Between Us [Spaces Sequel]

t h i r t y

As I got up, for the first time in forever, I felt free. Free from my past, free from any pressure. But sadly, that state didn't last too long. Just when I went to the kitchen to make me breakfast, I heard my phone ring. I happily walked to it, hoping to get a call from Harry, but I was disappointed. My aunt's name showed up on the screen. I loved my aunt, but she usually never called me which made me wonder.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Scarlett," she said to me, sounding somewhat unsure. "How are you?"
"I'm good," I replied truthfully. "How are you?"
"Good..."
"So, what's up? Why are you calling?" I asked her, noticing that it might've sounded rude. "I mean not that I don't want you to call. It's just... you never call. Is something wrong?"
"That depends," she mumbled, a female voice audible in the back.
"What do you mean?" I asked, putting a strawberry in my mouth.
"Your mother is here," she blurted out, almost making me choke.
"Wait... she's in London?"
"Yeah, she just dropped in," my aunt said, as anger built up inside of me. "She wanted to see you."
"Oh, really?" I asked, chuckling scornfully.
"Would you be able to meet her today?" My aunt asked, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Are you being serious right now?" I asked her. "You know that she left me behind, right? That she is one of the reasons why most part of my life so far has been horrible."
"I know, Scarlett," she sighed. "I know. She just wants to talk to you. She's so sorry for leaving you. Just... give her a chance."
"I'd rather die," I said, before hanging up the phone. Angrily, I put my phone down, before making myself some breakfast. After my father had left, I felt a weight being lifted off my chest and now it felt like that weight was back, putting me under pressure. Surely, my mother never abused me physically, but she left me alone with my father. He abused her and she knew what he would do to me, but she left anyways. And by leaving, she hurt me in ways she could never imagine.

"Hey," Harry said, his smile as bright as ever on the screen.
"Hey," I replied, my mind still running wild. I couldn't help but feel guilty for pushing my mother away. Maybe I was wrong.
"You can't even imagine how amazing the show was tonight," Harry told me. "The fans were so loud, it was insane. I wish you were here to see this. It's just magical."
I just stared down on my hands, not really being able to listen. I heard Harry talking, but his words just didn't get to me.
"Love, are you okay?" He asked, making me snap out of my thoughts. "Did you hear a word I was saying?"
"Not really," I sighed. "Sorry."
"What's wrong?" He asked, strongly looking at me.
"My mother is in town," I said.
"Wait, what?!" He practically screamed.
"My aunt called. My mother is here and she wants to talk to me," I told him. "And I told her that I would rather die."
He just nodded.
"And now I'm back to feeling like shit. I feel guilty for pushing her away. I mean, is it wrong?" I asked.
"You have every right to push her away, Scar. It's not wrong. What she did to you was wrong."
I sighed, shaking my head. "I'm just tired of having the people who made my life miserable walk back into my life just to make me feel like everything was my fault."
"Not a single thing that happened to you is your fault. Trust me."
I buried my face in my hands, fighting back tears.
"I know that you probably don't want to hear this, but you should talk to her," he said.
"Why?" I asked him desperately.
"I know how badly you need to end with your past, Scar. You need to end with your parents. And if you don't talk to her now, you will keep wondering what she wanted to say to you. And I know that you want to tell her how you felt. After all, she is your mother. Give her a chance to explain her reasons and explain yours. Nobody is forcing you to make up with her. Just talk to her. It will relieve you."
"I'm scared," I whispered, a single tear running down my face, as I quickly wiped it away.
"You're Scarlett Thompson. You are the strongest person I know. You don't need to be scared, because you always find a way," he said to me, making me smile through my tears.
"I love you, Harry Styles," I whispered, his dimples appearing on his cheeks as he smiled.
"I love you more."
"I'm going to call her," I said.
"I'm proud of you," he told me. "And it's only a week until we're done touring."
"I can't wait to see you."
"Me neither."
Just in that moment, Louis popped up in the back. "Harold, you coming?"
"Yeah, I'll be right there," Harry said, before Louis walked up to the screen.
"Scarlett!!!" He exclaimed. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"
"No," I said smiling, my voice still cracking from crying.
"Are you crying?" Louis asked with a soft expression on his face, before he turned to Harry. "Oh, what did he do?"
"Nothing," I said. "I'm fine, really."
"Alright," Louis said, shooting a worried look at Harry.
"Could you leave us alone for a second, mate? I'll be out in a few."
"Sure," Louis said. "See you soon, Scarlett."
As the door closed behind him, Harry looked at me. "I wish I could give you a hug."
"Me too," I replied, longing to feel his strong arms wrapped around my body. "You should probably go now."
"Yeah," he said. "If anything happens, you call me, okay?"
"I promise," I said, giving him a loving smile. "I'll keep you updated."
"Good," he said. "We'll talk again, soon."

