Stay

Why'd You Do It?

The next morning I woke up to find Rachel's bed empty. I knew she didn't have any classes so early, so, in a panic, I banged on Scott's door. I heard him groan, so I opened it.
"Where's your sister?" I asked, my heart racing.
"Sleeping?" Scott mumbled sleepily. "I don't know."
"Scott, listen to me," I demanded. "You and I both know what she was talking about last night and she isn't in the apartment anywhere."
"I knew she was going to go see her," Scott muttered. "She never listens to anyone."
"And you're just going to let her put herself through more emotional trauma?" I asked, pissed that Scott wasn't more anxious.
"She would've done it anyway," Scott reminded me. "Regardless of what we told her."
I stormed out of his room and back into mine. Throwing on some clothes, I called J.D.
"Hello?" he mumbled, half asleep.
"I need you to do me a huge favor," I asked.
"Alright, what?" he replied.
"I need you to bring me to the motel by the mall," I said. "And I need you to get me there as quickly as possible."
"The distance from your apartment to that motel is a fifteen minute walk," J.D argued.
"Jason Michael Dean you are going to bring me to that motel and you are going to bring me there now," I demanded, and I heard him groan.
"Okay," he mumbled. "I'll be there in ten."
Luckily for me, J.D had no regard for speed limits. He got me to the motel, and before I could thank him, he turned to look at me.
"Why are we here, anyway?" he asked.
"You don't need to know," I replied, opening the car door. "Just stay here."
J.D ignored me and followed close behind, but it didn't matter at that point. He was just going to get caught having to face Rachel again, and I didn't care.
She had told me plenty about where here mother was staying, and it was about to bite her in the ass. As I was about to bang on the door, I heard her speak.

***RACHEL'S POV***

"Why'd you do it, Mom," I asked quietly.
My mother, taller than I was but much thinner, shrugged. It wasn't the reaction I was expecting.
"That's all you have for me?" I asked angrily. "A shrug? Do you know what you put Scott and I through? Do you know what you put Dad through? Having to pay for two kids, one who needed constant ENT appointments and another who had to go to therapy because of you. Do you even care about what you did to us?"
My mother sighed and motioned for me to sit next to her on the raggedy couch. I declined.
"You know I was having issues," she tried to explain.
"Yeah, and all your issues were our fault, weren't they?" I snapped.
"That's what you want to know, isn't it?" she asked, her tone beginning to grow angry. "You think it's you and Scott's fault I left?"
"You used to say it all the time," I huffed. "How the stress of raising Scott and I was what brought you to drink. Obviously that's a lie since you've continued to drink and now become a crack head long after we've been out of your life."
"My leaving had nothing to do with you and Scott," my mom admitted. "It was your dad."
"Yeah?" I pressed. "What did he do? Try to get you help? Support you when you were having rough days?"
"Your dad and I didn't get along and you know that," she snapped at me.
"Yeah, well, the cat and I didn't get along either, but I didn't refuse to go near him every time he scratched me now, did I? Because when he scratched me, it was usually my fault. And when dad bugged you about going to get help, it was because you were a drunk mess sobbing on the kitchen floor, wasn't it?" I hissed, my jaw clenched tightly and fists in balls.
"Enough, Rachel," my mother snapped, standing from where she sat on the couch.
"You're right, Cathy," I said. "I have heard enough. Thanks for nothing."
I turned and headed towards the door, and heard her call after me. Ignoring her, tears welling up in my eyes, I twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. Against the wall stood Veronica Sawyer and Jason Dean.