They Don't Know (BOOK TWO)

Chapter 3

"Hey honey," A bubbly voice practically sings through the phone.

Corey makes a face, "I told you to stop calling me that a long time ago."

"I've been calling you that since you were a baby," His mother coos into the phone. "Your eyes are almost the color of honey."

Corey rolls his eyes, "Cute story, now what do you want?" He asks grabbing a box of cereal and a bowl from the cabinets. He had been texting Sevyn when his father busted into his room and handed him the house phone before leaving his room again. Corey didnt even say hello, he left the phone on the bed and went to use the bathroom and brush his teeth, hoping his mother would think the call had been dropped and hang up. Unfortunately she waited the whole ten minutes for him to return from the bathroom and answer the phone.

"What are you doing for Christmas?" His mother asks.

"Nothing, we dont really celebrate it in this house...anymore." He says bitterly as he fills his bowl up with milk and Cocoa pebbles. The last Christmas with his mother was when his parents were still in love, he must have been about 7. His parents bought him a red and blue bike, his first one without training wheels. He loved it so much that he even rode it when it snowed, he remembers slipping on an ice patch and busting up his knee so badly that it left behind a black and blue bruise that still remains to this day.

"You should come down for the holiday," his mother suggest. His mouth opens to protest but she continues talking before he can say anything. "I know it's short notice but I haven't been able to get a hold of you. I want you here to bring in the new year so we can start over."

Corey turns on the tv and uses his pinky nail to pick a stray piece of cereal out his teeth. "You already know the answer to that, I'm not going down there."

His mother lets out a whining sound. "Corey please, I'm trying to mend things between us. I'm not asking you to come live with us, I'm asking for you to visit just for the week. And you don't have to worry about air fare I can have Alonzo send you a plane ticket by tonight."

"I don't get why you're trying so hard, you left us to start over so why are you trying to reconnect with the past?" Corey clenches his spoon, "I don't need anything from you or your husband."

There's silence on the other end for a moment. Corey stares as his cereal absentmindedly as it gets soggy and his mind whirls as he fights to control his emotions.

"Alright Corey...if you're not willing to try then I'm done begging. I won't ask you to come visit or anything like that anymore." His mother says in a pained voice.

Corey lets out an exasperated sigh, "Good, do me a favor and don't call here anymore either. You only call for me and I'm not the most inviting person so I guess it's a win win, huh?"

His mother takes in a deep breath, "Have a good Christmas Corey." She says quickly then hangs up. Corey stares at his cereal for a moment with the phone still pressed against his ear before ending the call and slamming it down on the table. Feeling frustrated, he pushes his bowl away and drops his head into his hands.

No matter how many times his mother calls he always feels the same afterwards. Crappy, confused, lost and hopeless. Sometimes he's so close to giving in to his mom and accepting her invitation to Georgia but then he thinks about his father. He's already in a dangerous and fragile state with his drinking problem, but if Corey leaves him by his self then he could resort to something even more life threatening. Corey figured out a long time ago that his father drinks because his mother left them and he knows that if he were to leave his father then his life would spiral out of control. Although he never shows it, his father needs Corey to keep his life on kilter. Which is why Corey is skeptical about college, his heart is set on Brown University but the distance from his dad might be to much for his father to handle.