A Girl has her Secrets

I'm not as pathetic as you

I woke up the next morning to an empty house. It was already noon and Ms. Erickson had left, my parents gone as well. Just another Saturday for me. I changed into some clothes for the day before walking downstairs and pouring myself some cereal for breakfast. After finishing I grabbed my car keys and purse and went to the garage to get my car. I headed for the hospital and after saying hello to Dr. Smith, Kate’s mother, I went up to Hunter’s room.

“Hey Hunt.” I told him, leaning over to kiss his forehead. “I was bored and mom wasn’t home to stop me so I thought I’d come say ‘hi’.”

I sat down in the chair and grabbed onto his hand.

“I’m so sick of lying to everyone. Mom pretends everything’s fine when it’s not. She wishes we were those perfect children who did what they were told. Instead she got us.” I snorted. “We have to be the most disobedient kids in the history of the world. And dad’s the same as always. Completely oblivious and uncaring. He doesn’t give a damn, he goes along with whatever our darling mother tells him.” I sighed and laid my head down on the side of his bed, closing my eyes. 

“Tess?” a gentle hand on my back made me start slightly and I looked over to see Dr. Smith.

“Dearie, maybe you should go home. He’ll still be here tomorrow.”

“Don’t remind me.” I said bitterly, standing up. “Thanks Dr. Smith. See you later Hunt.”

I walked out of the hospital and headed home. My mother was in the living room watching some reality show.

“Hello Tess.” she said when she heard me walk in.

“Hey mom.” I said. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Can it wait for a commercial?”

I shrugged and sat down to wait. Finally she turned to me.

“What is it?”

“I was wondering if I could stay home the week you all go to Paris with the Bentley’s.”

She narrowed her eyes at me and I quickly went on. “I have a math test and you know how I hate making up work. I told you I was trying to focus on my studies this year.”

She studied me for a bit before nodding. “Very well, you can stay home that week. On one condition.”

“Yes?” I asked eagerly.

“Go out with Tyler.”

My smile instantly faded. “With Tyler? Why?”

My mother sighed impatiently. “It’ll be good for your father’s business deal. That’s my condition. Take it or not?”

I paused, gritting my teeth, before nodding. Instantly my mother beamed at me.

“This is wonderful!”

“Yep.” I hissed. I got up and left quickly, not wanting to be next to her for another second.

I spent the rest of the weekend in a cacophony of self-pity, watching horror movies and eating ice cream. I told Kate everything that had happened and on Sunday she came over to join me in the pity party. She spent about ten minutes ranting about how horribly unfair my mother was and then another fifteen gushing about how perfect Trey was. After I managed to shut her up, we watched the Grudge.

The rest of the school week went by fairly uneventful. I would playfully banter with Trey before and after english. He soon began to walk me from french to english, though how he knew I had french class then I wasn’t sure.