Run Away. Here I'll Stay

Bad To Good To Worse

Dawn's P.O.V

This can't be happening.

I was in my room peacefully reading when my door slams open and my mom stood there, panting. "Why aren't you dressed? We're gonna be late."

"Mom, one, it's Sunday. The whole house knows I have no desire to change out of my pj's for the whole day. Two, late for what?"

"For your soccer try outs. They're in five minutes." I sighed and face planted into my book, hoping I could escape in it. Take me into another world like Narnia or Wonderland. Anywhere but here. "Mom, we've been over this. I'm not doing any sports this year."

"You need to be more active. When I was your age," here we go again. "My mom put me in everything. I was in softball, basketball, soccer, tennis," I mouthed every sport, remembering this rant by heart. I didn't need to hear it again. "I get it mom, you and grandma were jocks. That doesn't mean I should-" I didn't have a chance to finish my argument, as if I ever do, for my mother pulled me away from my book and onto my feet. She forced me into one of her giant ass hoodies and put a hat on me before grabbing a pair of my sandals and practically threw me in the car. She did it so fast that I barely had any time to react or fight back. Damn my slow use of logic. If I wasn't so focused on arguing with her, I would have seen that coming a mile away. "Mom, stop the damn car. I am not trying out for soccer."

"Yes you are. You need to me more active, it's healthier for you than reading all the time. Just trust me, hun, I know what's best." Oh, she threw the sacred words at me again. Those four, little words that she thinks can cure cancer and I hate them with a passion.

Uh-uh. She wasn't gonna end it like this. Not this time. "Mom, I'm serious. Stop the car or I'm calling dad."

"Your father is at work and he always turns his phone off, hun. Why are you being so negative about this? You use to love soccer when you were younger."

"Noooooo. I didn't have a choice. You stuck me in soccer and whenever you asked me what sport I wanted to do each year, I said soccer 'cause at the time, it was the only sport I knew about. You did it to all of us. You stuck us in sports we didn't want to be in. Did you even think about how Peter wanted to be a painter before you-"

"We're here." God dammit. How is she so easily able to distract me when I'm trying to escape her? She hopped out of the car and dragged me out, against my will before pulling me over to the coach. When he turned to greet us, I was not expecting to find a teenager who looked like the most beautiful creature I've ever seen. I shook my head and thought about it for a second. Why is a teenager coaching teenage girls? Or is it some kind of kink to get girls?

I looked out to the field to find the only team out there kicking the ball around. Oh hell no, she did not. I yanked my arm out of my mother's grip, making her look at me. "Mom, those are children! You want me to play on a children team?!" I scream-whispered at her. "You wanted stuff to be easy. I thought this would be good for you."

The woman is on drugs. That's the only explanation I could sum up for why she thinks this is a good idea. The kids are so tiny, they don't even look school aged yet. "Can I help you ladies?"

Oh no, the cute manikin is coming towards us. I tried to make a break for the car but my mother grabbed me and yanked me in front of her. "Yes, this is my daughter, Dawn, and she would like to try out." My mother squeezed my arm as if signaling me not to say anything that could ruin this. This is already ruined, not my fault, mother. "Uh, no. I am so sorry mister. See my mother here is not right in the head. She is highly mental and on medication right now. To her, you're a tall, highly attractive guy who she would leave my father for and those kids are my age. I don't know why, but she-"