Chapter 3

Half an hour later, my dad finally left. He tried to say good bye, but I ignored him. My mom left me with some Ben & Jerry’s strawberry ice cream before going to her meeting. I wished my brother were here. He would’ve been comforting me and he would’ve told my dad to leave me the hell alone. He would’ve protected me. He would’ve tickled me until I started smiling again. My brother, Darren was two years older than me and right now, he was at college all the way in Washington. I missed him terribly. He was working on getting a degree as a mechanic. My father wanted him to become a star baseball player, but Darren didn’t listen to him. It was his life after all. That’s how I learned to stand up to my father. Darren was my inspiration. His voice popped into my mind. “Hold your head up high and smile. Stand up tall and remain strong. You are strong. You know why?” I would smile at him, knowing what he would say next. “Because I’m your brother.” We would laugh and he would tickle me until I was almost out of breath. It was getting dark already and I could see the stars in the sky began to appear. I was sitting in my huge bedroom, looking out the window to the back yard. The only thing I didn’t like about this place was the forest that was a few feet away from my house. It was strange and creepy. It looked like one of those forests in those scary movies they tell you not to go into. The fog surrounded the trees mysteriously and I shivered at the thought of walking into the forest and what could happen if I did. Just when I thought that, I saw something black zipping through trees. What the hell was that? I started to panic. Was it a dog? Dogs certainly weren’t as big as that. Maybe it was a bear. But bears didn’t move that fast, a little voice in my head said. Goosebumps rose all over my body and my heart started going in overdrive. I closed my eyes and shook my head and looked back at the forest. There was nothing. It just looked creepy as usual. Maybe I was hallucinating, I was tired after all. Someone knocked on my door, waking me up from my reverie. “Come in,” I called, still looking outside. The door opened slowly and my mom’s head popped inside. She looked concerned and worried. She came in and obviously, she changed into something more comfortable. Her hair was in a messy bun and she wore a white loose shirt and gray sweats. “Honey, you okay?” “Yeah, I’m just mad at dad.” I sighed. “You have every right to be. I can’t believe he married a skank.” My mother spat and shivered in disgust. “I can’t believe he chose her over his own daughter.” I stayed quite the whole time my mom ranted about the reasons she divorced him. “He was selfish. He wanted things to go his way. Gosh, when is he ever going to learn?” My mom just kept going on and on until I got up and started unpacking my clothes. She watched me curiously and started helping me unpack my stuff. It was silent and I appreciated it. I didn’t feel like talking about my dad anymore. What’s done is done. By the time I was half way done, my right shoulder started aching. I winced and started rolling it. I rubbed it, but it did nothing to help my burning shoulder. My mom noticed and she looked at me worried. She bit her lip. “What’s wrong?” She asked. “Nothing big. It’s been happening for a week.” I rubbed my shoulder, wincing. I closed my eyes and counted to ten, trying to calm myself down. “It’s probably because I’m tired.” “I think your sh-“ my mom stopped herself midsentence and looked scared for a moment. I looked at her curiously. She bit her lip again and she looked off into space. “Huh?” That seemed to jolt her out of whatever she was thinking. Gosh, what is wrong? Weird things just keep happening. “Mom, are you alright?” “Yeah. It’s probably because you’re tired. I mean, you’ve been stressed. You’ve been through a lot.” She said nervously. I looked at her suspiciously and she sighed. “Honey, you do realize I’m sorry? You don’t deserve any of this.” “Mom, it’s not your fault. Trust me. I’m with you now and I couldn’t wish for anything else.” I hugged her as she began to cry. “I feel like a horrible parent. I mean, my daughter is not happy. What’s wrong with me?” She said upset. She wiped her tears away. I felt a pang in my chest. She thought this was her fault. “Let me make it up to you. Spa day Saturday.” “Mom, it’s not your fault. And I’d love to.” I sighed and hugged her once more. She looked excited and I smiled. I missed these moments with my mom. The moments where it was just the two of us, either shopping, relaxing, getting our nails done or just talking. She always found a way to make my day. “That way, the aching in your shoulder would go away,” she winked. “And you look like crap.” She said, her face scrunching up. “And you stink too. You really need to take a bath.” “Jee, thanks mom. I love you too.” I said sarcastically. “Anyways, what did dad say to you?” “He didn’t say anything. He was a chicken,” my mom rolled her eyes. “I did most of the talking. I told him that you needed space. I also said some violent things, but you don’t need to hear those things.” She said proudly. She didn’t like it when someone messes with her or her kids. When she gets mad, she gets mad. Never get on my mom’s bad side, just saying. “So, how’s you and Chase?” I broke down. I couldn’t take it anymore. Holding back my tears was too hard. My heart was aching some more. My mother looked at me curiously while she held my hand. She looked sorry for me. She probably thought I only missed him. To tell you the truth, I do miss him and I hate myself for that. “He cheated on me,” I said between sobs. My mom gasped and embraced me in a motherly hug. “W-with Ali.” “What!” She said angrily. Her eyes narrowing and she looked like she was going to kill someone pretty soon. “I swear, when I see those two, I’m going to –“ “Mom, forget about it. They’re nothing to me anymore. Since I’m here, I’m going to leave the past behind and start fresh.” I interrupted, putting on a fake smile. “I’m going to take a shower since I stink.” I said, emphasizing the last two words. She laughed and I smiled. I loved my mom’s laugh. It made me happy to know I made her happy. “Do you have some Epsom Salt? My shoulder is really hurting.” I started rubbing my shoulder again, wincing when the pain intensified. “Yeah, it’s in your bathroom drawer.” “Okay, thanks.” I started walking to my bathroom. “Good night mom. I love you. Thanks for everything.” I could tell she smiled even if I wasn’t looking at her. I could feel the happiness radiating off of her. “Good night Juli. No problem, sweet heart.” She said softly. “By the way, you start school in two days.” Great, I thought. Here comes the torture.