Defying The Odds

Chapter Two

Everything falls apart, it's proven. For a long time I just assumed that everyone knew that. They do not. I guess to be right you have to assume you are always wrong.

The walk home calmed me.
The crisp autumn air was enough to keep me awake and moving. It wasn't a super long walk home, maybe a mile tops.

Honestly, I wasn't shocked to find the front door of the house locked. The other side of the door would be quiet, a quiet and silent house waiting for me. Just like always. It was anything but comforting.
I hate that house.

It didn't matter if my mom was out of town or not, she could be here and it would be the same. Some nights I would come home and she wouldn't even notice.

My mom is always absorbed in something else, wether it be her coffee mug when I came down stairs early enough in the morning, or the evening news. She kept her day jam packed so she wouldn't have to deal with me. At least that is the way I saw it. Usually I go weeks without seeing her.
So my theory can't be that wrong.

She isn't a bad mom, she just puts work above everything else. She's dedicated, sometimes I want to just talk to her about anything, her day, how works going, books, school. Anything. But I don't, not because I don't want to but because I cant. There is an invisible wall between us.

She leaves me notes on the counter to let me know when she's coming or going. Along with some money, the amounts changing as the days of her absence increase.

Today wasn't any different, I trudged across the cream colored tiles the coldness seeping into my socks and into the kitchen. The first thing my eyes landed on was the note. It always happened like this. With the weight of my heart it was hard to make my hands cooperate. Not unusual.

"Elliot,
Out of town on a business meeting. November 13th till whenever I can make it home.  I will try my best to be there during Thanksgiving, but you know how it is.
-Mom"

Not even an "I love you."
Tough love, at least she left me money.

Her Walmart gift card sat next to the pen she must have threw on the counter haphazardly after she wrote the note. Always in a hurry. I crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the garbage, it was just another note after all. Words are just words.
The Walmart gift card I shove deep in my jeans pocket.

Walmart gift cards are the worst. Last year around my Birthday mom wasn't home, so like today she tossed a gift card on the counter. With a note saying to get whatever I wanted. Later I had walked the way to Walmart and had decided on getting notebooks, pencils and a calculator for school. Everything was going great, I was excited to start a new school year, with all of my new supplies. I convinced myself it would be a new start. 

Everyone deserves a second chance at feeling alive, and unfortuently it hasn't happened to me.

My optimism didn't last long.

The gift card had $4.33 remaining on it. I had no idea at the time, Also I had no extra money to spend. To make matters worse, Timothy was working isle 11. The isle I was in, he laughed. Drawing attention to isle 11.

Timothy was notorious for well, being mean. What a legacy. I have known him sense mom and I packed  everything up and moved here last year.

Everyone notices Timothy, he draw attention worse than anyone I have ever known. It's not a good kind of attention. It's not cute.

He went from pulling on girls pony tails and making them cry in kindergarten to sleeping with them and breaking hearts, basically overnight.

"You honestly cant pay $10.79?" I shrunk back feeling like a little girl whose ponytail was being pulled on, because I was unable to pay. He reached across the register and yanks the basket with my things away from me.
He was laughing, everyones eyes were on isle eleven.

"What an idiot."
He muttered under his breathe.

At first I thought maybe he didn't want me to hear. But then his eyes met mine and he smirked.

He also made sure the whole school knew about it the next day.

Thanks to Timothy the whole school knew about me before they even knew me.

I felt the plastic card against my leg.

My face heats up with embarrassment from the memory.

"That is not going to happen again." I whisper to the empty house.

I made sure of it by pulling the Walmart card out of my pocket and setting it back on the counter.

Sighing, I mechanically walk up the stairs to my room.

Mentally I create a to do list to distract myself from the silence.
Shower. Do not forget to eat. Do homework. Brush teeth. Try to fall asleep.
How exciting.

Somewhere between brushing my teeth and trying to fall asleep, my phone starts vibrating from the end table in my bedroom. The only reason I can hear it from the bathroom down the hall is because of the silence, any noise sounds extremely loud.

I contemplate letting voice mail pick it up, no one calls me anyways. But at the last minute I change my mind. And in about .3 seconds I'm sprinting down the hallway.

"Hello?" I answer a little breathlessly.

"Hello Elliot."
My mothers frantic voice replies.

I switch the phone to my other ear like Ive watched my mother do thousands of times.

"I have some bad news." She pauses and then rushes to the point.
"I'm not going to be able to make it back for Thanksgiving."

Her voice sounds apologetic like this bad news will come as a surprise to me.

"Okay. It's okay mom, work is important."

There's another pause on the other line, I tell her this all the time. Secretly, I'm waiting for her to tell me that I am the most important thing. But she never does and this time is no exception.

"Yes, of course it is." The pang of my heart is barely noticeable anymore.

This is where we usually hang up with brief goodbye. I'm about to do just that, but then she says,
"Oh and Elliot. The shop called me earlier today, they fixed your car and its ready to be picked up. You're just going to have to find a way to get there.."

I don't hear the rest of what she says excitement has taken over. I have been waiting a month for my car to be fixed. No more walking. But then it hits me, I don't have anywhere to go anyways. Just to school, the crazy counselors and back to this silent house with its silent life.

"....Ill just have the mechanic drop it off at the house. Why do something you can make someone else do? Am I right Elliot?"

She couldn't be more wrong.

"Yeah. You're right mom."

Theres a silent pause on the other line and then the sound of distant voices.

"I have to go into this meeting now, have a nice night."

"Okay. Bye Mom.."
The line clicks off before I can finish my sentence.

"..Love you." My voice whispers into the room.

I crawl under the cream colored covers on my bed and lay down.

Realization hurts more when you're alone and no one is going to try to stop you, or talk your brain out of what it's thinking.

Suddenly I can't find the energy to do my homework, or eat. So I simply do not.

Even if she had heard me, I know she wouldn't have said that she loves me back. Everything, even love, falls apart.
A tear slides down my cheek and onto my pillow.

It's the saddest truth I've ever admitted.

Tomorrow will be better.

Thank you so much for reading. How do you like the story so far?