my mind instantly jumped to worst-case scenarios. I feel like I couldn't trust anyone anymore.I couldn’t believe that someone would just destroy something like that. every store next to mine was untouched which indicated that this was a targeted attack. I couldn't shake the feeling that Brianna was behind this.I always knew Brianna was trouble, but I never thought she was capable of doing something like this to me. She took away my pride and joy, the one thing that I worked so hard for. She set me back so much that I had to turn down orders because I was not in a good mental space to work. It was not just the financial loss that was weighing on me, it was the fact that Brianna took away something that was so dear to me.She took away my sense of security and left me feeling exposed. I had been staying
Caleb's POVThe room was deathly quiet in the wake of Tori’s outburst.“Ummm…what was that? What was she talking about?” My dad asked.Every eye in the room turned to look at me expectantly. They were all waiting for me to shed light on the situation. I was still loss for words. Tori was actually blaming me for what happened to her store. I was in shock.“I don’t know. Tori never told me anything about Brianna threatening her. It’s the first I’ve heard of this,” I finally said.I was having a very hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Brianna could have done something like that. It wasn't like her at all, especially judging from the amount of damage that had been done to the store if my dad’s account of events was anything to go by.“Do you know where Brianna is right now?” my dad asked. “No, I haven’t seen or heard from her since we broke up so I have no way of knowing where she is. Wait, do you guys actually think that Brianna did this? There is no way.”Eric ran his hand
Victoria's POVA full day after Caleb had dropped the bomb on me, I was still in the trenches. I felt like shit. He had single-handedly managed to turn my entire world upside down. When I walked into the living room, I got flashbacks of our conversation. The wounds hurt all over again. That’s when I knew that I had to make a change. I couldn't keep living in the same house where I had spent countless nights thinking about him.I had been secretly browsing real estate listings for weeks, not telling anyone about my plans to move because I wasn't even sure if it was what I wanted. But after my last interaction with Caleb, I knew that it was time to make a change.I called my real estate agent and told him to expedite the viewing. I wanted to be out of the guest house for a week, and I didn't care about the cost or the logistics. I just wanted to leave, to start anew. Over the next few days, I visited several different houses. None of them felt quite right, but I knew that I couldn't kee
Victoria's POVAs I sat there staring at Caleb, I couldn't believe what he was saying. For years, I had dreamed of hearing those three little words from him, and now they were finally coming out of his mouth. "I love you, Tori," he said.My heart leaped in my chest at the sound of his words, and for a moment, I felt like I was floating on a cloud. He loved me. Caleb Stallone actually loved me back. All these years that I had spent pining over him thinking that there was no way that he loved someone like me, I was wrong all along. He felt the same way that I did! I was elated. At that moment, I felt invincible.But then, as he continued to speak, my happiness quickly turned to anger. "I even broke up with Brianna for you," he said as if that was some kind of accomplishment. He just had to go ahead and ruin this wonderful moment for me. He made it sound like he was doing me a favor.I felt like I was being made to sound like the consolation prize like I was some kind of second choice th