Such A Tease

11

"Okay so thanks for everything." I said as I gathered my things in my bag. Aiden hovered around the kitchen.

He leaned in to see me. "We don't speak of this." As if we were in some sick movie, my phone sang to life.

The title read Mom. I answered, my voice cracking. "Hello?"

"Why aren't you with Curt?" I heard the accusing voice on the other line. My head spun and I almost fell to the floor.

"What..."

"I called him and he was screaming how 'the little slut' punched him. You laid a hand on him? What on earth possessed you to do that, Heather!?"

"You're joking, right?" One hand was clenching the phone till it creaked and the other was balled up until my nails broke the skin of the palm of my hand. I wasn't breathing.

She wasn't done. "I want you to go home, immediately! I want you to apologize to him. I want you to make this better. Right now, Heather!" Her tone was harsh and my ears buzzed with heat. My heart was wrenching, it hurt so much.

"I'm not going back to him. Do you know what he did to me? Do you know why I punched him? Do you know why I haven't ripped his parts off of him yet? I'm not going back to that rapist." My words were slow and steady, unlike how I felt. The venom in my voice was seething.

"What about me, Heather?"

"What about you, mother?"

"I have nothing. You may leave as you may but who and what do I have? I don't know what he could have possibly done to deserve you hurting the man. Fix this, Heather!"

"There's no fixing this, mom! It's broken! It's been broken. I don't want to have to repeat myself. I'm not going back to him. After what he did, I don't even want to look at him. If you really cared about me, you'd accept that and let me be to go to Tony. You can escape this every week with your job. You can run to a new place, live a new life, while I sit stuck with Curt who can't keep his hands to himself."

"Heather-"

"Don't interrupt me, mother! I'm tired of being second to your needs. What about how I need a family. How about how I need a mother there to sooth my stupid adolescent worries and tell me that none of it will matter later? It's too late for that anyway, because I've had to raise myself. You don't even care that your daughter's probably following your footsteps. Are you really that blind?"

"Are you working at Tony's?"

"Is that really all you got from that?! Yes, mother, I am!"

"Heather, I'm not the reason we moved. I'm not the reason you choose to be a slut!" "Wait, heather... I'm sorry. I'm just feeling attacked by you right now. I would really rather talk about this in person when I come back. Okay? I'll call Curt, he won't touch you. Just go home, okay? I'll talk to you soon."

"I don't have a home."I said to the phone, with a cold, heartless laugh. I felt cold on the back of my neck. My breath was irrational and quick. My body hurt and my body was spinning. I tired to get air into my lungs and ended up falling forward holding onto the couch.

"Heather?"

I turned my head too fast and ended falling completely onto the couch. Aiden ran over. I started laughing breathlessly. "Ha... I forgot... you were here."

"Heather, your really fucking pale. Like your scaring me. Do you need water or a hospital or something?"

The breathless laughter just become breathless breathing. "No... I" My breaths become hysteric and rapid as I tried to desperately get air in my lungs.