Book 3 [ The Untitled Series ]

Chapter Forty- Three

Short chapter this week, and only two chapters left to this book- and this series! It's always weird ending a book but I'm excited for the next one. Anybody else's excited?

Ashley

" she said what?" Leon asked doing a double take, taking his eyes away from the food he was cooking to look back up at me in the doorway. Raegan was in her bedroom working on her homework, and I had just woken up from an afternoon nap.

" you heard me. She really told me that she earned my money... like, with a straight face and everything."

He shook his head and focused his attention back on the sizzling skillet in front of him. It seemed the fish was ready to be flipped. " and you really think she stole your ATM card?"

" who else could have? The person had to know my pin!"

" but she don't know your pin."

" Leon it's your fucking birthday! After ten years of you being around, I know she can guess your birthday. And she didn't deny it! When I accused her, she just stood there." I folded my arms across my chest. " and why the hell are you taking up for her? Last I checked, you couldn't stand her."

" because the last thing I'm bout to do is bash ya moms and look like a asshole. Mad or not, you love her and would probably rip my head off if I said anything bad about her."

I shrugged in defeat, sulking over to the kitchen table to slouch down into one of the chairs. He was right, ofcourse. As pissed at and as hurt as I was by my mother, i still loved her.

" I just wish she was... normal. She's never just been my mom, without the drugs or the antics and I can't deal with it. I just try so hard and I just can't-" my voice cracked and before I knew it, i was full out crying. It wasn't the silent cry, with tears elegantly streaming down my face, no, it was the ugly cry. My face was balled up and my mouth was open as I made a noise that could only be equivalent to the sound of a car that wouldn't start.

Leon swept me up into his arms, just allowing for me to cry for a moment before he spoke. " I know you want to, but you can't buy her love. At some point you gone have to make peace with that, baby."

Throughout this whole ordeal he had been the level headed one- which was Leon in rare form because normally he was irrational and I was level headed - and i didn't want it. I just wanted him to be a little crazy, tell me that my mother would change, or anything other than helping me realize what couldn't be ignored.

As much as it stung, I just accepted what he was saying to me and moved on.