Wherever You Go [Katy Perry Fan fiction]

Chapter Thirty-Three

My head remained on my mother's shoulders as we swayed gently from side to side, our arms still enveloping one another in a hug. I heard her breathe out a deep breath of air as her chin rested on my head. I could smell the wine on her breath whilst she exhaled. A sickly sweet smell. She was carefully stroking my head as we swayed, running her fingertips through my fine hair.

"Tell me something," Her soft voice says into my ear. My eyes are currently closed, right on the verge of falling straight to sleep in my mother's arms.

"What?" I breathe out tiredly.

"Was there another reason for you coming home from college?"

It's at that point that my eyes open. I stare at the kitchen utensils on wall straight ahead of me, my head still resting in the crook of my mom's neck, quickly thinking of a way to lie to her. I want to be able to sit down and explain to her the real reason we left campus, but I couldn't do that to Louis. It isn't my secret to tell.

With an exhale of air, I push myself out of my mother's arms. I just shake my head in response, picking up the coffee she had made me and bringing it straight up to my lips. She watches me carefully as I do. Her blue eyes fixed on my own, as if she's reading my movements and the way I'm acting to try and get an answer, so I try to shrug off the fact I'm lying to her. Act as normal as possible. I cut off our eye contact and stare into the bottom of my cup with a false smile.

"Why would you think that?" I ask, my voice casual.

"It just seemed a bit...odd...that's all," my mom shrugs.

I frown up at her, "What did?"

"You leaving campus. You were so adamant that you wanted to go back to college straight away, then the next thing you're hurrying home for two weeks. Is there something you're not telling me Sammie? Because if something has happened at college, you know you can talk to me about it."

A deep breath of air leaves my nose as I look back up at the woman that is asking me to open up to her if there's a problem. Just as my mouth opens, ready to tell her the real reason, I remember I can't. I remember that Lou told me in confidence. What right did I have to tell anyone the horrific things he's been through in his life?

"I just...," quickly another false smile appears on my lips, "I just missed Louis, that's all. I guess I just wanted to be with him. He always cheers me up, and, well after everything that had happened I needed to be around him. I only went back to college so then I could ask him to come with me. See, I was always going to come home for a few weeks."

My mom smiles, "so you just went back so you could get Louis to come with you?"

As I gulp guiltily, slowly I nod my head in agreement, "yes."

Not once do I look her in the eye, she'd know I was lying if I did. Then again, she could usually tell straight away. Maybe she knew I wasn't being honest with her. My thoughts were confirmed when I peered over my mug that had now returned to my lips, to see her looking at me with narrowed eyes. Her lips are pressed into a straight line, but she gives me a single nod as if to say, 'I know you're lying, but fair enough.'

My mom releases a breath of air, saying the single word, "Okay."

I mentally thank her, not actually knowing how much longer I could have gone in this conversation until eventually I gave in and told her. She knows something's wrong. She knows I've just lied to her face. Of course she does. And the embarrassing thing is, is that she knows full well that I know she knows, which makes things just that slight bit awkward. I feel like a terrible daughter.

The silence is then interrupted by Louis appearing through the door frame. Another mental thanking right there.

"Hey, you've been gone a while," he says to me.

I place the coffee cup down on the kitchen counter, wiping my wet lips dry with the back of my hand, before opening my mouth to speak. My mom gets in before I do.

"My fault," she says, "I kept her chatting with me in here. Sammie was just telling me the real reason you guys have left campus."

Knowing exactly how that must sound to Louis, my heart comes to a stop. My eyes widen slightly at her words. Oh crap. I panic to myself in my head, scratching the back of my neck, fidgeting annoyingly. I look up at Louis, seeing him look back at me with eyes full of betrayal and disbelief. Just as I'm about to tell him with my eyes, he looks away.

I knew full well that my mom had said that to see what reaction she'd get out of Louis. Mission succeeded. He's stood looking just as secretive and nervous as I was.

He tries to put on a front, just like I did. His face faking a smile as he returns his gaze to me whilst saying, "She was?"

"Yeah," my mom replies instantly, her eyes burning from me to Louis and back again. "You know, just that she wanted to be with you so much that she went back to campus first to persuade you to come back with her."

The shock on Louis' face when he realized then that I had in fact kept his secret, was definitely evident. He smiles a genuine smile at me. Thanking me. Yet apologizing. I knew he was sorry that I had to lie for him.

"Yeah, right," Louis agrees. "And I'm glad she did."

The triangle that we were all stood in then turned silent. All of us just looking from one another. I noticed how it was now completely black outside. Any trace of daylight in the sky was nowhere to be seen.

When my eyes returned to look at my mom, I was met by the sight of her back as she refilled her wine glass. The clear liquid had just reached the halfway mark when I quickly shot my eyes over to Louis. He's already looking back.

"Thank you," he mimes, where as his eyes apologise.

"Are you guys coming back in here or what?" A voice shouts from the front room.

"We're coming now," Louis calls back.

I pick my phone up from the kitchen counter, following behind Louis through the kitchen, my mom behind me. I hear the clopping of her small heels on the hard floor, and the sounds of her breath and she exhales.

Once Louis' body has completely disappeared through the door frame, I spin around quickly on my heels and press my hand firmly against my mom's shoulder. Her skin in warm and I can feel the hard bone that is so prominent through her flesh.

She doesn't say anything instead she just looks at me carefully. I step closer to her.

"Listen," my voice is a quiet whisper, "I know that you know I'm not being completely honest with you, but I need you to trust me. I wish that I could explain but I can't mom, not yet, and I am so sorry that I can't. I just need you to know that I'm not in any kind of trouble, or danger, and that it's nothing you need to worry about."

Her face doesn't change, instead she just leans closer, very close in fact, and whispers, "Samantha Hudson if you're pregnant and you're lying to me about it, then you better go to bed and pray for yourself tonight."

Quickly I lean back so that I'm able to look my mother clean in the eye, "Pregnant? Do you think I'm stupid?" I whisper-shout.

"Accidents happen Sammie. Remember. I was barely older than you are when I had you. I know how easy it is to-"

With a roll of my eyes and a hand pressed firmly against my mom's mouth, I manage to shut her up. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm a virgin," I whisper. "Alright?"

She nods, looking rather relieved, "alright."

"But I still need you to trust me. Everything's fine it's just something that I can't really tell you about at the minute. I promise you that you don't need to worry." And with that, I leave a soft kiss on my mother's cheek and quickly disappear into the front room before she had chance to question me any further.