Temptation

Chapter 52

It only took a few moments for me to realize that my mother was on the phone, yelling at me to come home. I was on one hand relieved that she was finally speaking to me but on the other, I was afraid of the confrontation that came along with it. I knew she wasn't going to let me stay, not after what I told her last time we spoke. I blamed her for my father's absence for God's sake! How messed up is that? I just wished she would come to terms with me, I wished she'd just meet me half way, but she wasn't going to do that by the looks of things.

"You're with that boy aren't you?" She boomed as I pressed the phone back to my ear. "Cameron?" Her voice was venomous as the name unraveled from her tongue.

I didn't speak. I felt myself hold my breath, my first clutching the bedspread underneath me in frustration.

"Alicia," She spoke again, anger in her voice. "You're not gonna speak now? First, you were very persistent and very vocal with your thoughts, what's happened now?" She challenged.

"I'm listening to you," I spoke, my voice restrained.

"Ah, okay so you're going to listen to me when I tell you to come home." She pressed. I could almost see her stomping her foot against the floor, arching her brows in anger.

"I.. I can't." I sighed. I didn't want to upset her more than I already had, but I couldn't just drive home or go back to Cameron's house and pick up my car-

"Jenny told me everything about that boy and I don't want you to be near him. You need to come home, in this instant." Her sharp voice cut through my train of thought, and I felt my insides stiffen.

"Wh-what?" I managed. Jenny told my mother what? Oh, my god, I bet she told her everything... How dare she?

"You heard me if you don't want to get in more trouble, get back to the beach house, in this instant!" She barked against the phone.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes to try and control myself. "I can't come home right now mother, the roads are pretty much flooded-"

"Your excuses are endless, aren't they? Alice, you have two choices here, you either get home in the next two hours, or I will go get you, wherever you are. It's your choice." There was no ounce of sympathy or understanding in in her voice and I knew she wasn't kidding about coming to get me and that somehow triggered more anger inside of me.

"Will you please just understand the situation that I'm in right now? " I cried desperately.

"Cameron is affecting the way you think. Jenny told me everything about him, the short temper, his past, everything. He's no good for you-"

"She had no right!" I stood up from the bed, my anger increasing tremendously. The fact that she felt the need to make her own opinions about him without even knowing him personally, made me furious.

"Yes she did and so do I, as your mother, I can tell you to stay away from him. You know what, I've had it with you, get home right now, we're going home!" She yelled back even louder than me, forcing me to pull the phone away from my ear.

"Home?" I spoke, as the words were finally registering with me.

"Arizona. This place doesn't seem to be good for you." She sighed, yet her voice was still stone cold.

I had it with her trying to boss me around. I have never in my life done something reckless and irrational. I have been the good daughter she has raised me to be. I have lived my life to please her and make her proud, but I was so over it! I knew she was looking out for my best interest but she had no right interrogating Jenny about Cameron. It's frankly none of her business... I had to have a mind of my own. I was eighteen years old. I could choose where I wanted to live, who I wanted to be and who I wanted to love. I could make my own decisions.