Craving For Her

Complicated Relationship

Zoe’s POV
When we got home, Andrew was sitting on the stairs waiting for us. Once he saw us highlighting from the taxi, he ran up to us and held on to my leg.
“Don’t disturb her, Andrew,” Mum scolded. “She needs to rest.”
Andrew looked up at me worriedly and I gave him a wink just to assure him that I was fine.
Mum unlocked the door and we all entered. Regina and Todd were at their usual hang-out spots and were not at home. Mum led me to my room and sat me down on the bed. There was long awkward silence since being as caring as she was now was very uncommon.
“How are you feeling,” She asked as she sat on the bed with me.
I shrugged.
She sighed. “What were you doing with that girl?” She asked. 
I frowned at her question, hurt. And to think she actually cared when all she wanted to do was to interrogate me. “We went to the park,” I told her. “She is my friend.”

“You are friends with a Callahan?”
“So?” I moved away from her to look her in the eye. She had the same look of horror she had in the hospital.

“You cannot be friends with her, Zoe,” Her voice was firm. “I don’t want you near her again.”
“What?” I got up a bit too fast that I had to hold on to the frame of my bed to regain my balance. “Why…”
Mum got up too. “Look at the problem you got into because of them, Zoe,” She reached for me. “You have to understand, they are not who they say they are.”
I was seething by now. Or maybe it was just the venom that remained in my system. “No!” I pushed her away from me.
“Zoe I know what is best for you, I am your mother…”
I stopped her right there. “You are not my mother, you are not A mother,” I yelled at her. “Do you know that I get bullied, do you know that people call me a slut, they think I am cheap?”
Mum was quiet, her eyes pleading for me to stop as if my words were knives that pierced her flesh. As much as I wanted to understand her, I was just too mad to be reasonable.
“Zoe…” She croaked.
“You could have consoled me, talked to me, held me,” My eyes were watering. “But you did not do that and now that I have someone who could be all that to me, you are telling me to push her away?”
“Okay Zoe, I will be there for you now, I promise…” She reached for me again but I recoiled.
“It is too late for that,” I told her as I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. “We have gone beyond that now, from now on, You do you and I do me.” I stormed out of the room and slammed the door. I stopped right outside the door and bit my lips in regret. I could hear through the door that she was weeping. She disappeared for a week just to come and make empty promises.
“Ray?”
I turned to see Andrew,
“Why is mum crying? He asked innocently.
He was too young to understand the complexities of our relationship. “Because she is hungry,” I lied.
He cracked a smile. “I am hungry too,”
I grinned at him and held my hand out so he could clasp it. “Then let's cook.”
He took my hand and we headed off to the kitchen to make dinner.
Louis’ POV
It was late when I got back home. I just could not get the image of Zoe on the stretcher out of my mind. I made sure she reached home safely with her mum before I finally made it home.
I opened the front door to complete darkness, I made my way to my bedroom. Just then, the light from a lamp flickered on and there on one of the couches was my dad.
“Where have you been?” He asked. His expression was unreadable.
“You want to start acting like a father now?” I scoffed. “Don’t you think you came a little too late to that party?”
He got up and stalked towards me. “You have not answered my question.”
I grinned. “I was following in your footstep. I was with one of my whores.”
His features hardened but he said and did nothing. As I walked past him, he held me back by my arm. “That is no way to speak to your father,” The authority that I used to perceive in his voice had been muted.
I pulled away. “You can only be my father when you are ready to be a husband to my mother,” I told him. “Until then, you don’t have a son.” I left him in the living room and retired for the day.
Zoe’s POV
The next day, I rested at home. Surprisingly mum stayed home too. She brought me breakfast in bed and administered my medicine. We did not talk about what happened the previous day. Neither Todd nor Regina came back home last night which was a relief. I would not need to clean up puke. There was a knock on the door and mum went to answer. I expected either of them at the door and was already getting up to lock the bedroom door when I heard Sandra’s voice and a man’s voice
I came out of my room to be sure. She was supposed to be in school. I met Sandra already outside my room.
She pulled me for a rib-cracking hug.
I smiled but before I could say anything I heard my mom yelling.
“Victor, leave me the fuck alone!"
We both ran towards the source of the commotion. There I saw my mum with her eyes blazing and just as she is about to deal Mr Callahan a slap, I get in between them and get hit instead.