Falling Down (sequel to The Game of Chance)

Chapter 1

A room without windows can make a person go insane, but apparently a luxurious rehabilitation center can do the same. I watched in silence as my mom's shaky hands fiddled with the pen on the table, her gaze on the white tabletop. I frowned, tucking my lip between my teeth. “Mom?”

She glanced up at me with wide eyes before quickly returning her attention to her hands. She began tapping the end of the pen against the table, the sound being the only thing that could be heard in the small visitor's room. “H-How is your father?”

I averted my attention to my hands in my lap and shrugged. “He's okay.”

She sighed, tossing the pen away from her and burying her face in her hands. “I need a drink.”

I closed my eyes and breathed out a deep breath, shaking my head. My voice was barely recognizable as I stated, “That's exactly what put you in here in the first place.”

“You don't think I know that?” she snapped. I opened my eyes to stare at her, feeling them starting to prickle with tears. I had almost forgotten what the alcohol did to her, what it did to us. Her tone was still harsh as she continued. “Don't cry, Taylor. If you're going to cry then just leave. I've had enough of people telling me what I'm doing is hurting you, I don't need you to remind me as well. Go on then, back to your father, who's clearly the better parent.”

I pursed my lips and scrunched my nose, willing the tears to go away. I pushed out of the chair, the legs screeching against the floor. “You know what? We care about you, mom. That's why we're paying for you to stay here. This is for you. I can't stand the thought of losing you after we've already lost Jack and it already feels like I'm losing dad. He's rarely home, you know. He's too busy working overtime to pay for this. Stop being so ungrateful and try to get better so you can come home to us, yeah?”

She scoffed, rolling her eyes as she sat back in her chair. I groaned in exasperation and made my way out of the room, slamming the door behind me. I didn't know what the point of the mandatory meetings we had every few weeks was, she obviously didn't want to see me. Storming through the lobby, I heard an attendant yell after me but I threw my hand in the air to signal a goodbye. If they thought that I was going to sit there for a full hour and try to reason with my insane mother, then they themselves were insane. I was done.

Pushing out into the fresh air, I pressed myself against the side of the building and let my eyes slip closed, breathing in a deep breath. I don't know why I thought my mom would be any different. She had only been going through the process of recovery for a little less than three months, it would take a miracle to be completely cured within such a small period of time. I had just thought that maybe she would want to go back to normal as much as I did. Although she had been lousy company while my dad was away, I missed having her around the house.

The first few weeks after she had left I was fine, it was easy to find ways to keep myself busy. After my first visit with her, however, I realized how much I missed her. I had no one. My dad was always working, the boys were on tour and, between school and work, Emma and Jimmy didn't have much time either.

I hadn't felt so alone in my entire life. At least before I had met Nathan, I had my mom to keep me company and her drinking problem to keep my mind off how alone I really was. Being so isolated from everyone felt like torture. I thought my mom was supposed to be separated from society, not me.

“Miss, are you alright?”

Glancing toward the doorway, I saw a petite boy stepping out onto the welcome mat. He pushed his hair from his face and crouched down next to me, placing a hesitant hand on my shoulder. I stared at him with a blank expression, not shrugging him off. It felt weird to have physical contact with someone after such a long time.