Adapting and Conquering (The story of Bertha's rise and fall)

Chapter Nine

I wake up feeling emotionless, with tears dried on my cheeks, my makeup ruined, and my hair all tangled up. I still have my diary in my hand, so I sit up and open it to the page from last night. It's all crinkly as I turn the page.

I don't care what happened last night.

I cross that out. That's not true.

Even though I care about what happened last night-

I cross that out too. Better not to even think about it.

Today is the first day after my makeover. It's a little messy since I slept in it, but I'm sure Katie or Heather can fix it. I wonder what Jacob will think. I wonder what Delaney will say.

I pause. What time is it? I don't want to talk to mom before I go to school, but if I don't know the time, I might be late! And I need my backpack too!

I peek out the bathroom window into the neighbor's house. I don't even know who the new neighbors are. I don't really remember much about the old couple who used to live next door either, before the new neighbors, so I don't feel sad about them moving away. I can see the edge of the clock just barely, so I lean into the far corner of the window and stand on my tiptoes. My long, gangly legs come in handy for once, and I peer at the clock and struggle to read the time at such a far distance. The time read 6:15, thankfully enough time for me to get ready.

As I let my gaze wander across the room, I realize that the room is littered with furry bodies. Cats! As I come to this realization an old lady with a walking stick hobbles into the room and goes around the room patting each cat. She comes closer to the window in which I'm watching her and she suddenly jerks her gaze up at me and we stare in shock at each other. The old lady stumbles back a couple steps and trips over a cat relaxing on the floor. With a shriek of despair the lady falls to the ground and lays there, unmoving. A black cat strides over to her and settles on her stomach for a nap.

I ducked down in horror as I may have just killed an old innocent lady. Well my day is off to a great start, I thought, and then prayed that it'll get better.

I allowed myself 15 minutes to fix my disheveled makeup and hair, but there wasn't much of a use, and I would just have to ask Heather or Katie to fix it for me before school. With a trembling hand, I opened the door, and raced across the hall from the bathroom to my room. I threw myself onto the bed and panted with relief. I glanced across the room, and spotted the shorts dropped near my door. I got up and picked them up and stared at them with guilt and apprehension. I put them on and got my school stuff. I was dreading facing my parents and Billy, but I had no choice because how else was I going to get to school?

With a deep breath, I went to the kitchen where my mom was making breakfast. However, she didn't have the normal pep in her step that she usually had with most activities. She walked around zombie-like, and jumped when I approached her.

She glanced at me and seemed at a loss at words.

I realized that I should probably speak first, so I could make my stance clear. "Look Mom, I'm sorry about last night. It's...it's just that you treat me like a little girl that has no opinions or thoughts. I'm growing up, and I should be allowed to wear what I want and act like I want to. You never take my own thoughts into mind, and it hurts me, because it makes me feel like I have no worth. Like with Billy, 99% of what he says about me isn't true. He blames stuff on me and you always take his side because he's younger. It's time that you accept that I'm growing up, I'm more mature, and that I'm changing."

My mom stared at me for what seemed to be an eternity and I began to quaver under her eyes. Suddenly she collapsed and broke down into broken sobs.

"M-m-my little g-girl is all grown uppp!!" She wailed. Incoherent mumbles erupted from her mouth.

I was frozen in shock and confusion. I knelt down slowly and awkwardly patted my mother's knee.

"I-I-I tried-d t-to raise you p-p-perf-fectly but I mess everything-g up-p-p!!". A wild screeching moan pierced the air and I was alarmed at how shaken my own mother was.

I feebly attempted to comfort her with soothing words of "This wasn't your fault", and "I'm sorry", and "You weren't that bad". She threw her arms around me and squeezed until I was silently gasping for air.

Soon her moans and screeches were reduced to a low groan that escaped her body for 3 minutes straight.

"Mom? Get up!"

"I'm so sorry!" she wailed, with her arms still wrapped around me. "From now on I'll give you much m-more freedom!" Then she collapsed again into a heap, her body shaking with sobs.

I glanced around the a room and realized that Billy was frozen in the doorway staring at the strange scene that had unraveled in front of him. He looked pretty pathetic standing there, the quietest I've seen him for 5 years.

"Uh... there's breakfast on the table, i think."

Billy kept staring at me. Finally he rubbed his head, gave me a fearful look, and scampered to the table. He scooted down to the seat in the far corner, and lowered his eyes, not looking at me.

"Billy...I'm sorry about yesterday. When I pulled your hair. I was just mad and I-"

I was cut off by a low whimper from Billy, which I accepted as an act of forgiveness, although it could have meant that he was still angry and probably scared of me, but I ignored that thought.

I knelt down and lifted up my mom's face in my hands and spoke to her. "Get up mom. You can't be in this state. You still have to act like my mom."

She looked up at me with tearful eyes, about to cry again, but I held up my hand. "No more crying mom. I forgive you. Now be happy."

She smiled, stood up, and told Billy to get his backpack. "Time to go to school! Bertha needs time to hang out with all of her friends before class."

"But mom!" Billy protested. "I'm not done eating breakf-"

"Now Billy!" My mom shot daggers at him.

Billy met my eyes with a look of sadness and frustration, and I quickly looked away. Mom was right. I did need time to fix this mess on my face from last night. And besides, what did Billy do to help me when Mom hated me? Nothing. Time for a little revenge on Billy. But later. Jacob is more important right now.

I was happy to find that the front seat in the car was empty when I got there. I spotted Billy hunkered and glowering in the backseat.

Whatever.

"Mom, let's go. Drive." I said. As we passed the old cat lady's house, I was happy to find out that she wasn't dead after all! She was looking bright and chipper as she watered the petunias in front of her house. I smiled and waved at her, even though she had no idea who I was.

Suddenly my phone dinged. A text from Katie: Delaney's crying. Idk y tho.

I smiled. Today was gonna be good.