Destined... | Anthony 'Ant' Vaugn

003 The Cemetery

Map B*tch 
part 3 

I park the car in the driveway, the familiar crunch of gravel beneath the tires grounding me as I turn off the ignition. The music that had been softly playing cuts off abruptly, leaving an eerie silence that amplifies the weight of the moment. I let out a deep sigh, covering my face with my hands, bracing myself to confront the harsh reality of our mother.

Spider glances at me, a shared understanding of the dread hanging in the air. We get out of the car and walk slowly toward the front door, each step feeling like a march to our own execution. I fumble with the keys, the metal cold against my palm as I unlock the door and step into the house. The moment we enter the kitchen, the atmosphere shifts; our mum is sitting at the table, her gaze fixed on us, an unspoken accusation hanging between us.

"Hello, how was your first day back at school?" she asks, her tone deceptively sweet but laced with tension. I know she already suspects something is off. I sigh again and look at Spider, who merely shrugs his shoulders, mirroring my unease.

"Alright, I guess," he replies, his voice flat.

"Yeah, I made friends with the new kid," I add, trying to deflect her attention.

"Really? Well, you'll never guess the day I had. I was minding my own business when I got a call from your school, and I thought, ugh, what has Spencer done now? And then I find out that you two are on some crazy sex map!" she exclaims, her voice rising at the end as if the very thought repulses her. "Please, you two, sit down." We both slide into our seats at the other end of the table, a silent acknowledgment that we're in for a long, uncomfortable conversation.

"Anything you two would like to add?" she prompts, her eyes narrowing.

"It's fine, Mum. It's just some bullshit map a chick in our grade made. None of it is true, don't worry," I say, attempting to sound calm, even as my heart races.

"I hope not, because you should know better, Linny. Know better than to fuck around with these stupid boys at your school—especially if they're anything like your brother and his friends. Then stay the fuck away, because they are horrible, disgusting evil people," she says, taking a long sip from her glass of wine, as if it could wash away her frustrations.

"Mum, Spencer and his friends aren't horrible or disgusting. They're definitely not evil people. Sure, they fuck around with harmless jokes and can be little shits sometimes, but they are not evil. I always say this, Mum: it isn't fair for you to say shit like that. How do you think Spencer feels? You are our fucking mother, and all you do is say horrible things about him. You're fucking insane," I retort, the words pouring out before I can stop them.

"What have you been telling her? Have you been corrupting her with this bullshit saying I'm a horrible person?" she fires back, pointing an accusatory finger at Spider.

"Stop blaming Spencer for everything and anything that you do, or any fuck-up that happens. You somehow blame him for it. Learn to own up to your own actions and realize, 'Shit, maybe I am a bad mother. Maybe I should stop drinking so much wine and pick up my act before my children graduate and move out, and I never see them again.' Because that is what's gonna happen the second we graduate. Spencer and I are out of this house, and you fucking know it. Maybe even sooner—maybe as soon as we hit 18. So make the most of it, because once we are gone, you're alone. You've burned all of your bridges," I say, rising from my seat and pulling Spencer with me. Our mum sits there, stunned into silence, her expression unreadable.

"Shit, Lina, that's two in one day. You're on a roll right now," Spider says, trying to lighten the mood as we make our way toward the hallway. I begin to head to my room, but then I hear him call my name.