Haunted

h o m e

*TW: MENTIONS OF EATING DISORDERS AND MENTAL ABUSE*

𖤣𖥧𖡼𖤣𖥧 Gabriella 𖤣𖥧𖡼𖤣𖥧

"I'm home," I called out as I stepped through the front door.

"In here," Mam called back from the kitchen.

Kicking off my shoes, I walked sluggishly into the kitchen where my mam was sipping a glass
of wine.

"How was school?" She asked as I took a seat on a bar stool.

"Alright," I shrugged, "I missed my friends."

"Did anyone talk about it?" My mam crinkled her nose at me.

'It' was what she referred to the reason for my transfer as. Since talking about what actually happened would taint her perfect reputation.

Even though everyone at Tommen was buzzing about it, and I'm sure the rich snobby parents heard their fair share of bad things about me.

"No," I shook my head, "Not one mention of it."

"Good," Mam exhaled a breath, "That's good. What are the kids like? I've heard there's a lot of drugs in that school."

Didn't she have her own life to worry about.

"They're nice. I sat with Aoife and Casey at lunch," I informed her.

"Those girls aren't in your best interest, pet," Mam sighed, "They are pretty girls who have all the boys attention. You have your studies to focus on."

I felt my shoulders slump. My mam had a way of kicking me down with her words. It was like she took all of her own insecurities and placed them on me.

And I'd be lying if I said it didn't cause a lot of emotional damage.

Since I was little she was sure to make it known that I wasn't the type of girl guys were interested in.

I didn't have a curvy body like Casey or a jaw-dropping face like Aoife. I was just me. And that was never good enough for my mother.

"They're my friends," I crossed my arms.

"I know you think they are," Mam shook her head, "But pretty girls will stick together and at the end of the day they will leave you in the dust."

She never let up.
I had been friends with Aoife and Casey for a few years now and she never stopped nagging me about it.

My mam loved Katie, because she was a lot more quiet and reserved like me.

But Aoife and Casey always spoke their minds and if they heard my mam knocking me down they would snap right back at her.

And my mam couldn't handle the confrontation.

"Whatever," I chewed on the nail of my index finger.

"Don't chew your nails," Mam frowned, "It's not ladylike."

Can I even fucking breathe around here.

Not being able to stand another second of her verbal onslaught, I hopped off the stool and began the descent to my room.