WOUNDED

6. Mother

      Time was flying fast. The end of the first semester was here and Alex couldn't believe how fast it had gone. From hopping to classes, to studying in the library, to partying on the weekends she had assimilated easily to college life. Shelly had been of great help and they'd become close friends. Shortly after acquiring a good in condition used Renault, she had easily commuted and gotten to know the college and the city better. They had decorated their room in the first week with Shelly choosing to cover her side of the room with colourful graphics whereas Alex choose a more subtle approach.
     
Meeting Shelly's cousins and friends had also been of great help to her. They were a bunch of loud talkative people and had helped with her social skills. She had also met other people in the course of classes and despite her social anxiety had found it easier talking to people in college than before. Literature was her best class and she enjoyed all the lectures and assignments. She shared this class with Danny too who had insisted on becoming friends despite the numerous brushoffs.
         
Alex wasn't new with boys having dated back in highschool, but the vibe she was getting from Danny was not a good one. However, the guy had been nothing but nice and that was throwing Alex off. Driving back home she decided to give the guy a chance come next semester.
      
Listening to castle on the hill by Ed Sheeran was ironic to how much she didn't want to go home, but the song was her favourite while driving. With her windows rolled down and driving at a steady speed alone was blissful. After stopping once for petrol Alex was almost home. She hadn't seen her father in a long time and was looking forward to visiting him. Her father had always been her favourite family member, a fact she never bothered hiding. After a messy court divorce he had moved out of the city. Alex didn't blame him, she'd also move to the moon if possible to be away from her mother.
      
Arriving home after four hours of driving, she had taken a quick shower and disappeared to her bedroom for a nap. She was going to need all the rest she could get in order to survive the three weeks. If there's one thing she loathed the most were the family dinners that her mother insisted on. She couldn't for the world's sake comprehend why they needed to sit at the table together, when they didn't like each other. In a way, she envied her sister Maria for successfully evading the disastrous family time after moving out.
     
Remembering the days after her sister had gotten pregnant and dropped out of college,a nightmare had befallen them. Susan,their mother had gone ahead to sue the boyfriend for impregnating her precious daughter who was 21 by the time. The case had gone horribly wrong,what with her sister not being a minor but the family had been left to take the shame.
     
"How is school Alexis,you don't call me much anymore". Seated at the head of the table her mother was trying to start a conversation. "It's ok". Alexis replied shoveling food into her mouth to avoid saying much. That however didn't hinder her mother in anyway.  "Your sister might join you or get into a better college in two years. Her performance have been outstanding. Samantha, why don't you tell your sister about your last biology project?" Alex didn't mind her mother's open favoritism of her younger sister but the over exaggerated praises, that she could do without.
    
"Mum, Alex is taking English, I don't want to explain things that she might not understand." Samantha said smirking slightly at Alex. To say her young sister was a spoiled brat was an understatement. She thrived in their mother's praises. Alex didn't mind the jabs having heard the same phrases over and over again. Her grades in highschool had been way better than her sister's, but since she'd decided to major in english, 'a waste of time' according to their mother,the side remarks had started.
       
"That's true, the only dynamics she can explain is how to inflate the human body with food into an extra large size." Alexis called back returning the smirk in full force. In all honesty, she didn't like body shaming her sister but if its the only thing to silence the brat then she wasn't going to hold back. "Alexis, I will not have you speak to you sister in that manner, apologize at once!!" Their mother billowed in a rage, nothing new there as they'd all seen it before. And now she was to blame, lovely. As if she'd not seen this happen a million times before.
     
"I'll die first before I apologize to that spoiled brat you've raised!" Alex answered in equal volume standing up and leaving the table. If that's how the first day unfolded, she didn't know how she'd survive for three whole weeks.