Stay

Chapter 12

Sammy's POV

Days passed since the party. It was Wednesday afternoon and I hadn't gone to school all week. I sent my school a fake letter, telling them I had a very bad cold, and forged my moms signature. My teachers said they'd excuse me until Thursday, so I'll probably end up going tomorrow.

The play project is due Friday, but I hadn't talked to, or seen Jake since Saturday morning, when I found him half naked on the bathroom floor. The funny thing is though, he only tried calling me once. After I rejected his call, he never tried again. Not that I'm complaining though. I'm glad he's leaving me alone.

These 3 weekdays I'd been home though, I'd barely seen my mom. I would wake up & find a note on the fridge, telling me she had some appointment to go to. Everyday. She usually never has anywhere to go; except the bar, work, or she'd be with some random creep that she met at the bar. Ugh mom. I really hope I don't follow in your footsteps.

I finally picked myself up and out of bed for the first time today, even though it was already 2:30 PM. I changed into tights and a T-shirt, slipped on my black high tops, got my gray jacket, and made my way downstairs. I couldn't find my keys anywhere, so I decided to walk around the block a little & find some place to eat. I walked all the way down to a nearby In-N-Out. Boy, had I missed that place.

After ordering my usual; animal-style cheeseburger with no onions, fries, & strawberry shake; I found a seat next to a window. I looked around and observed everything going on around me. There were young couples everywhere, parents eating with their little kids, grandparents enjoying lunch together. And then there was me. The girl who's eating alone. I let out a big sigh and started making patterns on the table with my finger.

"Number 57!" The man called out, startling me. I got up and got my food, actually excited about eating it.

Then I remembered my insecurities. With every bite I took, I heard a little voice in the back of my head saying negative things about my appearance.

*Bite* Loner. *Bite* Nobody will want you. *Bite* Now you're ugly AND fat. *Bite* You won't be able to burn this off.

STOP. I mentally yelled at myself and shook off these horrible thoughts. I finished up my burger and fries, grabbed my shake, and walked out. I'd definitely be working out later today.

I walked around a little more, sipping on the remainder of my shake,until i decided to go home. I opened my front door and walked in, kicking off my converse and throwing away my cup. I lied down on the couch and turned on the TV. After flipping through a few channels, I decided to settle on ABC Family, where Pretty Little Liars was playing; it was one of my favorite shows. Just as Spencer was about to kiss Toby, a loud sound came from the kitchen. I jumped up, my heart beating out of my chest. What if it was a robber? Kidnapper? Rapist? Damn I watch way too much Law and Order.

I made my way over to the kitchen, grabbing a nearby umbrella as the only protection I could find, and slowly peeped my head into the kitchen. My eyes frantically searched the room until they landed on a broken woman, laying down breathless on the cold-tiled floor. I dropped the umbrella and ran over to her, realizing she was breathless because of how hard she was crying.

"Mom! What's happened?" I asked, panic clearly shown in my voice. I looked down to see a bottle of unopened vodka in her hand and slid it to the other side of the room, pulling her closer to me. She layed her head in my lap and continued sobbing loudly. I didn't know what to do, so as a sign of comfort, I stroked her hair. She buried her face deeper into my lap and somewhat calmed down. I involuntarily started humming a song I had heard earlier, since my mind was at about a million places. Forget a robber or a rapist ! Something bad must've happened to my mom if she's in this state. I continued humming and stroking her hair, until I heard her breathing finally even out. I bent down to see her eyes closed, soundly asleep. I sorta carried/dragged her to the couch and layed her down on it, making her as comfortable as possible, and went up to my room. It was already around 7:45 PM and I could'nt think of a single thing to do to keep me entertained and my mind off of the scene that I witnessed a few minutes ago. I was still so confused though. Why would she be crying so hard? I mean, unless somebody died. But as far as I know, she does'nt give a shit about anybody, including me. I put in my earphones, blocking out all my thoughts with the sweet sound of Ed Sheeran's voice, and slowly, yet unintentionally, drifted off to sleep.