VALERIE

Forty Seven

"You're a fucking psychotic idiot Valerie."

Those venomous words kept repeating themselves in her mind like a broken record stuck on repeat.

Valerie rolled over in her bed and lowered her white duvet away from her face to grab her cell phone off her night stand. She noticed it was already 1 in the morning. It was officially Christmas.

Slamming her phone back down on her nightstand she tossed over and shut her eyes. She felt empty and numb, all she wanted was to sleep but she couldn't, the words Nick had said were keeping her awake.

She didn't want to get angry or cry because she knew that if she got angry she'd eventually cry, and she knew that if she cried she'd eventually get angry.

Without warning her bedroom door swung open and in stepped her mother with a mug in her right hand, sitting up in bed Valerie watched as her mother slowly approached her with a tight lipped smile on her face. Emily held out the beige mug towards her daughter who extended her arm to the nightstand to turn on the lamp light.

"What do you want?" Valerie asked as deadly as possible, frowning Emily placed the mug onto the night stand before taking a seat herself on the bed, Valerie rolled her eyes and slumped herself against the headboard.

"I want to talk to you." Emily croaked out, "And I want to apologize."

Valerie shook her head, "We really have nothing to talk about so leave."

"Don't speak to me that way," Emily said turning away from her 17 year old daughter, "I'm still your mother." She finished nervously.

Valerie scoffed, "Mom of the year huh?"

"I made you tea."

Valerie looked at the mug on her nightstand, the steam slowly rising from the hot liquid.

"So you made me tea and you think everything between us is fine?"

Emily stayed silent. She looked back at the mug of tea, "It's chamomile with 2 parts skim milk and a sugar cube." She said timidly now staring back at her.

"Mom I don't know what you want exactly but I just don't want to deal with it, so please can you just go?" Valerie whined as she laid back down into her bed, Emily watched her beautiful daughter with so much envy. She wish she still looked as young as she did, she'd often find herself being jealous of both her daughters, but especially towards Valerie.

"Drink the tea I made for you and I promise I'll leave."

Once again Valerie sat back up, she gazed over to the mug and eyed it in suspicion as to why her mother wanted her to drink it so badly.

"Go on, if you want me to leave." Emily coaxed with a charming wink.

Valerie rolled her eyes and reached over to the cup, she'd do anything to have her mother leave.

Drinking it without thinking about how hot it was she finished the creamy liquid and handed the mug to her mom.

"Okay bye, sweet dreams." Valerie quickly said in a sweet yet sarcastic voice.

Leaving her daughters room Emily shut the door and smirked down at the empty mug in her hand, "This plan has to work."

//

Feeling her bed sink, Valerie's eyes flung open only to meet with Nick's face above her own.

"You're soaking wet." She said plainly as water dripped from his hair onto her face.

Nick nodded, "It began to rain while I was walking over here. He said rolling off of the bed and away from Valerie who stood up.

"How'd you even get into my room?" She asked in confusion as she watched him strip from his drenched shirt, "You should lock the door to your balcony," He chuckled, "Any warm clothes I could use?"