The Hard Crush 1 (Feelings For You)

THIRTY-TWO

She began eating her fries robotically without really tasting it. If she pretended to be interested in the fries, maybe no one would notice she was on the verge of a major panic attack.

Her mom was inviting Jerry's family for dinner! Tomorrow!

Calm down, calm down, she ordered herself.

"Ew, you look sick." Travis had just walked in and sat across from her at the dinning.

"Yeah, I sensed your presence and now I wanna throw up," she retorted.

"Don't be rude," her mom said. She sat at the head of the table, drinking coffee.

Winifred didn't acknowledge her presence there. She'd gotten used to ignoring everyone in the house, except Travis. The guy was always in her business, it seemed as though he craved her attention. And she gave it to him the hard way. Sometimes she used words as weapon. Sometimes she went physical and stepped on him or purposely shoved him out of the way even when he wasn't exactly in her way. Sometimes she even spilled his tea on him intentionally. It was childish but it was worth her satisfaction seeing him suffer in the little ways she could manage. Although he'd apologized to her a few times for the things he'd said that night and for mentioning her dad, but she wasn't accepting his apology because she wasn't in the least pleased with it. Instead she'd sort ways to please herself, which was by torturing him.

"Can we go?" Beatrice got up from where she sat at the other end of the table.

"Are you coming?" Travis asked Winifred.

No reply.

"Winifred," her mom said in a menacing tone.

Winifred got up with her plate in hand and strolled majestically to the kitchen, head held high.

"Oh my God, she is so stubborn," she heard Beatrice say, and Winifred didn't know how to feel about that.

Her mom walked into the kitchen after her. "What is wrong with you, young lady?"

She dumped her plate in the sink and proceeded to get a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Yesterday you left for school without informing anyone. You've been giving everyone the silent treatment, refusing to eat my food and only eating what you can manage to make. And now Travis is offering to take you to school and you're ignoring him. For what, Winifred? For what?"

Winifred gazed at the bottle of water she held after taking a large gulp, simultaneously thinking of how to shut her mom up and hurry to school.

"Will you look at me when I'm talking to you?"

Her head swiped to look at her mother, brows furrowed with a frown plastered on her face.

"Everyone's tired of your attitude. I'm sick of it," her voice wavered with emotions. "I try, I promise I try so hard to make them believe that having us here isn't an inconvenience for them. But you're not helping."

Winifred watched as tears filled her mom's eyes and for the first time in a while she felt guilty and almost broken. It was very rare to see her mom break down in tears for any reason. The only time she'd seen her cry was after the death of her father. Her mom had always been the stronger force, full of determination and almost invincible. It was an invidious thought but sometimes she'd always perceived her as the authoritative one in the family. She'd looked up to her mom, hoping to share that same tough personality that could increase the bond between them. That bond that had vanished a long time ago. Right now, it was almost impossible for Winifred to have liberal views about anything her mom did or said. They didn't share the same opinions anymore and they almost never agreed on anything.