A New Family

BITCHY PTA MOMS

   Toriel sat down in the auditorium of the school. There was an important announcement from Helen to the moms, and everyone had to come. Toriel was the first one there besides Helen, who was preparing for the speech. The monster straightened her papers.
Get it together. You should talk to her! Toriel cringed at that idea. You'll get judged. But maybe she'll like me...
   "Hi Helen." Toriel stood up and smiled.
   "What do you need?" She snapped.
Geez.
   "Nothing, I just thought I should say hello." She kept her tone easy and pleasant.
   "I'm busy, as you can see."
   "Okay. I'll be in the seats if you need me."
   Helen put a hand up.

   The auditorium filled. The usual crowd of parents echoed around the room. Toriel stared down at her papers, quiet and alone.
Don't act like that. People would want to talk to you even less.
   Right as she perked up, a chubby woman sat next to her. She had armpit-length brown hair and vibrant brown eyes that outshone her hair. She wore a purple shirt that had a sequined neckline. She also wore loose "mom jeans" and flats. She didn't need to be slender to be pretty.
   "Hi, I'm Sandra." She said. Sandra had a silky voice, a bit higher pitched than Tori.
   "Toriel." She held out her hand. They shook.
   Sandra ended up being extremely nice. She has one child named Catherine. She is a housewife and has a pool and lives not far away.
   Toriel told Sandra her story, and they were talking until they were interrupted by Helen clapping.
I hate the rhythmic clapping, Toriel thought. Helen made the parents repeat after her clapping like kindergarteners.
"Hello! My name is Helen, and welcome to the PTA meeting. Let's get started."
Normally, Toriel loved these meetings, but this one made her want to doze off. Helen ranted about cafeteria food and the importance of school nurses. Finally vaccinations.
"They cause autism. We should ban them." A parent shouted. It's ended up being Veronica. Of course.
   "They don't!" Toriel said. Everyone looked at her. "We need to prevent diseases that can spread around the school."
   "There hasn't been diseases in a long time." Helen said.
   "Due to the vaccinations." Someone let out an "ooh." Toriel gulped. She didn't mean to "burn" her.
   "You wouldn't know because your kid is autistic." Veronica snapped. Some people gasped.
   "Are we done now?" Veronica continued. "We can let Helen talk."
   Helen nodded. "We'll bring this up in our next meeting. For now, we need to find the school's electives. We need instruments, string, paper, and much more, so we're selling chocolate bars provided by Hershey's. A student can order boxes to sell or to do whatever with the chocolate, but they need to pay for it with fifty dollars, because one box has 50 bars."
   Blah blah blah. Some parents asked questions while Tori zoned out.
   Before they knew it, the meeting was over. Sandra and Toriel exchanged numbers and talked a bit more.
   "Helen and Veronica think they're all that." Sandra said, rolling her eyes.
   "I know! We're all parents, so what makes them so special?" Tori replied.
   "You should talk to them about it." Sandra said. "Kick them off their horse."
   "Yeah. No more horseplay."
   "That was terrible!"
   The two laughed, then Sandra had to go.
   I should talk to them. Toriel walked over to the two, who were helping each other pack up.
   "Do you need help?" Toriel asked. She tried to keep her cool.
   "We're fine without your assistance." Veronica snapped.
   That was it for Toriel. "I don't get what your problem is with me." She said, crossing her arms. "We're all parents and we should all at least get to know each other instead of assuming."
   Helen stood up. "You're not a real mom. You can lash out at us any time with your freak powers." Ouch. Spitting daggers would have hurt less.
   You're not a real mom.
   "I don't use my powers, for your information. And I am a mom, who has three children. I don't get what you mean."
   "You clearly know what I mean. Let me break it down: you're a monster. You're the reason kids check their closets and under their beds for a scary monster with fangs and claws, waiting to hurt them." Emphasis on hurt.
   Before she knew it, Toriel ran, her dress trailing behind her. She felt Helen's smirk on her back.
   She slammed her car door shut and shoved the key in.
   Not a real mom. Monster.
   "You're the real monster!" Toriel angrily muttered. She missed a car by inches.
    "You're a bad example!" Toriel said, beating a red light.
    "Shut up!" She said, and that's when she hit a pole, and her head slammed on the wheel and everything faded into darkness.