Never As It Seems

Chapter 13

"Mum I.."

"Home now!" Sarah barked at her daughter.

Erin and Callum looked at Amber sympathetically as they passed her. She turned to her father.

"Dad I..."

"Just do what your mother says." He instructed.

With a sigh, she followed them to the car. The short journey was silent but the tension could have been cut with a knife. The family filed into the house and Callum and Erin disappeared, sensing the coming storm. Sarah threw her bag down and stormed into the lounge waiting for her oldest daughter to join her. Amber looked at her father for reassurance but he just frowned and gestured towards the lounge. She drew in a breath and turned to face the music.

"Mum..." She started as she entered the sitting room. "I lost track of time. When I realised I came straight away."

"And where were you?" Sarah asked without turning around. She was stood by the window, hands on her hips, obviously fuming.

"I was at the lake with Jay." She responded truthfully.

"And you didn't think to call?" She turned around, her face burning with anger.

"I didn't realise what time it was. I'm sorry!" She was aware her voice was turning into a whine and so she tried to keep it in check. She knew there would be no reasoning with her Mum right now. She was too angry but Amber had no idea why. It wasn't as if it was the crime of the century. Her mother glared at her.

"You know how important family time is to me. You totally messed it up!"

Amber's heart tugged with pain at her mother's comment and the urge to retaliate was overwhelming.

"Important to you!?" She exclaimed. "Whatever." She threw a hand up and crossed the room so that she was on the opposite side to where Sarah was standing. She noticed her father was now sat on the couch frowning at the knowledge that this was not going to end well.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sarah bit out.

"It means family is only important to you when you can fit us into your precious schedule!" Her voice grew louder. "It means family is only important to you when we act like your puppets instead of ourselves!"

"Amber stop." Her father rose from his seat.

Sarah looked like she had been slapped in the face. She glared at her daughter, shocked at her outburst and wounded by her words. When she spoke her voice was low and angry.

"Everything I do, I do with you in mind. Look around you. You have everything you could ever want. How can you be so selfish?" She retorted.

"But I don't want them Mum. Things don't matter to me. People do..."

Sarah interrupted. "And by people you mean this boy who has kept you from your family today!"

"No that's not who I mean. I mean you! I want you! But as you mentioned it, yes! I do want Jay. He makes me feel like the person you never let me be." Amber was all of a sudden aware that she had gone too far. Her shouting turned to a squeak as the ashen look on her mother's face pierced her heart. "I'm sorry I lost track of time. I was just so happy being me."

She dropped down onto the chair that was behind her and waited for her mother's retaliation. Nothing came and when Amber looked up, she saw her mother disappearing out of the room. Her father gave her a sad look and followed his wife. Unaware she had been crying the whole time until now, she went to the downstairs bathroom and splashed her face with cold water. As she looked up into her own eyes staring back at her in the mirror, she felt wretched. She was angry at herself for saying those things to her Mum but at the same time it felt good to get all that she was holding inside her out. She still felt terrible though. She turned around and sank to the floor. With her back against the cabinet, she gave in to the tears and sobbed.