My Chemistry Tutor

CHAPTER 31

LISA'S POV

"What are you doing here?" I asked sharply, my voice laced with disbelief as I stared at my mother standing right in front of me.

"Can't I want to see my daughter?" she replied, swaying slightly.

"No," I said coldly, my eyes narrowing. "Not after how you treated me the last time. It's almost been a week since I left home and you never even tried to find me."

"Well, I am... I am here now. Aren't... aren't I?" she slurred, stumbling as her words dragged together.

I scoffed, shaking my head. "No, you're drunk. You probably just found me by accident. You work in the bar next to the mall, it's not hard to figure out."

"Stop being a brat, you're killing my buzz," she muttered, her hand fumbling against the side of a bookshelf as she tried to steady herself.

"Why are you here?" I asked bluntly. "Is it the money you want? Because I don't have any to give you, I quit my job."

"YOU WHAT?!" she screamed, suddenly snapping out of her haze.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT? What about rent and food?"

"Figure it out yourself," I shot back, turning on my heel to walk away.

"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded, stumbling after me.

"I'm going to find my girlfriend," I said firmly. "She actually cares about me and doesn't just talk to me for money." My eyes darted across the aisles, searching desperately for Jennie.

"A girlfriend? When did you get a girlfriend? Is she the one you're staying with?" Mom slurred, her voice rising.

"What does it matter to you?" I muttered, still scanning the shelves.

"You know she won't always love you. She's going to get tired of you and leave you behind one day," Mom said, her words dripping with cruelty.

I froze and turned to glare at her, looking her dead in the eyes. "Jennie isn't Dad. She wouldn't leave me."

"I once thought your dad would never leave too," Mom said bitterly, her voice cracking. "I used to think that he loved us so much."

To my shock, tears rolled down her face. For the first time, she looked... broken. The bitterness was still there, but underneath it, there was raw pain.

Normally she would blame me or curse Dad's name, but this, this was different.

Her sudden vulnerability made me soften. My expression wavered. I felt the urge to hug her, to close the distance and let her know she wasn't alone. I even reached out a hand

But I stopped when I heard it.

"Help! Lisaa! Someone help!" Jennie's scream ripped through the bookstore, making my heart stop.

Panic surged through me. I turned instantly and bolted down the aisles, calling her name over and over.

"Jennie! Where are you?!"

"Lisaa!" I heard her voice, terrified, from the right.

I skidded around the corner and froze at the sight before me. A tall girl had Jennie pinned against a bookshelf, one hand gripping her wrist so tightly it was turning purple.

Rage ignited inside me. Without hesitation, I sprinted forward and shoved the girl away from Jennie. She hit the floor with a loud thud, but I didn't care.

My entire focus zeroed in on Jennie. She was trembling, her face pale, her breaths shallow. I grabbed her shoulders gently, forcing her to look at me and not at the girl on the ground.

"Hey, Jennie, it's okay. I'm here, love," I whispered, pulling her into my arms and holding her tight.

She trembled for a few more seconds, clinging to me, before slowly beginning to calm down.

I pulled back just enough to see her face. Carefully, I pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, my thumb brushing her cheek.

She gave me a small, shaky smile. I laced my fingers through hers for comfort but Jennie immediately flinched in pain.

I froze, glancing down. Her wrist was red, bruising quickly, and thin lines of blood from nail marks ran across her skin.

My chest tightened with fury. Gently, I let go of her hand, turning my attention to the bitch who hurt her.

She was already standing, brushing herself off with a smug grin plastered across her face.

"So, you're the girl she's having fun with now," she sneered, stepping closer.

"And you're the piece of shit that hurt Jennie," I snapped back, instantly stepping in front of Jennie to shield her.

"I'm her former lover," she replied, smirking like it was some kind of achievement.

"Oh, so you're the pathetic piece of trash ex-girlfriend," I retorted coldly. "I'm so glad Jennie moved on from you."

"Jennie moved on from me? Yeah, right." She chuckled darkly, her eyes flickering past me to try and see Jennie. "She loved every second we had together today."

That was the last straw. My anger boiled over.

I stepped forward, and she instinctively stepped back. We repeated the dance, me advancing, her retreating until her back hit the shelf. I grabbed the front of her shirt in a fist, yanking her close enough to see the fury in my eyes.

"If you ever hurt her again or even touch her, I swear I'll punch that smug grin off your face and put you in the hospital," I threatened in a low, dangerous voice.

I shoved her back hard enough to make her stumble, then turned my back on her completely. Jennie was all that mattered.

I wrapped an arm around her trembling frame. "She isn't going to hurt you again," I promised softly.

At that moment, a bookstore employee rushed over, eyes wide. "Do you guys want security to throw that girl out of the mall?"

"Yes, please," Jennie said quickly, her voice shaky but firm. "Tell security she's a dangerous person to be around."

"Okay, I will. Don't worry, you two can go. The staff and I will make sure she doesn't leave until security gets here," the employee assured us.

"Thank you," I said sincerely before guiding Jennie out of the store.

I glanced around the mall instinctively, but there was no sign of my mom anymore. She had vanished.

Where did she go?

Jennie slipped her arm around my waist, pulling me closer. Her warmth grounded me, pulling me out of my spiral.

I tightened my arm protectively around her shoulders. "We should go get bandages and ice for your hand," I murmured.

"Good idea," she answered softly, leaning into me as we walked together.