Once they arrived back at Alex's house, Mitchie told Alex to tell her dad she didn't need help with her car anymore. Well, that was a start at least, Alex thought. Mitchie went back into her house and Alex entered the door, to see her mom sitting on the couch. She didn't look happy.
"What's next, Alex?" Her mom prompted.
"Huh?"
"Your father and I leave for a weekend, come back, and my mother's heirloom is destroyed; now you're skipping school? Are you planning on dropping out now?"
Oh shit. Underneath Mitchie's demands of going to the beach today she had forgotten about the fact she missed school until now.
She didn't know how to respond to this. "I'm sorry, mom, it won't happen again."
"I'd really like to believe that, I really would. But based on what has happened in the past week, I don't know if I can."
Well, she couldn't fault her mom for thinking that. She couldn't exactly believe it herself that nothing else would happen, knowing Mitchie. Today might be a fluke and tomorrow she might be back to being a psycho again. However, she couldn't just tell her mom that. It would seem like she was throwing the blame off of her onto someone else, when in fact it had been her that had let Mitchie in their house to begin with.
"I guess I'll just have to prove it to you, then." Alex said, and started up the stairs.
"No! Come back down here. We are gonna talk about this!"
Alex sighed and obeyed, going into the living room and sitting on the recliner near her mom.
She looked at her mom expectantly, like any child does when they know they are about to get scolded.
"You're not running into your room this time and being a recluse like you have been when we're here anymore. Tell me what the hell is going on."
That was the telltale sign her mom was really mad; she rarely used profanity.
What exactly was she supposed to say, though? Mitchie is a mentally unstable person who has been exploiting me to do what she wants for fear of telling someone I spied on her in her window? Alex thought.
"School has been really stressful." She decided on.
Her mom folded her arms, obviously not impressed with this answer.
"You mean to tell me that school has been so stressful you had to take it out on my mother's mirror? You've nearly made it through all of high school and are at the end and this whole time this is the first time it's been stressful? You must think I'm dumb, Alex."
Well, it was worth a shot...
"I didn't break the mirror, I told you it was an accident..." Alex trailed off.
"So, your father and I go on a vacation for once and that's the time you choose to try to clean furniture? I only say that, because who else could have broken it? You were the only one here."
Just then the doorbell rang.
Alex's mom shook her head and got up. "We're not finished here. Stay put."
Alex hid her head in her hands. This conversation was not going well.
"Hi, Mrs. Russo. I just had to ask Alex a question about some homework we got today. I tried to call her but I think her phone is off or something. It'll be real quick."
Mitchie.
Seriously? Did this girl have no hobbies besides harassing her and her family? Alex wondered.
