Chapter 22 - XXI (1/2)
LAIA WAS BARELY ABLE TO CARRY BRIE HOME. It was a good thing that Niel offered to drive Brie's car, or her nice ass convertible might have had met its end with Laia's awful, nonexistent driving skills.
”God, this woman is heavy,” Niel complains as he pulls the long-haired woman out of the passenger seat through her hand. ”Is it because she ate all those cupcakes?”
”I have no idea,” Laia replies, grimacing when Brie starts crying again. ”Can you ring the gate for me?”
Niel raises an eyebrow. ”Ring the what?”
”The gate,” Laia points to the gate briefly before returning her attention to Brie who just wouldn't stop crying loudly. ”Just press a button somewhere,”
The boy still looked confused but pressed the first button he saw, immediately causing a series of noises inside.
Niel steps backward and turns to Laia with fear in his eyes. ”Was that the wrong button..?”
Laia shook her head, genuinely amused by Niel's reaction which resonated with her first reaction when she visited her friend's mansion for the first time as well.
The short-haired girl even almost peed her pants when two guards came out of the mansion holding guns. She thought she would be shot for pressing a random button, but to her shock, they immediately smiled at her upon seeing their young mistress alongside Laia.
She expects the same thing to happen this time. Niel, however, still looked like he was about to shit his pants.
As Laia expected, the same guards came out of the gate with serious expressions.
Niel immediately bows as deep as he could. ”I didn't know what button to press! Spare us, please! I am way too young to die!”
Laia turns away in embarrassment. At least she didn't react like this!
One of the guards laughed. ”Don't worry, we don't bite,”
The second guard chuckles as well and smirks. ”Unless you want us to?”
Niel flushes, and his eyes drift to the ground. Laia decides to take over the conversation before awkwardness fills the air. ”Uhm, your young mistress right here might need a little bit of help--”
Brie, who suddenly seemed to have finally realized where she is, pulled away from Laia and scowls. ”Why'd you have to bring me home?!”
The first guard approaches her warily with a perplexion on his face. ”Young miss?”
Said young miss turns to him with a frown. ”What is it, Frank?”
Apparently, the first guard's name was Frank. Frank clears his throat and the playfulness in his demeanor disappears when he points to the highest floor of the mansion visible to Laia and her companions. ”Your grandmother came to visit,”
”Grandmother?!” Brie exclaims, obviously taken aback. She immediately tries to fix her rumpled clothes and takes the pocket mirror that the second guard hands her. ”Why'd she have to come today of all days?”
Laia turned to her friend in both worry and confusion. Her friend's grandmother can't be that bad, right? Laia's grandmother is the kindest woman she knows!
Apparently, Brie's grandmother wasn't bad.. she's just a bit too much.
Dressed in an all-pink ensemble with a matching fur coat and leather white boots, her friend's grandmother didn't look over the age of sixty. She can even probably lie about her age being in the late fifties!
The oldest woman in the room immediately stands up from her cross-legged position on the sofa and opens her arms wide upon seeing her granddaughter. ”My darling Brielle Maybelline Mae!”
That's a name Laia hasn't heard since forever. The long-haired girl didn't like her first name very much as she hated her second name, so she always wanted her friends to just call her Brie.
Which according to her was the most likable among her three names.
Laia secretly agrees but doesn't dare say it in front of her friend's face.
Brie grimaces at her grandmother calling her with her three names but says nothing, instead, she accepts the hug from her grandmother. After a few minutes, they both pull away from one another and the older woman turns to both Laia and Niel with a small smile.
”You didn't tell me you brought your friends along! I should have had ordered a box of pizza! Like is three enough, darlings?”
Before any of the three youngsters in the room could respond, the older woman had already fished her phone from her pocket and dialed a number.
”Looks like we don't get a say, apparently,” Niel whispers to Laia, who nods in agreement. ”Not that I'm complaining, I have been craving pizza for days!”
Brie, who seemed to have overheard the conversation of her two companions behind her, sheepishly grins. ”Sorry about her, she gets really excited when I bring my friends over. Sometimes she even orders a whole buffet table for no reason--”
”Oh, we can absolutely come every day,” Niel interjects, nudging Laia on her side to make her agree. Laia laughs at the boy's obvious excitement at the mention of free food, but she couldn't help but have the same reaction.
Brie laughs as well. ”Okay. Just tell me when you want to visit,” She turns to her grandmother for a while and watches her facial expressions change a lot. ”Anyway, even when grandma isn't here we can still order whatever you want,”
”That's amazing! We are definitely made to be best friends!” Niel even shook Brie's hand enthusiastically, as if he didn't say earlier that he didn't know her.