Little White Lies

Chapter 40

I come out of the bathroom, which I can finally go to alone, on the following Monday to find my parents in a heated argument. They stand on opposite sides of the kitchen, my father is wild eyed and angrier than I've ever seen him; meanwhile Mom simply has a looks annoyed with him.

"Lisa, you HAVE to be kidding right now!" Dad's voice grows increasingly louder. "I can't believe you would do this."

"Whoa! Guys what's going on?" I ask, glancing between them nervously.

"Your father is throwing a hissy fit because Mark is coming home," Mom glares at Dad, never even looking my way.

My heart sinks. It's been twenty-five days since my accident and I haven't seen Mark once since then, in fact he's barely been mentioned. "Oh," is all I can manage to say.

"He lives here Jason. You don't. If you aren't happy then YOU can leave," Mom snaps.

"After everything that's happened you still want him here? Around your children?" Dad says gesturing in my direction.

"Everything that's happen?" Mom repeats sarcastically. "Nothing happened."

"NOTHING? Your daughter just missed the last 3 weeks of school Lisa! She's still on crutches after spending FOUR DAYS in the hospital! She had surgery! I don't understand how you can call that 'nothing'," Dad yells.

"The only thing that happened here is those children blaming their own mistakes on Mark," Mom says calmly.

My head shoots up, "What?" I ask, barely loud enough to registered with them.

"We all know what really happened here Sawyer," Mom snaps at me. "You were out there jumping that pony when it was too wet, she slipped and you fell. You're lucky the pony didn't get hurt, the Jameson's could have sued us. I don't know what you were thinking."

"Too wet? I lay on that ground for nearly an hour, I was bone dry! It hadn't rained in over a week. Mark was out there acting like a jackass and when Andy asked him nicely to wait ten minutes for me to finish Mark got in his piece of shit Blazer and started revving the engine. It backfired and Vera took off bucking," I say trying to stay calm.

"That isn't even remotely true," Mom says dismissively.

"I'm not saying he MEANT to hurt me, but he was being a complete jackass. He started revving the engine just because Andy asked him to wait. He was doing it to be rude. I thought someone had fired a gun, it was so loud, even the best horse would have freaked out," I look at her but she's just staring back blankly. "Also, the Jameson's came to see me while I was in the hospital and told me how sorry they were. They feel bad about everything. I had to convince them it wasn't Vera's fault so they wouldn't sell her."

"So you lied to a client and told them it was Mark's fault?!" Mom yells.

"No, actually I told them it was a truck driving down the road. I didn't want them to be afraid to keep their horse here or have their child ride here," I tell her. "You aren't wrong though, I did lie to them. I should have thrown Mark right under the bus, where he deserves to be."

"This might be the most screwed up conversation I've ever heard," Dad pipes back up. "You're really going to believe some guy you've known for less than a year over Sawyer and Andy. Who I might add, have very similar stories."

"I'm sure they do. They tell a lot of stories," Mom retorts.

"What does that mean?" I feel like I've just been slapped.

"You've been lying to me for months. 'We're just friends, don't be silly.' How stupid was I to believe you?" Mom says belligerently.

"You have to be kidding me right now? This AGAIN?" Dad laughs.

"I never tried to hide my relationship with Andy. It wasn't a secret. Literally everyone knows about it Mom! Even our Facebook pages say we're in a relationship. How much more public could we be?" I'm laughing at this point, this conversation has taken an absurd turn.

Mom changes tactics, "You and Julie are just alike, neither of you want me to be happy. You've both been trying to sabotage this relationship from the very beginning."

"You can't be serious! All we want is for you to be happy. Wait, there is one other thing, safe. Yes, we're monsters because we want you to be happy and safe. I've been quiet for too long on this," I take a deep breath then I let it all rush out before I can second guess any of it. "Mom, this is ridiculous. Mark is a awful person. He the way he talks to you is not okay. The way he talks to us isn't okay. The bullshit he pulls when he doesn't get his way is insane. Don't let this guy drag you down with him. I don't even recognize you anymore, I don't want to lose the amazing woman who raised me, but I haven't seen that person for a long time now."

"Sawyer, you don't know anything," Mom says cruelly. "You know nothing of love and clearly you know nothing about my relationship."

Her words hit me like a slap in the face so hard I can feel the sting. I've been walking a fine line trying to be the nice person for months and suddenly I couldn't care less. I haven't wanted to ruin her life by telling Dad everything, but I'm done. Maybe it is what's best after all.

"I don't know anything about your relationship? So, I wasn't the one who first discovered your engagement after you didn't tell us? What about New Years, Mom? Was that not your fiancé who threatened to kill himself when you suggested moving the wedding back? Was it not my little brother who stood right in that living room just a few weeks ago begging you not to marry this jackass after he apparently shoved you?" Now that I've started I can't stop.

"WHAT?!?" Dad interrupts.

I talk right over him, "Was it not that same jackass who stood right here in this kitchen and yelled at you to 'shut the fuck up' in front of Julie and Dave were here? If you think I don't know about this relationship you've lost your mind." I take a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"None of that is true!" Mom snaps.

I ignore her, "All Julie and I want is for you to be happy and safe. With every passing day Mark shows us you won't be with him. We're worried about you. I'm worried about this family, Mom. We can only survive this way for so long before we break. What's it going to take for you to wake up and see what we're talking about?" I look at my mother, standing in front of me with her arms crossed, scowling at me like a pissed of teenager instead of the parent I love. She's changed so much over the past few months. All of his digs and shitty behavior eating away at her, turning her into a person I can't even recognize. "Julie is right, this is abuse."

"Mark is not abusive, he would never lay a finger on me," Mom rolls her eyes at me.

"Abuse isn't always physical," Dad says quietly, he sounds defeated.

"Mark is right, you just don't understand us. If you can't be happy for me then I don't need you in my life," Mom says coldly.

I stare at her, she has to be kidding. As my eyes search her face it sinks in though, she's not kidding. This isn't even some lie she's practiced, she believes it. She means it.