Ethan Knight is living his life just as he imagined it. Being the captain of the basketball team, he has to make sure they win this year's championship, which will further solidify his chances of being drafted, his dream for as long as he can rememb...
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I know it hurts a lot when the love of your life cheats on you, but I would argue that it hurts equally, if not more, when your mother treats you like you don't exist.
"What do you want, mom?" I say, sighing.
"Why do I have to want something to call my daughter?" She sounds offended. "Can't a mother just want to talk to her daughter?"
I roll my eyes at her words before sighing and saying, "Yes, a mother can, but not you."
A gasp comes from the other side and I know I have effectively pissed her off and it's not even been a full minute since I picked up the call.
"Iris Lily Reed, don't you dare talk to me like that?" She says in a strong and furious voice.
I audibly sigh out to calm myself. "Look, we both know this is not gonna be a heart-to-heart, so why don't you just tell me what you want and we can both get on with our lives?"
"Oh good god, what has happened to you?" She says, sounding horrified. I simply roll my eyes, knowing how melodramatic she is.
When I say nothing in return, she awkwardly clears her throat. "Anyway, I simply called to remind you of the annual gala."
Oh, fuck. Not this again.
"Mom... I'm not even in New York. Can't I just skip the ball this year?" I try to excuse myself, my voice filled with hope.
"No. Not at all." She says, and I know that there's no way for me to skip it. I can always make a choice and not go, but then, she'll probably land here in LA afterward and create a big scene and honestly, I would rather torture myself with a few hours of fake sweetness than her being in LA.
"Fine. I'll be there." I say, my voice blank. "Send me the dates."
"Yeah, I will." I am about to hang up, but then her next words stop me. "I look forward to meeting you and that new boy toy of yours."
I take a moment to consider if I heard her wrong, but knowing my mom, she's very capable of saying something like that.
"My new boy toy?" I say, and my voice depicts exactly how I feel. Like I don't know what the hell she's talking about.
"Oh, yeah. What's his name?" She hums as she tries to remember the name. "Ah, yes. Ethan Knight."
Her words shock me. I know my mom holds no respect for all my relationships because she wants to see me with Chase, but calling him my 'boy toy' has got to be a new low.
I stop myself from taking Ethan's name, knowing he's standing just a few steps away from me.
"He's not my boy toy." I say, but don't bother to define our relationship because I know she doesn't care. "How do you even know about him?" The question comes to my mind as an afterthought.
