The Monroe Legacy - G.4. Chapter 11 - Paying the Price

Authors Note - I'm so sorry for the long hiatus. I kind of fell out of love with this story because it just wasn't flowing, the save was laggy and RL got crazy. Then inspiration hit, I moved them to a new neighbourhood and life calmed down. I have a few chapters ready to go and I will henceforth be aiming to publish a chapter a week. Probably Monday or Tuesday.

Thanks for bearing with me :)

Rose XX

----------------------------------------------------------

'Rose! Wait!'

Lillia threw open the door and shouted at her cousin's retreating figure but Rose showed no sign of slowing.

'Please Rose!' Perhaps it was the pleading tone of her voice, perhaps Rose just wanted to confront them but this time she did stop, turning slowly to reveal tear streaked cheeks and blazing eyes.

'Fine' she spat. 'You have two minutes,' and with that she stalked back up the drive and through the door.

Noki stepped forward, his posture displaying his discomfort and voice laced with concern.

'Rose, it isn't what it looks like..'

'No! I'm not here to listen to you Anoki. I'm here for one reason and one reason only. So that Lillia can tell me the truth.'. In the face of Rose's fury Noki shrank back and Lillia, trying to compose herself stepped forwards.

'There's nothing going on between us Rose, I didn't even mean to come here but there was some stuff we needed to talk through. Stuff involving you.'

Rose's shoulder slumped.

'I knew it.' The rage was gone from her voice and sadness had taken it's place. 'Ever since Daisy told me last year that the two of you were getting it on I've watched for anything to make me believe her. I could ignore the little glances and you constantly trying to avoid talking about him. I almost had myself convinced that it was all just another one of Daisy's schemes. But she was right. Something did happen.'

Lillia nodded slowly, 'I kept trying to find a way to tell you. It was the end of year party and it was a huge mistake.'

Rose shook her head, 'No the huge mistake was me assuming that because we were related you would treat me any differently than those other innocent girls who got between you and something you wanted. The mistake was me believing that there was some of the Lillia I knew before the accident under that cold plastic exterior.'

Lillia couldn't find anything to rebut that. It stung but it was the truth after all, just as she'd feared that last loose thread of dishonesty had unravelled all the hard work she'd done to change into a person she wanted to be. Lillia was defeated but still Noki tried to defend her,

'It was just once and Lil was really drunk. Rose you have to believe us.'

'I don't have to believe anything you two say.' There was no understanding in those words, no hope of reconciliation. 'Once was one time to many. I hope you're happy Lillia, you just made an enemy of the last person on campus who was really on your side. You deserve him.'

And with that she turned and left.

Lillia and Noki stood side by side staring at the space she had left. Ten minutes ago they had seen a new friendship stretching before them and promised to help each other be better people. They had hoped for a resolution. How stupid it all seemed now.

--------------------------------------------

The awful thing about life in the sorority, thought Lillia, was that nothing had really changed. Before she had drifted past the low whispers and sideways looks assuming they were nothing to do with her. But Rose had stripped her of that illusion and now the dining hall was a minefield of hurtful words. Selfish, slut, traitor, fake, bitch. That was their favourite. She pretended not to hear it, that words didn't matter but seeing in Rose's face that her own cousin believed those things of her was heartbreaking.

Some days she would muster up the courage to confront them, drawing herself up and catapulting herself to heart of the noise, usually around Daisy, intending to demand they say those things to her face. But the second she was seated the smiles would snap into place and they'd chatter mindlessly about celebrities and fashion until she could bear the two-facedness no longer.

Worse still was the return home to Lucky Palms where the fair-weather friends of the party scene flocked to Rose's side and a frosty divide had set in between two branches of the Monroe family. Where once Gray, Jet and the other siblings had eaten en masse at the bistro at least weekly there was now nothing. The ranch was off limits because of Lillia and though Gray had assured her it would blow over, his tone suggested he wasn't impressed by her actions.

Rachel's reaction was worse yet. While Gray had largely avoided the topic except to confirm that what they had heard second hand (a full-blown affair spanning months) was not true, Lillia's mother had been unable to hide her disappointment. The morning after Lillia returned for spring break she found her mom with a serious expression and two cups of coffee waiting in an otherwise deserted house.

'Mom... I didn't mean to-',

'Stop there Lillia. You didn't mean to hurt your cousin. It was a mistake. We've all heard it a hundred times. And honestly I believe that you didn't mean to do it. The problem is that I think you don't mean to do a lot of the things you do, I blame myself and your father for part of that, I was always so proud to have a "popular" daughter that I assumed that the person I knew was the same one the rest of the world saw, even if the evidence didn't exactly support my view .'

Lillia hung her head and Rachel's tone softened slightly.

'Lillia honey, I know you didn't have an easy run of it, Eva's disappearance, the accident, your dad and I being so busy. You were always such a sweet child that we just let you do as you wanted, I never told you no or raised my concerns at first because they seemed silly and then because I didn't want to push you away or upset you. You were this beautiful and completely confusing teenager and I wanted to keep you close. It seemed to get worse when you went to University and I wondered if I should say something then but just when I got up the nerve you seemed to go back to being more like that little girl I used to know.'

'I've been trying mommy,' Lillia could barely hold back the tears, she could cope with everyone else hating her but knowing that her own mother had looked at her and seen a stranger was too much.

'I know baby.' Rachel's composure began to crumble too and she came to comfort her daughter. 'You're my daughter which means I notice that stuff. And you get as many do-overs as you need when it comes to me. I'll love you even if you decide to join the circus or move to Mongolia and become a monk. Which is why I had to talk to you now, before you get any further down whatever path you choose.

In this house you always have the chance to wipe the slate clean but that won't happen elsewhere. Most people won't give you the chance to figure it out and once you lose them it's over. Even that isn't always the end of the world, losing people is part of life, we leave the people we don't fit in with behind as we figure out who we are.

What you have to decide is who you want to be, not in terms of your job or your future prospects but in terms of what's in your heart, the things which truly matter to you. And then surround yourself with people who make you into that person, don't torment yourself over all the others who fall by the wayside. Figure out which people are worth fighting to have in your life and do whatever you can to hold on to them.'

'And if it's too late? If they already gave up on you?' Lillia's voice was unsteady.

Rachel smiled, 'Then you have to believe it isn't over.'

Lillia managed a watery smile in return. 'Okay.'

After gathering up the mugs and stacking the dishwasher Rachel looked over at where Lillia was still lost in thought.

'Hey Lil?'

'Hmmmmm?' was all she got back.

'How about my trendy daughter takes her old mom to the mall for a little girl time?'

Lillia finally focused back on the situation at hand, a mother daughter bonding day might be just what the doctor had ordered.

'Fine, but only if you promise never to use the word trendy ever again!' she laughed.

Read Chapter Gen 4 Chapter 12 - Now, Where Was I?