The Commotion

JACK 

“The decision is final. You both need to start preparing. The new session begins next week.” my father snapped back.

Before I could respond, my mother’s attention shifted back to Vivian. “Did you think I’d forgotten? You must eat the lamb. Keep practicing so you can get used to it.”

Vivian looked like she was on the verge of tears, her hands trembling as she stared at the plate in front of her. 

Something snapped inside me. I couldn’t watch this anymore.“Leave her alone!” I yelled, my voice echoing through the room. I could feel the heat of anger rising in my chest.

But my mother wasn’t having it. “Shut up, Jack,” she hissed, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “This is for her own good.”

I tried to stay put, to control my anger but then I couldn’t anymore, and before I knew what I was doing, I stood up so fast that my chair scraped against the floor with a loud screech. 

I marched over to Vivian’s side and without a second thought, I grabbed her hand, pulling her up from the table. But it was too late. 

Vivian had already forced the lamb into her mouth, and her face contorted in pain as she tried to keep it down.

 I saw the distress in her eyes, and without thinking, I dragged her out of the dining room, rushing her to the nearest bathroom.

Vivian barely made it to the sink before she started vomiting, the lamb coming back up almost immediately.

 I stood by her side, feeling utterly helpless as she vomited, her body shaking with the effort.

When she finally stopped, she looked up at me, her eyes red and swollen.

 “Hand me that towel,” she whispered, pointing weakly to a small towel hanging on the wall.

I hesitated for a moment before grabbing the towel and handing it to her.

As I did, my eyes unintentionally drifted down to her chest.

 Her singlet had slipped, exposing more of her than I should have seen.

 My gaze froze on the soft curve of her breast, her fresh white skin leading to the delicate, pink tip of her nipple.

I should have looked away, but I didn’t.

A rush of heat surged through me, and goosebumps prickled along my arms.

Vivian noticed my reaction, her face flushed with embarrassment, as she quickly adjusted her top, but I still didn’t look away.

 I made it so obvious that I was staring.

Without saying a word, she turned and walked past me, her shoulder bumping mine as she left the bathroom.

**********

BELLA 

“That stupid lamb,” I muttered, throwing my hands up in frustration.

 “I told her I didn’t want it! And of course, Jack just had to make things worse. Staring at me like that… like I was some kind of…..ugh!” I huffed, running my hands through my hair in exasperation.

 “And he didn’t even look away! The nerve he has!”

I stomped up the stairs, still fuming. As I neared my room, I almost collided with a maid who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“Miss Vivian,” she said politely, bowing her head slightly. “I’ve been instructed to assist you in packing your things for college.”

“College?” I blurted out. “Oh right, college… I almost forgot about that part of my horrible night.”

The maid chuckled softly, following behind me as I entered the room. “Shall we start with your clothes?” she asked, already opening the wardrobe doors.

I nodded absentmindedly, my mind racing with thoughts of what had happened.

As she began to neatly fold some of Lily’s…….no, my….clothes, I couldn’t help but start ranting again.

 I needed to get it out.

“You won’t believe what just happened,” I said, pacing back and forth across the room. 

“First, I was basically forced to eat that lamb, which, by the way, I’ve never liked. But no, Mrs. Anderson insisted it was Lily’s favorite, so I had to eat it.”

The maid raised an eyebrow but remained silent, listening as she worked.

“And then, to top it all off, Jack…oh, Jack!....decided it was the perfect time to just… just stare at my boobs! I mean, he didn’t even try to hide it!”

 I stopped pacing, throwing my hands in the air. 

“And you know what? I’m pretty sure he did it on purpose. He saw… everything! And just kept staring like I wasn’t even there like he was daring me to say something!”

The maid stifled a laugh, her eyes twinkling as she carefully folded a blouse. “Sounds like Master Jack has quite the nerve.”

“Nerve? That’s putting it mildly,” I grumbled, collapsing onto the bed.

“He’s infuriating! I swear, I’ve never met anyone so… so… ugh!”

The maid nodded sympathetically, though the faint smile never left her face. “Sounds like you’ve had quite the evening.”

“Oh, you have no idea,” I sighed dramatically, sinking deeper into the pillows. 

“And now, on top of everything, I have to pack up and go to college, where I’ll be stuck living with him in some family mansion. Just the two of us. Can you believe it? It’s like the universe is conspiring against me.”

I sat up, running a hand through my hair.

 “And about college… I haven’t even applied yet! I don’t even know the name of the college, and I definitely haven’t received any kind of admission letter. How am I supposed to just go like that?”

The maid paused her work, turning to face me with a calm smile. “Oh, Miss Vivian, that won’t be a problem at all,” she said, her tone light and confident. 

“Mr. Anderson has plenty of connections, not to mention a lot of money. Getting you admitted? That’s no issue. All they have to do is make a few calls, and everything will be taken care of.”

I stared at her, my mouth slightly open in disbelief. “So, just like that… I’m supposed to pack up my things and go to a college I’ve never even heard of.”

She shook her head and smiled and then continued folding the clothes.

I sat there, still trying to wrap my head around everything when suddenly, a loud commotion erupted from outside the room.

 The sound of hurried footsteps and panicked voices filled the air, making my heart race.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

The maid paused, her eyes widening as the noise grew louder. 

Without saying a word, she quickly rushed to the door. I followed her, as I felt my stomach twisting.

As we stepped into the hallway, we saw several maids running downstairs, their faces filled with fear.

 I grabbed one of them by the arm, desperate for answers.“What’s happening?” I demanded.

The maid looked at me, her eyes wide with terror. “It’s… it’s Jack…”

My heart dropped. “What about Jack? What happened to him?”

The maid opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her throat. 

She looked as if she wanted to say something, but all that came out was a choked gasp before she broke free from my grip and continued running down the stairs, leaving me standing there in a cold sweat.