The Other Side

Adjusting

"Ava?" Mum gasps, coming to a halt as she spots me. 

"Hi..Mum." I mumble, feeling self conscious as her eyes roam over me. 

Mum and Dad stand together staring at me, holding each others hands. "You look so..different." Dad says, an uneasy smile spreading across his face.

I considered that for a moment, I hadn't looked in a mirror since the last time I was home. They hadn't trusted me enough to give me a mirror in my room here. "I haven't been that interested in keeping up appearances here.." I say, looking down away from their eyes.

Dad walks across and takes my hand. "Let's go home." He smiles, his voice slightly more confident as he looks back to Mum who stays where she is. Her eyes locked on the door.

The journey home was beyond awkwardly quiet, Mum and Dad looked at each other at first and tried to come up with something to say but gave up. I simply sat in the back seat and looked out the window, they locked my door as soon as we got in. Probably as a safety precaution in-case I decided to jump out, ridiculous really because if I really wanted to kill myself I could have ran away in the walk from the building to the car. 

"We're home." Dad says, pulling the car over as we reach the outside of my house. He stretches his hand over and gives Mum's hand a squeeze before getting out and opening my door. I step out and let him shut my door, I walk ahead to our house.

"Wait!" Dad calls, I turn my head as Dad runs over to me. 

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Uhm..just wait for us ok?" Dad smiles, nervously.

"Why? Do you think I'm incapable of walking to the door without you?" I snap, glaring at him.

"No..it's just." Dad sighs. "Ok honey, here are the keys." Dad drops the house keys in my open palm. "We will be right there." 

I walk away from Dad again and open our gate before walking up the path to our door and unlocking it. I leave it open for them and step inside for the first time in what seems like years, how much everything had changed in such a short space of time.

Memories of the last time I was here catch me off guard and I distinctively remember Richard pushing me out of the window, falling then finally hitting the hard concrete below. 

"Ava?" 

Without thinking I spin round and come face to face with Mum, she stares at me wide eyed. I quickly let go of my tight grip on her wrist and step back. "I'm sorry! You scared me." I cry, wanting the look of fear to leave her face. 

She remains still for a moment and swallows before answering. "It's..ok darling." She smiles, weakly. 

I turn around and run up the stairs, ignoring the tearing feeling in my chest. My own mother afraid of me, the one person that is supposed to love me unconditionally. I slam my bedroom door behind me before facing my room that now feels alien to me, unwelcoming and strange. 

"Ava!" Mum cries, her feet pounding up the stairs.

"Leave me alone!" I shriek, crumbling to the floor clutching my chest.

"I'm sorry." Mum whimpers against the door. "I just..I don't know how to deal with any of this. You will have to give me time." 

"You dealing with this?!" I shout. "How the fuck do you think I've been coping?" I rip the poster down of some band I use to care about from the wall and drop it to the floor. "Just leave me alone." I snarl, feeling myself readying to say something I will regret. 

Silence fills the air as I wait for Mum to reply. After a minute, I simply hear her trudge back down the stairs. I break into a sob, clutching my body in the fetal position on the floor, rocking back and forth.

"Bravo." James laughs, sarcastically. He sits on my bed with his back against the wall, his feet droop over the edge.

"Leave me alone." I say, glaring at him.

"Oh how I wish I could.. however I am simply and regrettably bound to you because you have lost your mind due to idiocy." James sighs.

I stare at the ceiling, my skin uncomfortably tight and my organs fit to burst. "Two days?"

"Two days Ava. Then either we can both be free or.." James trails off.

"Or what?" I say, turning to face him.

"Or you can set about how you're going to destroy Richard for what he has done to you." James grins.

An hour later I slowly walk down the stairs, treading carefully.

"Don't you think I know that Sarah?" Mum snaps, on the phone to someone in the kitchen.

I linger by the door, listening in. 

"Yes I'm very aware th-" Mum pauses and I hear her breathing hitch. "Her doctor gave us some medication to give her." Mum waits as the person on the line talks. "There is no need for that, she won't be returning to school anytime soon so Richard will be perfectly fine." I hear Mum stand up. "Don't insult me Sarah, I am a Mother too." Mum walks across the kitchen, I hear her softly crying. "She is my daughter, she should be home with us instead of at that place." Mum abruptly disconnects the phone and sits back down. She takes out a tissue and blows her nose, I wait for a minute before walking in.

She sits by the window, covering her face with her hand. Her head snaps up as she hears me enter, a shaky smile spreads across her face as she looks at me. "Ava, come sit down." She gestures for me to come over.

I smile unsteadily in return and sit down beside her. "I'm sorry about everything Mum." I say, taking her hand.

Mum flinches slightly and then hides it but it feels like she's slapped me across the face, I bury the feeling in my head for now. 

Authors note:

I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! Please vote and comment to let me know what you think. Thank you for reading, I love seeing what you think of the chapters so far so please continue.