Don't You Dare Tell Anyone Mr. Stevens

The Phone Call

My phone read Incoming Call: Riley Grey. But the universe had a different agenda regarding different circumstances for the phone call. My mother was knocking on the door. I looked at my phone then the door then back again. I could try and steer her away. Who knows when the next time I'll have privacy.

"Tess dear can I come in?" she asks.

"Mom I'm going to sleep" I say and look at my phone again. Please don't stop ringing I repeat to myself.

"It can't wait" she says. Ya neither can this phone call. But then again if I don't let her in she'll get suspicious. I sigh and wait until my phone stops ringing and I have missed the call. She owes me big time for this whether she knows it or not.

"Coming" I say. I slip out of bed and open the door. She comes in and I shut the door behind me. She stands with folded hands at the end of my bed and I fall into the pillows and blankets.

"What is it?" I ask and wrap the blanket around me.

"So how are you doing?" she asks and I look at her.

"Well," I say and move under the blanket leaning against the headboard. it was warm. "Despite we are on the road looking for a deadbeat loser is going just great Mother" I say and reach for the lamp light and shut it off leaving one on. "Now if you don't mind" I say and walk towards the door. "I'd like to go to bed" I say. She looked tired and worn out. There were bags under her eyes and the light look she had was gone. She dragged herself towards the door and looked at me before opening it.

"One day when you're in love you'll understand" she says. I can't help but snort.

"You call that love?" I spit. "That isn't love and don't you dare try to justify yourself" I snap.

"Because Marcus is such a loving person to go looking for' I say and her eyes begin to burn with a fire pure and alive.

"Don't call him that. Show a little respect he's your father call him that" she says.

"Oh what you want to be daddy's little girl? His princess? You want me to call him daddy or dad like some stupid little four year old? He isn't worth the dirt I scrap off the bottom of my feet" I spit and there's a poisonous bile toxic taste in my mouth.

"God I hate that man! I hate that man-!" I say and there's a burning sensation across the side of my face. My mother struck me with the palm of her hand. The scratch of her nails burn where they met with my skin. Her palm was a fiery sizzling feeling when it touched my face. Now I stare at her with hard eyes looking to the side. I place the my palm to the side of my face and it feels cool. Her eyes look like red and black pits of anger.

"Don't you ever speak about him like that again" she says but she isn't yelling. She just sounds hard deep low and stern. Almost to the point of a whisper.

"I hate him" I spit in the same tone she placed upon me. "But not far as much as I hate you" I say and her back straightens. As do I but don't remove my hand from my face.

"At least he doesn't go finding people when they don't want to be found" I say. Once when I was younger actually I can count the times on my hand. Five times a month each mom left. She left Ben and I in the caring hands of that ruthless monster. But he never went looking for me. And he never found her. She always came back for him.

"One day," I say and the words come pouring out despite how much I want to keep them in. "When you're both in your caskets in your burial place 10 feet underground I will look upon your grave and smile with no remorse sorrow or repent. I will smile out of pure and utter joy. I will smile because both of you god forsaken creatures will be exactly where you belong! Rotting in the depths of Hell! You monster!" I say.

She grabs the door knob still looking at me then walks right out. When she does I don't even wait for her I slam it shut and lock every lock there is. I fall unto my bed again and grab my phone. I can't call anyone now. She could come in any moment in one of her moods ready to descend her wrath upon me. But how I longed to. How I longed to hear the sound of someone else's voice. How I just longed to hear someone else say my name. How I just longed for it. I craved and desired it more than anything else in the world.

It was 2 days after the night my mother struck me. We stopped for gas. It was black out and the night sky was covered with stars.

"Alright" she says and looks at us all. She always looks unsettling. Like at any moment she may snap. "Anyone hungry?" she asks and Ben nods. She smiles and takes his hand. She opens the door to the gas station and it was actually a very pretty clean and big stop. I place my hand upon Ben's shoulder and whisper to him. "Keep her occupied for as long as possible" I say and he nods because he get's it. There was an incredibly long line all the way in the back of the place for the women's bathroom. mom was now last. I felt my phone vibrating and I stepped outside of the gas station. I read my phone. Incoming Call: Ethan Samuels.

I answer it and speak. "Hello?" I say my voice soft scratchy and to a whisper.

"Oh thank God!" he practically shouts. "Jesus Christ Tess where in God's name are you!" he says.

"I'm sorry my mom" I say and he let's out a sound.

"What has she done?" he asks and his tone scares me.

"Dragged Ben and I all the way across the country looking for deadbeat" I say and he snorts. Deadbeat was our code name for Marcus.

"Where are you?' he asks.

"In the magical state of Nevada" I say and he whistles.

"Wow I knew your mom was crazy but that's just something else" he says and I roll my eyes.

"Tell me about it" I say.

"Well when are you coming back? What's going to happen?" he asks.

"I don't know. I know we're coming home I just don't know when" I say.

"You know everyone is worried about you and asking for you" he says. Asking for me. Tell me if its wrong if I long for a certain someone to be asking for me.

"Oh," I say and it falls silent. "Who is everyone?" I ask.

"Fine besides the fact that Mr.Stevens has become a mad man and Patty has had a missing my best girlfriend overload" he says and I laugh.

"You mean malfunction" I say and remember it feels good to hear his voice again. He made me in that moment forget anything and everything in the entire world was wrong. My best friend. My savior.

"Whatever!" he says and I laugh. The silence grows between us again.

"So um who is um," I say and can't quite get the words out.

"Riley's fine just worried about you" he says.

"Oh" I say. I feel better now. There was another incoming call on my phone.

"Listen there's something important I have to tell you before I can't anymore" he says.

"Hold on I have another phone call" I say and check my phone. My heart stops. My eyes become large and I press my phone to my ear again.

"It's Riley" I say and I can hear him breathe.

"Well for God's sake woman answer it!" he says.

"Ok alright! I'll call you when I can love you smells bye!" I say.

"Ok please call soon bugger love you too" he says and I transfer the call to pick up on Riley.

When Ethan and I were younger we had nicknames for each other. We used to love each other like brother and sister. We used to play house in his backyard and we gave each other new names with our new family. Where we shared his parents and we had funny names. Mine was bugger and his was smells.

But I didn't have time to reminisce on memories. I had a guy on the other line.

"Hello?" I say .