Reasons

Chapter 22

Rylie's POV

I woke a little bit later than what I had hoped. I had only ten minutes to get ready if I wanted to get to school in time. I am not sure how I could even sleep this long. I even had a nap before Harry woke me. I attempted to sit up, but I was trapped in the arms of the curly haired cutie. I slowly peeled myself from his arms and placed a pillow in place of me.

I quickly readied myself. I pulled my hair up into a bun and grabbed some random clothes before running out the door. I didn't have much time to waste getting ready. I didn't even bother with makeup. I wondered if Harry would appreciate that or not. I remembered him mentioning the makeup part when we went to the recital. It felt so long ago since then.

Harry was snoring softly when I slipped back into the room, hopping to pull on my converse. I grinned and planted a kiss on his cheek. I felt so much better today than I had before Harry came. He always knew how to make me feel better.

As soon as I had the other converse on, I ran out the door, waving to Gemma as I passed. I was just about to get into my car when I saw my mother. She was hunched over; her body was shaking with each breath. I could only conclude that she was crying. I attempt to resist going over to her. I didn't the time nor the energy to wait for her. However, when she looked up at me I couldn't stop myself. Her eyes were too puffy and scarlet; her cheeks were a few different shades of red. Overall, my poor mother looked pitiful. She was equivalent to a lost little puppy.

I threw my stuff in the front seat and quickly trudged over to my mom. It was hard to believe this little lady was still the one who had given birth to me. Anne was more of a mother to me now than my own mom.

I plopped down beside my mom and wrapped my arms around her. She didn't pull away, but she didn't move any closer either. I just looked at the positive side of it. At least she wasn't moving away from me.

I worked my fingers through the tangles that were in her hair. She literally hadn't taken care of herself in at least a few days. Her hair felt oily; she didn't smell too pleasant. She must be going through something that I am unaware of. I wasn't going to push this out of her. I wanted her to trust me enough to tell me herself.

Eventually, she turned to look at me. She had calmed down a great deal since I had come over here. I smiled a soft smile at her. No matter how much she had hurt me when she had tried to keep me from Harry, I would always love my mom.

"Rylie? Baby is that really you?" she asked, her voice catching a few times. I slowly nod, trying to not join her in the crying spree. My mom instantly pulled me to her; she rested her head on my shoulder. I felt comforted that my mom didn't totally hate me after all that had occurred a few months back. I did miss her quite a bit.

"Are you okay momma?" I whispered. I never used the name "momma" unless I knew something wasn't going right. I used to call her "momma" all the time during my childhood. I had grown out of it quite quick.

My mom's eyes sparkled with fresh tears ready to fall. She coughed in an attempt to stop her voice from hitching. "Well, baby, I wish I could say I am," she whispered. She rubbed my back gently and kissed my cheek.

"Mom, you can tell me what's wrong," I murmured. Truthfully, I was worried about my mother. I would have left her there crying otherwise.

"Baby, your father and I are just going through a rough patch in our life right now. You have no need to worry. Live your life. I know we weren't giving you the happiness you deserved. I have seen it everyday. You are brighter. You are lighter. It is all because of that boy," she replied.

I hadn't thought my mom would notice a change in me. In fact, I had expected her to hate me after all that had happened. She didn't like Harry; she had even grown to hate him. Now she is taking all of that back? It was hard to believe.