Flora Montgomery - more commonly known as Frigid Flo - has a secret fear of touching and being touched. When a certain incident brings her face to face with Parker Heywood, the school's infamous flirt, her life begins spiralling downhill. What's wor...
//please ensure you read the last update before reading this one as I think some of you missed it// Chapter Twenty-Five
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A new year is usually the coming of change. People like to wait for some form of landmark in time to begin new things: the start of the week, the start of the month, the start of the year. It's always "I'm going to start going to the gym next week" or "we'll start decorating next month" or "eating healthier will be my new year's resolution". I was that type of person. The never now, always later girl.
I'd never had any reason to think my mother any different aside from when it came to therapist visits (although the reason why she was so eager now blatantly stares me in the face) until now. It was slap bang in the middle of November, a Wednesday afternoon, when she broke the news I already knew. I'd decided against telling her I was in the know solely down to the fact that I'd need to explain why I was where I was at 5am that morning, who I was with, and why I hadn't told her I was a twenty minute drive away from home walking back by foot. Well, perhaps not just because of that. It'd also be a tad hypocritical to go ranting and raving about her lying to my face for months saying she was working late at the bakery when I'd basically done the same by telling her I was always with Skylar when I was with Parker, the boy she'd made me promise I wouldn't associate with again.
"Sweetheart, this is going to come as a big shock to you," She'd said as she nervously twiddled her thumbs. We'd been sitting playing Scrabble in the living room and I'd just placed down my letters to form the word lies. Whether that spurred her on or was just coincidental, I guess I'll never know. "But I've been keeping something a secret for a few months now. Something I really think you ought to know as it's become rather serious."
"How many points were those letters?" I didn't want to hear it.
"Are you listening to me?" She asked, her fingers still nervously dancing about the board.
"Pretty sure I'm winning." I stated, clueless as to whether that was true or not. I just wanted to live in my bubble of denial that extra bit longer. Scrabble was not the time to go popping it.
"Sweetheart-"
"Damn it, mum!" I exclaimed. "What? What is it?"
I didn't blame her for looking taken aback by my sudden mood swing but I knew fine well what her next words would be and they were the ones I didn't want spoken aloud. The ones I wasn't even letting the spooked and agitated Parker finish letting out. He'd get half way through suggesting it and I'd leave or talk over him until he stopped.
"I've been seeing someone, sweetheart," She paused to gauge my reaction and seemed to take my blank expression as encouragement. " I don't want you to get upset. Don't think that I'm over dad. I won't ever be over your father, but the fact is he's gone. I have to stop waiting for him to come back. You too, because he won't. I know that now. He disappeared without a trace and without telling us why. Even if he did come home I don't think I could ever forgive him for abandoning us like that. It's been eight years. I- it's time for me to move on with my life. I'm not going to stay looking this youthful forever you know." She added with a weak laugh.
