The Skinny Boy Tales (boyxboy) - Completed-

Chapter 16

***This chapter is dedicated to actualtrash666 because of how involved you were. You had me cracking up, and for that, I thank you! :D***

Chapter 16

Ruth stood silently for a moment as I closed the distance between my mother. "I'll give you two some time to yourselves, and then we'll have your individual meetings with Dawn." On her way out, she squeezed my shoulder gently, reassuringly.

For what felt like an eternity, my mother just stared into my eyes; her face was as flat and still as stone. I felt hypnotized; I couldn't pull my eyes from hers. "Do you want to sit down?" I heard myself say.

She looked me up and down, crossing her arms against her chest as if someone would steal her purse. "I suppose." Spinning on her heels, she glided to the very last set of seats in the farthest edge of the foyer.

I sat down next to her, automatically pulling my knees to my chest. "How have you been?" I kept my face turned from hers, choosing instead to stare between the loving reunions in front of me. The other families were completely oblivious to me; each were in their own worlds.

My mother sighed heavily. "If you are going to speak to me, look me in the eyes like a decent human being," she paused to scoff in disgust, "and get your feet off the chair. Sit with your back straight so I can get a look at you."

Doing as I was commanded, I placed my feet on the ground and straightened my back. With a long breath, I pulled my attention from the other family's exciting reunions and met my mother's eyes once more. "I'm sorry," I mumbled.

She scoffed again. "For the love of Christ, Max, I haven't even been here five minutes and you're already mumbling and apologizing. I see that your time here hasn't given you a spine."

A sharp ache banged at my chest, but I didn't say anything. Instead, I chose to chew on my lip. In a way, it was refreshing to know that my mother hadn't changed in the slightest. At least I knew now without a single doubt that she would never change. I didn't have to obsess on being good enough for her because I never would be.

It was as plain and simple as that.

I wished the facts uplifted me, freed me from her venom; however, I found myself in the exact same boat as before I moved into this house. Nothing had changed.

"It doesn't matter, I suppose," she began once more. "Some things will never change, huh?" Finally feeling comfortable enough to release her hold on her purse, she sat it down by her feet and looked me over. "I will say that you have definitely made some progress. I haven't seen you this heavy in years." She covered her mouth to hide the giggle that escaped her lips. "Don't you think that maybe you're doing too well, Max?"

Blinking at her, I lifted my brow questioningly. "What do you mean?"

A cruel grin stretched her thin lips too far; it felt like her skin was about to peel back, revealing the gnarly lizard-woman she really was. "When I pick you up in a few months, I still want you to be able to fit into the car. At this rate," she pinched my cheek hard, "you'll be too big to fit through the doorway."

I wanted to yank myself from her touch and leave; I wanted to tell her that she was evil, pure evil; however, I was glued to my seat. My mouth hung open stupidly, and I just stared at my mother, the woman who was supposed to love me unconditionally. I was in utter disbelief at the words that left her mouth.

She knew why I was in this house; she put me here. If she hadn't forced me into the car, I would have still been at home with her. Even with that knowledge, she couldn't resist the temptation to criticize every little thing about myself.