Bad Reputation

Bad Reputation (32)

Chapter 32

The day wasn’t over when I came home, unfortunately. Mother was already home, but that may be because I had taken a very long time to drive home after detention. I had stopped by a convenience store to buy a few packs of cigarettes and then took half an hour in an alley by the store to smoke a few of them. The smoke calmed me and I hated myself for it.

Looking back now, I couldn’t believe I had been so weak and succumbed to that first cigarette. I was now addicted and I doubted I would ever be able to quit.

When that was done I decided to drive way under the speed limit so I used the longest possible time to actually get home.

Prepared to go right up to my room and fall into bed, I was disappointed when I saw two cars in the driveway. I parked inside the garage and walked inside, expecting to see mother waiting for me.

I was not disappointed now at least. She was standing by the opposite wall, seeming to have just walked inside.

“Melissa, go up and change out of your uniform. I have placed a dress on your bed,” she told me.

I nodded, too tired from this long day to argue. This surprise dinner party we were apparently hosting was just the icing on the cake to a horrible day.

The dress mother had bought for me was absolutely hideous. It was even worse than most of my old dresses. It was light gray, lumpy and made of cotton. I have no idea what she was thinking when she bought it, but I would not be wearing it. Walking inside the closet, I looked for an appropriate dress to wear. I realized quickly that I had to go shopping soon, because I couldn’t wear these clothes anymore. Picking out the most decent dress there, a strapless, dark gray one hitting mid-thigh in silk, I changed into it and chose a pair of black ankle boots. Even if I didn’t like the clothes anymore, I had to admit the shoes were amazing.

Mother was standing by the end of the stairs when I walked down, staring at the dress disapprovingly.

“That’s not what I laid out for you, Melissa,” she said.

“I know, but I won’t wear the dress you picked out. If you want me at this thing, I will wear this dress,” I told her. “What is it anyway?”

Mother sighed deeply, like having to explain this stuff to me was a burden to her.

“Do you remember Tammy from the magazine Politics Today?” she asked and then continued to speak before I had a chance to answer. “She pushed the follow-up interview up to weeks, so we’ll be having it today.”

That explained one of the cars and the importance of my presence. There was still one more car and the nice clothes to clarify.

“However, your father had already invited Oscar Young and his family over and we just couldn’t cancel that on such short notice. Tammy said she’d be thrilled to have the interview with Robert’s closest colleague though, so she decided to join us for dinner as well.”

I stared at her blankly for a moment, waiting for the words to really sink in.

“So what you’re saying is that Tammy the interviewer and Damian the ex-boyfriend is inside out dining room right now, waiting for us?” I asked, just to make sure I’d gotten everything right.

“Well, Damian won’t be an ex for much longer, will he, Melissa?” mother scowled at me. “But yes, that is essentially what I’m saying.”

“I’m going back to my room,” I stated, spinning around on my heel and beginning to walk upstairs again.