The Backup Plan

One

~Kayla~

As usual, I was being yelled at by my mother. She never accepted me for the way I am and usually ends up yelling at me because she thinks that I did something wrong. To be fair, I do do a lot of things wrong.

This time, she was complaining about how I never pay any attention to her. She has a point; I do ignore her quite often.

I roll my eyes at her just as I get a message from my boyfriend, Ryan, to meet him at the coffee shop down the street in twenty minutes. I type a quick reply of 'okay' before I look back at my mom. Ugh, she still is yacking on. She is also really sweaty; her dyed red hair sticking to her sweat covered forehead. Her eyes hold the emotions of sadness and fury. Maybe I should start listening.

So I do and quickly shift my full attention to her, watching her closely. "-and you turned eighteen last month and still have not been accepted into any colleges. Your father and I are getting worried about you. What I am trying to say is, you are irresponsible. I have warned you time and time again that you need to act your age, but you never do. So, we are kicking you out." I stare at her, my mouth hanging open and my eyes the size of tennis balls. Did she just say that they are kicking me out?

"How could you! I am your daughter. Don't you want what's best for me?" Tears started to form in my eyes as she just sat there, her eyes avoiding mine.

"You are a disgrace to us. You are not the young woman that I raised you to be."

I abruptly stood up from the table, hitting my legs against it and causing my mug near the edge to fall off and shatter into a million pieces. "Great," I mutter, "that was my favorite mug." I looked at her, pain clear in my eyes. She cleared her throat and gave a blank expression as I glared at her and stomped away, grabbing bag which held my necessities, before exiting the house.

If she wanted me gone, she was never going to see me again. That was one promise I was going to keep.

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I arrived at the coffee shop five minutes early. My mind kept replaying the conversation with my mother. I hadn't done anything really irresponsible in a few years. As I was trying to figure out what could have driven her to this, Ryan sat down in the chair across from mine. One look at me and he knew something was wrong.

"K, what's wrong? You have smeared makeup all around your eyes and they are puffy. Have you been crying?"

I sighed as I took in his caring expression. What would I do without him?

"Tell me." He sounded demanding and loving at the same time.

I retell the encounter between my mum and me for him and when I finish, he grabs my hand, and gives it a squeeze, not meeting my eyes.

"So let me get this straight. You haven't done anything to really make her mad in a few years and now she suddenly kicks you out?" I nod. "You have to have done something. Why else would she kick you out?"

I didn't have an answer and just shrugged my shoulders.

Ryan pinches the bridge of his nose before nodding his head a few times. "I need to go. Find someplace to hang out for a few hours before I can meet you again. Okay?"

I nod before he gives me a small smile, gets out of his chair, and leaves the coffee shop.