*Geek Boy*
I parked the car in my driveway fifteen minutes after I'd dropped Ellie off. Immediately, I slipped out my phone, re-reading the text.
Mom: Come home now.
I frowned, then tucked the phone away.
She would be irritated about me being sent home early. That much was obvious. And if she'd been told why...dread settled over me. I remembered the way she'd looked at Ellie. I knew exactly how she would feel about that poster.
I could already feel her stare of thin-lipped disapproval, burning a hole through me.
Abruptly, I clenched my jaw. So what if she disapproved?
There was nothing I could do to make her proud. Nothing I could do to win her love. She'd hated me for the last seven years, and there was nothing I could do to change that.
I was done trying to.
If she had a problem with the poster, it was her problem, not mine.
I stepped out of the car, grinning as I remembered Ellie's bright grin. It had been infectious, and dazzling, and perfect.
Then I remembered her mouth against mine. It had been so fast, but I could still feel sparks of electricity on my lips.
I can't believe I'm dating Ellie Kent.
My grin widened.
I was Ellie Kent's boyfriend. Not a secret. But her official boyfriend.
My grin was still pasted on my face as I entered the house, crossing the front room towards the stairs.
Then I froze.
My eyes locked on the living room.
It was a mess, furniture upturned. Drawers had been yanked open. Shelves had been emptied. Books, paper and cutlery were scattered on the tiles.
Sat in the centre of it all was a woman.
She was on the floor, white shirt and pencil skirt dishevelled. Her hair was free from her bun, messy brown curls shielding her face. Her shoulders hunched, her head in her hands.
Mom.
I stared.
I'd neverâ In seven years, I'd never seen her like that.
I didn't move, still frozen in shock. For an endless amount of time, I just stood there, staring.
Then, hesitantly, I shifted away from the stairs, pausing in the entry of the living room.
"Mom?"
She lifted her head. Her eyes were large and filled with tears. "I can'tâI can't find it," she choked out. "I can't find it."
I turned to stone. Shock stole my ability to speak.
Finally, I managed, "What can't you find?"
She shook her head. Her features crumpled.
Fear slid beneath my skin.
Thisâthis isn't right.
"Where's Jed?" I tried.
I glanced around, praying Jed would just appear out of nowhere and fix this. I had no idea what to do. I had no idea how I was supposed to react.
And then, the woman who had barely shown me any emotion for the last seven years, started crying.
My eyes widened. My limbs had turned to stone. Once again, all I could do was stare.
She was crying. Mom was crying.
Do something Will.
I took a step forward then hesitated, clearing my throat. "D-do you want a glass of water?"
That is possibly the stupidest question you've ever asked. That's not what you say when someone's crying.
When her head jerked into a nod, I escaped into the kitchen. My fingers trembled as I poured water into a cup. The water splashed, splattering onto the counter. I forced myself to breathe. Then I retrieved a paper towel, wiping down the glass.
Calm down, Will.
But it was difficult to be calm. My mother's coldness had remained the same for ther last seven years. An anchor. And now she was...I didn't know what she was.
A moment later, I walked back into the living room. She was still on the floor. I settled awkwardly in front of her, handing her the cup.
Her hand trembled as she took it.
She looked so smallâfragile. For years, she'd resembled a stone statue.
Seeing her like this was terrifying.
I swallowed, then parted my lips, trying to figure out what to say, when she spoke.
"She looks just like Aubrey," she rasped.
I stiffened. Aubrey. Jed's girlfriend, the one who had died.
"What?"
"That girlâshe looks just like Aubrey," mom choked out.
Ellie. I jolted with the realisation. She was talking about Ellie.
"I can't do it," she sobbed. "I can't do it anymore. When I see herâ" Her words were swallowed by another sob. "I see AubreyâI see what she did to Jedâ"
I'd transformed into a statue again. I couldn't speak.
"To be so helpless again," she gasped. "To just watchâ"
She lifted her head, wide tear-filled eyes locking on me. Eyes the same as mine.
"Please, Willâplease."
Abruptly, all the air vacated my lungs.
I staggered to my feet.
She hadn't said the words but I knew exactly what she was asking. What she wanted me to do.
I was shaking my head, panic roaring through me. "You can't askâ"
But she couldn't hear me anymore. Her body was shaking with sobs. The sound of her crying filled the air.
I turned, nearly stumbling out of the room.
My memory flashed back to the way mom had looked at Ellie, her eyes lingering on her cheer uniform.
She looks just like Aubrey.
Ellie didn't. They looked completely different.
Realisation seeped over me. But all mom saw was Aubrey's carbon copy. She saw a clone of the same girl that had appeared before our lives derailed.
And she thought it was happening all over again.
But what she wanted me to doâ
I couldn't do that.
My fingers trembled when I pulled out my phone.
I didn't know what to do. Mom's sobs were filling the air and I was useless.
I dialled Jed's number, praying he would pick up.
I called three times. He didn't answer.
I stared at the phone, trying to force my mind to think.
Who else could I call? Mom didn't have friendsânot proper ones. Neither of us did, really. There was no one who knew her well enough to do anything.
No one except...
Almost of their own volition, my fingers dialled another number. One I'd already memorised.
I sucked in a breath and put the phone to my ear.
It rang twice.
A voice that I still recognised, that was imprinted in my thoughts, responded. I didn't remember it sounding so exhausted. "Hello?"
I inhaled another breath. "Dad?"
*
Hello wonderfuls :) I hope you liked the update. I know it's sort of a cliffhanger again but, rest assured, the next update is next tuesday. What do you think will happen? :D By the way, thank you guys so much for your wonderful comments and how encouraging you all are. I do read them and I feel so incredibly grateful for all of them :D
Second announcement: from a few comments I've read, I realised that some of you guys are expecting a sex scene. I just wanted to say that I don't feel comfortable writing something like that, especially when many of my readers are so young. I hope that's okay.
Thank you all for reading!
God bless
xxx
Yemi Everest