Nothing's Fine

• 35: Fury •

"Don't be dumb. Don't be dumb," Emery mumbled repeatedly under her breath. We are watching The Conjuring, which wasn't a slasher, but was pretty spooky at times.

Mason's hand tightened around mine as I brought my knees up to my chest. Emery was next to me, leaning slightly forward on the couch as she stared at the screen. Adam funnily sat in the same position as Emery, only he had a handful of popcorn paused in his hand. It made me smile to see them together.

I reached for the popcorn bowl and realized we were running low, so I got up to refill it. As I walked into the kitchen, the backdoor was open, and I saw a familiar person standing in it. I dropped the bowl in fright.

"Charlie? You okay?" Mason called from the other room.

"Yeah!" I squeaked. "I – uh... got distracted and tripped!" I picked up the popcorn bowl and stood up to face my mother. She'd closed the door and taken a few steps towards me. I closed the gap, and whispered angrily, "What the hell are you doing in here?"

"You shouldn't leave that door unlocked... it's not very safe," Irene said nonchalantly. She seemed more sober than the last time I saw her, but the little sway she did suggested she might be a little tipsy. My eyes narrowed.

"How did you find me?" I asked.

"I tracked your boyfriend's licence plate. It took me a few days, but I'm here now," she shrugged. When she did this, her jacket, which was small but somehow bigger than her, slid off of her shoulder.

I took a moment to observe her attire. Skinny blue jeans that looked worn, a very wrinkled white shirt under jacket and dirty black sneakers. Her red hair was in a messy ponytail and her makeup looked as if she'd slept in it. It was like she did the bare minimum to take care of herself which was vastly different from the Irene I remembered.

The Irene I remembered was well put together. She cared about herself, and her appearance. She was loving, kind, and had light in her eyes. She was wise and practical. She would kiss my forehead when I was sad and have tea parties with me on Sunday afternoons.

The Irene I remembered was a mother; my mother.

The woman in front of me was not my mother.

"Why did you come here?" I asked.

"Charlie? Did you put the popcorn in yet?" Emery yelled from the couch.

"I'm putting it in now; I got distracted looking for the salt!" I called back. I stuck a new popcorn packet in the microwave and started it up. I turned to Irene. "You need to leave. Now."

"No, I-I'm here for you," Irene started. "I want you back, Charlotte." Her voice and face had determination etched into it.

"Don't call me that," I said flatly. Had she lost her mind? What would make her think I'd go and live with her with all that she put me through? Without a single apology at the bare minimum? I scoffed. "As if."

"What do you mean? That's your name. And you're my daughter and I want you back," she pushed. She somehow had the audacity to look sad and it made my stomach heat with anger.

"You seriously want to come take me out of this great life I have?" I snapped angrily, my voice getting louder with each word. I didn't care that there were three people in the next room to overhear this. "You're unfit to take care of another life. You don't deserve to have a child!"

"How would you know? You're not around. You don't know me anymore!" Irene yelled back. The words echoed in the air.

"Who's fault is that?" I asked quietly, breaking the silence. "You can't seriously be blaming me for your screwed up behaviour."

"I am," Irene said. "I'm here asking for you back, trying to forgive you for what you did, and give you a chance to start fresh and you're being ungrateful."

"You're trying to forgive me?" I gasped. "For something I had no control over? You still blame me? Is that why you abandoned me? Do I disgust you? Do you really want your 'poor excuse of a girl' back?"

"Stop yelling at me like you were raised in a barn!" she demanded. Irene's eyes were filled with anger and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"A barn would have been an upgrade from the streets I slept on and the house I was kicked out of," I sneered. Irene's shoulders straightened and I could tell she was feeling attacked.

Good, I thought.

"Charlotte, shut your mouth," she warned.

"Goddammit! I told you to stop calling me that! I go by Charlie now and if you stuck around long enough maybe you'd know a thing or two about me," I snapped. I hated what she was doing here. I felt like I was going to lose my mind with fury.

"Maybe, if you weren't the reason the person I love is dead, then none of this would be happening!" she shouted. My mouth opened and then shut. It felt like I had been punched in the stomach and all the wind was knocked out of me. I watched as satisfaction toyed in the corners of her lip and I took a deep breath.

"You are a sick, sick person," I said quietly as I stepped towards her. "The only person you love is my dad? Not your own flesh and blood?" My voice was starting to get louder as I spoke. "Why do you need me in your life then? Freaking child benefits or something?" I asked sarcastically. The look that passed through her eyes told me I hit the nail on the head.

She was quiet and so was I.

Then I said three words that I never thought I'd be able to look her in the eyes and say.

"I hate you."

Author's Note: Oh snap!! Was Charlie's mother a shock? Do we hate her? What do you think will happen next? Comment and let me know!