Strained

Chapter Thirteen

Dracula Orchids have always been one of my favorite flowers. It was the dark colors and unique pattern that drew me to this specific plant. The more I tended to Gran's garden, I found it was more than the physical attributes of the flower (and others like it) that drew me to them. Each one of the plants in the garden had specific instructions, temperatures to keep them at, weatherproofing, special diets, and so much more than made it invigorating working with. I added more moist dirt around the Dracula Orchid, gently patting it into place. They didn't need much water, but you wanted to be careful not to dry them out.

The overcast sky made it a perfect day to work in the garden. Plus, it was Sunday and I didn't have anything else to do. I had finished my homework in record time yesterday as I did my best to avoid my mom. I still hadn't told her I had seen her make out with Ivelyn's dad -- Benjamin Matthers. It still freaked me out that my mom had been with him and even more knowing she still had feelings for him. Not to mention, the small fact of the matter that my mom was dating someone else -- someone, who happened to be my previous teacher.

Sighing, I moved on to the next plant. I took a small break to get some water. It wasn't hot out, but I was working up a sweat. Slowly, I made my way inside. The back door led to the kitchen, which was empty thankfully. I grabbed a glass and filled it with water as fast as I could. My mom and Dara were both here and I had no intention of talking to either of them. It wasn't anything personal, I just wanted to get back to the garden. It always made me feel closer to my Gran. That, and it offered a great distraction from everything that had been going on.

It had been a week since I had seen Jamie and I missed him. We tried to make plans to see each other yesterday, but he had to study. I tried not to read too much into that. We had such a magical time the last time I saw him, dancing in the gazebo. We talked every day, which seemed like enough at the time. Now, I wasn't sure if he was as committed as I was. The long-distance relationship was proving to be harder than I had imagined. I pulled my phone out. Maybe I should text him and try to make plans with him. Today might be short notice and he's probably still studying, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

I sent a quick text and my mom entered the kitchen.

"Oh! Good morning. You're up early," my mom commented heading to the coffee maker. It wasn't that early, so I was thrown off.

"I guess so," It was almost twelve.

"Or maybe I'm up late?" She caught my expression and smiled. "Why are you so serious today?" She brought the cup of coffee up to her lips. I hesitated for obvious reasons.

Did I ask her about Benjamin? Did I even really want to bring that up? My mom and I were finally on good terms. We'd never been close until we moved to Salem. It was one of a few things that Salem had given me. Sighing, I realized I had to talk to my mom about the dinner party. If I didn't it would threaten our relationship and I didn't want that.

I opened my mouth, trying to think of the right words. My bottom lip trembled.

"Mom, I think we should talk," my words trailed off as my brain slowly processed what to say next.

"About what? Corn, whats going on? You're starting to scare me." She purses her lips and set the mug down on the counter behind her. I knew I had about five seconds before she really started to freak out.

"I—

I was cut off by Dara entering the kitchen. She had an armful of mail under her right arm. She shuffled forward and handed the large stack to mom.

"Here's the mail," she looked annoyed. Her blonde eyebrows furrowed as her dark eyes narrowed. She would have looked vicious if she wasn't so small.