a long way from home ; g.d.

t w e n t y - t w o

I had been sitting on my balcony drawing for about 45 minutes now, and I was starting to feel much more calm, not necessarily better, but calm. I listened to the faint music from stores below me, and constant chattering from hundreds upon thousands of people.

In a way, this relaxed me too. Just peaceful, distant sounds.
I was just about to finish my picture until I felt a hand on my left shoulder and a hand on my right. Grayson and James walked in front of me, leaning against the railing. "Gray told us what happened this morning," Ethan said. I looked up to my right and saw him looking down on me with a sympathetic face.

"We're really sorry, Elle," Emma said over my left, with the same expression. "I'm sorry, but your mom's a bitch. Just a total bitch," James said, crossing his arms.

I snickered quietly. "Don't be sorry, she definitely is."

Ethan walked over and sat down on the chair next to mine. Emma followed, then took a seat on his lap.

I closed my sketchbook and set it on the table in between Ethan and I then sighed. "I don't get why she's so concerned about me now. I mean she didn't care about me at all when I was home but now that I'm gone she's acting like she deserves a 'Mother of The Year' award."

"Well, she loves you, Elle. I mean I know she's probably a huge pain, but she's still your mom," Emma said.

I shrugged and played with the sleeve of my (or Grayson's) shirt. "I don't even know if that's true; if she loves me. She never treated me like it, or said it. It's like I wasn't even her daughter. Just a girl that lived in her house used her water. And she treated Charlie exactly the way a child should be treated. The way I always wanted to be."

"Who's Charlie?" Ethan asked.

"My older brother," I answered.

I felt my heart sink the second I heard it. My phone was ringing again. I felt my face go blank, and they all noticed. "Just don't answer it," James said.

I ignored him andstood up from the chair. I sprinted inside, picking it up off the table. Grayson was in front of me in the blink of an eye. "Elle, don't answer it, she's just gonna upset you again."

"She's been doing it my whole life, why stop now?" I flipped the screen up.

"What?" I snapped as soon as I answered.

"You probably shouldn't be taking that attitude with me right now."

"And why the hell not?" I asked.

"Because your uncle and I are coming to New York to come get you."

My heart sank even lower. I could've fainted, right then and there. I needed air. I stepped back out onto the balcony, and gave all of them a face as if to tell them to go back inside. They did, and shut the door behind them.

"What do you mean?"

"Uncle Marcus and I just arranged a flight. We'll be there by tomorrow. It's about time you start taking responsibility for your actions and stop acting like a child."

I felt like screaming out of pure frustration and anger.
"You're crazy. You are actually batshit crazy. I am 18-years old. I'm an adult."

"Maybe so. But you're still my daughter. And what makes you think I'm doing this out of anything but love?"

I could practically hear her fake and sinister smile. The edge in her voice reassured me that she definetly was not doing this out of love.

"You have never cared about me until now. You treat me like dirt at home then suddenly act like you care now that I'm gone."

"I want you home because I'm oh-so worried."

"No, you want me home because without me you have no other lives to make miserable."

There was a long silence, so I took this as an opportunity to tell her off a little bit more. I could feel the anger building up inside me, and I spoke through gritted teeth to keep myself from yelling.

"Send whoever you want over here, I don't give a damn, but listen to me when I tell you this: I will never step foot inside your home in South Carolina, any town in South Carolina, or even the state of South Carolina ever again for as long as I live, and I would love to see anyone try to make me. Now don't you ever, ever, call me again."

I gave her a second to say one last thing. "You're going to regret once I get there, young lady." I slammed the phone shut.