night breeze or the cold wind blowing from Mother’s heart?
As I approached my principal and mother, I heard Sparks explaining the night’s events. “Don’t be too angry with her, Mrs. Dawson. Even though she should have come to me first, I believe she was trying to do the right thing.”
Eyes downcast, I stood next to my principal. I wasn’t afraid to look at her, really. I just didn’t feel like dealing with a major guilt trip. “I’ll just go to my room now.”
Why should she have all the fun of putting me on restriction when I could beat her to it? Stepping in between them, I was determined to lock myself in my room forever. Or at least until Grandma came back to stay. I needed a hug from her right now. She was the only member of my family who I thought really loved me.
Mother’s outstretched arm blocked my path.
Exhaling a frustrated breath, I looked at the intrusive object, my gaze traveling the length of her arm and up to her angry glare.
My breath hitched as I looked into her eyes. They didn’t look angry. They looked soft and sweet and kind of…motherly.
What had she been smoking?
In the next second, her arms were wrapped around me and she was crying.
Crying? My mother?
Her tears flowed fast as she sobbed into my hair, drenching my neck and squeezing me so hard I thought I’d burst. But I didn’t want her to let go.
Not ever.
And without thought, my pent-up emotions broke through the damn, welling in my chest. The tears poured down in sheets as I pressed my face to Mother’s chest, and all the pain, anger and rejection washed through me in waves.
From somewhere deep in the hollow of my consciousness, I heard the moans of a girl, realizing that girl was me. I was sobbing in my mother’s arms and I didn’t care who saw, my principal, my BF, even if my stupid brother was watching.
Mother was hugging me.
She loved me.
Chapter Eleven
What in the heck was wrong with me?
Sitting in a bathroom stall, wiping the remnants of tears from the corners of my eyes, I wondered just when exactly I became such a wussy girl. After my big cry-fest Friday night, Mother didn’t put me on restriction, but I didn’t ask to go out that weekend, either. Mother and I sat on the couch and watched movies all day Saturday and then we went to the mall after church.
We didn’t argue once.
Whatever had happened to make Mother like me, I wasn’t about to give it up. Which meant I’d have to make a few major sacrifices.
Starting with Bob.
Fresh tears threatened to burst from my eyes at the thought of breaking up with him, but what else could I do? We really didn’t have much of a relationship, anyway, other than talking on the computer and a few sneaky phone calls.
Bob deserved better. Someone whose mother actually liked him. Maybe a girl who also wore duct tape and dyed her hair strange colors. As odd as it sounded, I guess I just wasn’t strange enough to be Bob’s girlfriend.
The first bell sounded. Only five minutes until class.
Might as well get this over with.
My backpack felt like a lead-weight as I drug my feet toward first period. Today was going to be a very long day. The only thing I had to look forward to was pot roast tonight—Mother was making my favorite.
“Hey, AJ!”
Turning at the sound of Bob’s familiar voice, I saw him leaning against a puke-green locker, surrounded by a group of freaks.
They scattered like flies as I approached. Guess it didn’t matter anyway if they feared me. I didn’t need to worry about my BF’s friends anymore.
“Hey.” My voice faltered as I tried to paste a smile on my face.
One dark, questioning brow shot up. “House arrest all week?”
“No.” I shrugged.
“Then why didn’t we talk?”
Because I wanted to break-up with you in person.
I sighed, postponing the inevitable, and dragging out my torture. “I hung out with my mother this weekend.”
His voice lowered to a tender caress. “What’s up with
As I approached my principal and mother, I heard Sparks explaining the night’s events. “Don’t be too angry with her, Mrs. Dawson. Even though she should have come to me first, I believe she was trying to do the right thing.”
Eyes downcast, I stood next to my principal. I wasn’t afraid to look at her, really. I just didn’t feel like dealing with a major guilt trip. “I’ll just go to my room now.”
Why should she have all the fun of putting me on restriction when I could beat her to it? Stepping in between them, I was determined to lock myself in my room forever. Or at least until Grandma came back to stay. I needed a hug from her right now. She was the only member of my family who I thought really loved me.
Mother’s outstretched arm blocked my path.
Exhaling a frustrated breath, I looked at the intrusive object, my gaze traveling the length of her arm and up to her angry glare.
My breath hitched as I looked into her eyes. They didn’t look angry. They looked soft and sweet and kind of…motherly.
What had she been smoking?
In the next second, her arms were wrapped around me and she was crying.
Crying? My mother?
Her tears flowed fast as she sobbed into my hair, drenching my neck and squeezing me so hard I thought I’d burst. But I didn’t want her to let go.
Not ever.
And without thought, my pent-up emotions broke through the damn, welling in my chest. The tears poured down in sheets as I pressed my face to Mother’s chest, and all the pain, anger and rejection washed through me in waves.
From somewhere deep in the hollow of my consciousness, I heard the moans of a girl, realizing that girl was me. I was sobbing in my mother’s arms and I didn’t care who saw, my principal, my BF, even if my stupid brother was watching.
Mother was hugging me.
She loved me.
Chapter Eleven
What in the heck was wrong with me?
Sitting in a bathroom stall, wiping the remnants of tears from the corners of my eyes, I wondered just when exactly I became such a wussy girl. After my big cry-fest Friday night, Mother didn’t put me on restriction, but I didn’t ask to go out that weekend, either. Mother and I sat on the couch and watched movies all day Saturday and then we went to the mall after church.
We didn’t argue once.
Whatever had happened to make Mother like me, I wasn’t about to give it up. Which meant I’d have to make a few major sacrifices.
Starting with Bob.
Fresh tears threatened to burst from my eyes at the thought of breaking up with him, but what else could I do? We really didn’t have much of a relationship, anyway, other than talking on the computer and a few sneaky phone calls.
Bob deserved better. Someone whose mother actually liked him. Maybe a girl who also wore duct tape and dyed her hair strange colors. As odd as it sounded, I guess I just wasn’t strange enough to be Bob’s girlfriend.
The first bell sounded. Only five minutes until class.
Might as well get this over with.
My backpack felt like a lead-weight as I drug my feet toward first period. Today was going to be a very long day. The only thing I had to look forward to was pot roast tonight—Mother was making my favorite.
“Hey, AJ!”
Turning at the sound of Bob’s familiar voice, I saw him leaning against a puke-green locker, surrounded by a group of freaks.
They scattered like flies as I approached. Guess it didn’t matter anyway if they feared me. I didn’t need to worry about my BF’s friends anymore.
“Hey.” My voice faltered as I tried to paste a smile on my face.
One dark, questioning brow shot up. “House arrest all week?”
“No.” I shrugged.
“Then why didn’t we talk?”
Because I wanted to break-up with you in person.
I sighed, postponing the inevitable, and dragging out my torture. “I hung out with my mother this weekend.”
His voice lowered to a tender caress. “What’s up with
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