Unapologetically, Juliet

Chapter Thirty-One

"JULIET Grace, I swear I'm gonna throw this spoon at you if you take another step." She would too. My mother's eyes were blazing with fire as she glared at me, the long wooden spoon dripping with steaming chocolate, clutched tightly in her fist.

"I'm not staying the night, Mom. I already told you that. I have other shit to do." I didn't back down as I matched her stare from over the counter. She angrily turned her back on me so she could stir the peppermint hot chocolate boiling away on the stove.

"It's one holiday! You can spend one full holiday with us! Just this year." Her voice turned pleading as Dad bravely entered our vicinity. Everyone else was smart enough to stay as far away as they could. I'd made sure to say goodbye to them all earlier, because I knew this would happen. It always did.

"They're my family too. I can't just abandon one family for the other." Dad cringed as soon as the words left my mouth, and I saw Mom tense up like she was preparing for battle.

Slowly, she turned around, and her dark brown eyes were like molten lava. "They are not your family," she snarled. "We're your family! They're just a group of derelict hoodlums! You'll never get anywhere in life if you don't cut ties sooner rather than later. Have you taken a step back to actually look at yourself, Juliet? You're a mess!"

I figured some of what she said was just out of being angry that she couldn't control every aspect of my life. But 67% of it, she really thought. I shot her a look full of all the pity built up inside of me.

"I feel sad for you that you believe what you say. My life is perfect for me. I won't apologize for that. Merry Christmas, Mom. Love you." I turned around and slung my bags over my shoulders, before leaning down and scooping King into my arms.

"Bye, kiddo. Love you!" Dad called and I almost giggled when I heard my mom hiss something at him. He didn't care. "Your mom loves you too!"

I shot him a smile over my shoulder as I left the house, seeing Rosalie sitting on the stairs out of view with her chin resting on her hands. When she spotted me, she silently shrugged on her jacket and followed me out the front door and to my car. She didn't say a word until after she'd helped me stuff all my luggage in the back seat, while I settled King on his favorite blanket.

"You're not gonna come around for a while, are you?" she asked, sounding like she was on the verge of bursting into tears.

I shrugged. "Probably not. You know how Mom and I work. Why, what's up?"

Rosalie shook her head. "I just thought things were gonna get better." Her lip quivered, and it wasn't because of the bitter cold. She crossed her arms and her expression was like a knife to my insides. I laughed, though.

"It's okay. Mom and I are fine. In a few weeks, she'll forgive me, and everything'll go back to normal. You'll see." I leaned against my car and pulled her next to me, so our backs were facing the house. "Don't worry about it, Roro."

"But I wanna keep hanging out with you." She didn't look at me when she spoke and I almost felt bad that she saw Mom and I fight, 'cause of it.

"She'll still let you come to see me," I promise, but she didn't believe me, it was painted across her face.

"Yeah, right. She'll make up all kinds of reasons why I can't go." She kicked at the snow with her boot, and I couldn't fault her logic. I instantly felt cloaked by a shroud of guilt. I hated knowing she was being inadvertently punished because of me.

"Someday, when you're older, you'll thank me for persevering through the rough patches."

Rosalie shot me a flat look. "Why?"