As I was on my way to my aunt's house, I felt like throwing up. I didn't know if I was ready to look my mother in the eyes. The woman who left me alone. I wished that I had someone with me, but I knew I had to do this all by myself. Maybe Harry was right and this was the key to get some closure.
My hands were shaking as a rang my aunt's doorbell. The door opened a few seconds later, but instead of seeing my aunt, I saw my mother. She hadn't changed a bit, but she looked more alive, happier than she did before she left.
"Scarlett," she whispered, looking at me with tears in her eyes.
"Hello," I said, fighting with my own tears. Before I could react, she pulled me into a tight hug. For a second, I let her do it, before I pushed her away from me.
"Come on in," she said, as I entered the house.
We sat down in the dining room. There was silence for a while, nobody really knew what to say.
"How are you?" She finally asked, making me look at her.
"Good," I replied.
"Your aunt told me you go to university?" She asked.
"Yes, I'll have my final exams in a few months."
"That's good," she said. "Do you live alone?"
"No," I replied. "I live with my best friend. What about you?"
She seemed to not want to answer. "I live with my husband."
"Good for you," I hissed.
"Scarlett," she mumbled.
"Why did you leave?" I asked her with anger in my voice.
"I had to leave," she said. "You father abused me. I really tried to stay, but I couldn't. Leaving was the hardest thing I ever had to do."
"Why did you leave without me?" I asked. "You just left me behind like I meant nothing to you."
"I knew your father wouldn't lay hands on his own daughter," she said.
"Well, you were wrong," I told her, tears forming in my eyes.
"What?" She whispered.
"You left me alone with him and you were wrong. He abused me until I ran away from home. And even then, he followed me."
"Scarlett, I didn't know that."
"Which is just the best proof that you don't give a shit about me," I replied. "He beat me up so hard, I almost died. And recently, he found me in London and punched me in the stomach so hard that I needed surgery."
Tears began streaming down her face. "I am so sorry. If only I would've known..."
"What? Would you have come back?" I asked her. "Probably not, because you're a coward."
"If you came here to brand me a coward, you don't understand my reasons," she said, her voice filled with anger.
"I came here to give you a chance. So go ahead, tell me your reasons."
"I had to go," she said. "He hurt me in ways you can't imagine. I couldn't let him do this to me anymore."
"Oh, trust me. I can imagine," I said angrily. "I have been going through it for the past years of my life. I ran away, too."
"I never meant to hurt you, Scarlett."
"I don't care what you meant to do! What mother leaves her own daughter alone with an abuser?"
"I didn't have a choice!"
"You had a choice!" I shouted at her, getting up from my chair. "Your choice was simple. You had the chance to stay and stand up to him or to run. You made your choice."
"I am so sorry, Scarlett. Please let me back into your life."
"No, I'm sorry. After I ran away, I was finally happy. I have supportive friends and a boyfriend who I love more than anything. So excuse me if I don't want you in my life anymore. I would give you a chance, but I need to be happy."
"I understand," she said. "But I deserve a second chance."
"You don't deserve a thing from me," I said, before putting on my jacket. "And we are done with this conversation."
"You're just going to leave like this?" My mother asked.
"Exactly. It worked for you, didn't it? Running away from your problems."
And with that I was gone.
I was so angry until the door to my appartment closed behind me.
"Hey, are you okay?" Kaya asked me, giving me a worried look.
I shook my head, as my heart started hurting and tears streamed down my face. Kaya quickly got up from the sofa, pulling me into her embrace.
"It'll be okay," she said. "I promise."