scoring you

Chapter 31

Alyssa

The entrance it small, the pavement littered with old gum that has turned into black dots.

The cul-de-sac is empty except for two cars nearby and the nosy neighbour next door, watering her plants while staring at me curiously. 

"Your finally back from the shit show, I see," the old lady says.

I roll my eyes, "oh, go shove it up ya pants Brenda," I yell over the neatly primmed greenery. 

"Tommy and I knew you wouldn't last in that collage for long," she sneers.

Fucking prick.

"Want me to put that hose in your mouth Brenda?" I ask, "because I'd gladly do it, free of charge."

She walks away muttering under her breath, "such a dirty mouth."

"Always a pleasure seeing you," I call out waving in her direction.

Home sweet home.

The door before me opens wide and my heart plummets, not knowing which face is going to appear out of it.

"Aly!" The voice says and I almost sigh in relief.

My mothers hair is tied together in a small messy bun and her glasses almost fall off her face as she wraps her arms around me.

"Mum," I say as I sag around her.

She cups my face in her hands and smiles, "I haven't seen my lovely girl in so long, oh how I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," I say.

She slaps my upper arm, "you should call more, I get lonely when your fathers at work."

"Sorry," I grimace in guilt, "been busy."

"That's okay," she says quietly, "I've prepared quite a platter." She tells me as she scarrys inside right Infront of me, "why don't you get ready, hm?"

I give her a soft smile, "I will mum."

I stand in the doorway for a moment, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I struggle as my suitcase gets stuck on the welcoming rug bellow of me, it reads: clean your paws, with two animal paws beneath it.

The office door besides me cracks open.

My breath hitches in my throat.

"Here she is!" he announces warmly.

"Dad," I say, my gritted teeth hidden behind a smile, "lovely to see you."

"Come give your old man a hug," he says welcoming me towards him.

As I step next to him with my arms Infront of myself, I suck my stomach in trying to avoid contact with his, as his tanned arms wrap around my neck I mange to disintegrate a shudder.

"How have you been?" He asks.

"Good, good," I mutter, "fine."

"Good," he nods, looking me up and down his gaze landing on my stomach. "Talk about a freshman 15, huh?" He says, his voice doesn't even produce an ounce of jokingness. 

I become one hundred times more insecure in the amount of a second, I wrap my own arms around my chest providing comfort. I keep my face neutral, pretending his words don't feel like millions of daggers soaring into my body at light speed.

A memory flashes through me.

I laid in the hospital bed my head aching from the drugs I was given just mere hours ago. I'd been tossed on the ground during the final game of the season by some boy, I didn't catch his name, I didn't see his face. All I knew is that one second I was skating across the ice at lightning speed and the next I was in unspeakable pain.