100% SURE »H.S

C H A P T E R T W E L V E

BRYN

She sighed in frustration, and ran her fingers through her wig in exasperation, pulling the strands out of her face. Wispy tendrils still hung over her forehead, and that annoyed her more than anything. Bryn thought that it was very interesting how she could still have enough energy to remain annoyed about things as petty as her looks when she bore such a severe condition.

Her dad had not taken the news well at all about her condition. He had broken down crying, mumbling something under his breath about karma or something of the sort.

When her left index finger trembled, she violently smashed it against her desk in anger. Thankfully, it stopped shaking, and she huffed in annoyance. The tremors were getting worse. They were starting to happen at all hours. Sometimes it would take a hold of her entire wrist and she wouldn't be able to write or grasp things. That only happened once at home, but she was sure that that was a sign of escalation. Things were undoubtedly going to get worse from here on out.

Bryn sighed to herself. It was almost midnight, and she was still reading her book.

The door opened slowly, and Bryn swung her head in that general direction. She was surprised to see her mother standing in between the frame, a haggard expression on her face. Bryn blinked once or twice as she took in her mother's presence.

"Mother?" Bryn questioned.

"Bryn, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," she began. Bryn felt like she had gone in shock. "I haven't always been the mother that you've wanted me to be, and I can understand why you don't like me."

"I like you, Mother," Bryn said truthfully. "It's just hard sometimes," she trailed off.

"Hard?" Bryn asked.

Bryn threw her hands up somewhat in exasperation, trying to find the right words. "It's hard... because you want so much from me, and I don't ever feel like I've done enough, that I'm good enough."

"I've been a bad mother," Leslie whispered, and for some reason, Bryn felt a lump form in her throat. "I've been so busy trying to push you so that you would be happy that I didn't realize that my pushing wasn't making you happy in the first place," she finished.

Bryn crawled over to her bed, and sat next to her mother. She took her hand, and squeezed it reassuringly. "I have been happy, and you aren't a bad mother. We've just had our misunderstandings; that's all."

Leslie smiled softly at her daughter, locking eyes with her as she brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes, looking motherly for the first time that Bryn could remember in a long time.

Leslie held her daughter tightly, and placed a soft kiss on her head, swaying back and forth. Bryn collapsed, and rested her head on her mother's lap. Leslie smiled, and ran her fingers through her daughter's hair, combing through it fondly like she used to do when she was a youngster, coming back from elementary school with a toothy grin as she proudly held up her report card.

Leslie herself covered her mouth as she began to cry, arrested suddenly by a flood of sweet memories that left her weak in the knees. She could see Bryn nervously bouncing on her toes as she waited for the bus to come on the first day of school. The bus came, and when the door opened, she turned back with a worried expression to look at her. She smiled reassuringly and nodded for her to get on the bus, and after a split second of indecision where she scrunched her eyebrows and wrinkled her nose just like she herself did, she made for the bus.

Why did it all go wrong? Leslie wondered to herself sorrowfully.

She remembered the time that Bryn had come home during second grade, happily proclaiming that she had a boyfriend. When she had laughed, Bryn got upset, and demanded an explanation. Leslie patiently told her that she was much too young to be dating, and that she should have been focusing on her school work. Then Bryn had thrown her hands up in protest, and declared, "But he gave me ice cream, and I promised!"

Leslie started giggling to herself, and Bryn looked up at her with watery eyes and a questioning look. "What?"

Her mother smiled fondly, and shook her head. "Remember in first grade when you told me you had a boyfriend? You came home all excited and told me, 'Mom, Johnny Hamie told me that we were boyfriend and girlfriend today,' and I laughed. You got mad and asked me why I was laughing, and then I told you, 'Oh, you're much too young to be dating, Bryn,' and you cried and said, 'But he gave me ice cream, and I promised!'" Leslie said with a chuckle. Bryn started laughing herself before looking back up at her mother.

"I love you, Mommy," Bryn finished quietly. Leslie blinked in surprise, and looked down at her daughter, who was looking up at her with shining eyes.

"Yes," Leslie breathed back.

"Some things never change, huh?" Bryn asked, grinning up at her.

"No. No, I guess they don't."

They both remained in silence for a few seconds, thankful for each other's company. It had been far too long since they had bonded or done something like this. The sudden outpour of emotions felt so incredibly cathartic for the both of them.

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My poor heart. Reminds me of me and my mom. Vote and comment.