Sweater Weather

Chapter 16

I rolled over and slowly opened my eyes to see the time. It was nine twenty-three. I rolled back onto my back and stared at the ceiling. The Hargrove's were coming over for Thanksgiving dinner and I had invited Robert's wife to come over. What was I thinking? I threw my blankets back and got out of bed. I got on my hands and knees before reaching under my bed. I pulled out a room-temperature can of Budweiser beer and opened it, taking a sip of it as I walked into my bathroom and started the shower. I stripped down and took another swig of the alcohol before getting in the shower and letting the hot water run over my cold body. I washed my hair, and body, and shaved before climbing out and drinking some more, letting the water drip onto the rug on the floor from my body. I sat the can back down grabbed my towel and began drying my body. I walked back into my room, my beer in hand, and got dressed. I tugged on a pair of fishnets, a black, leather mini-skirt, and a plain long-sleeved red shirt. I finished off my can of beer and dug through my closet to find a pair of shoes. I pulled out a pair of knee-high 'gogo' boots that my mom had when she was a teenager and sat them aside before pulling another beer out from its hiding place. I popped the can open, sat on the floor with my back resting against the bed, and drank the beer as I mentally prepared for the day. My mom was going to hate me, Rob was going to kill me, I was going to kill Neil, and Rob's wife would kill my mom. I decided that I was going to call Rob's wife and tell her not to come and that plans had changed. I walked over to my phone and dialed the number. No answer. I called again. No answer. I decided to call one more time but, with no answer, I sighed and decided to have a smoke. I opened my window and sat down beside it. It was a chilly, rainy, and slightly foggy day. I guess the weather knew about the inevitable destruction.

After smoking two cigarettes and realizing they weren't helping I shut my window and decided to drink another can of alcohol. My entire life Thanksgiving has been nothing but screaming, fighting, and, overall, an upsetting mess but, this year, it was all going to be my fault. Having Billy's dad and step-mom was already enough fuel to the fire but, inviting Robert's wife was a whole other fire that would burn through the forest and turn this house to ash. I gathered my three empty beer bottles and threw them away in my bathroom garbage before brushing my teeth, spraying on some perfume, and then pulling on my boots. I looked over my outfit and nodded. I looked like I belonged in a biker gang. It wasn't too far off from my daily look but, it wasn't nice enough for dinner. I glanced over my body one last time and walked over to my vanity, applying enough foundation and concealer to cover the dark circles under my eyes but not enough to look cakey. I put on some neutral eyeshadow to make my outfit look less threatening and added a red lipstick before walking to my bathroom to do my hair. I plugged up the blow dryer and began quickly going over my damp red hair as I brushed out the tangles. Once my hair was dry I commenced curling it, burning my ear in the process.

At twelve thirty-seven I walked out of my room and into the kitchen to find my mom, Robert, and Kevin all trying to gather plates, silverware, and serving utensils. I walked over and helped Kevin grab the silverware as my mom spoke.

"Nicole, honey, you look beautiful." She said, smiling brightly at me before turning back to the stove. 

"She looks like a hooker," Robert said with a scoff. 

"She does not." My mom said, standing up for me before I could let my thoughts escape my mouth.

Robert rolled his eyes and grabbed the stack of plates from the counter before following Kevin and I over to the table. In that moment I wanted nothing more than his wife to come in and tear his lies to shreds just so I could get away from him. 

"Nicole, have you been drinking?" Robert suddenly asked from the opposite side of the table.

"No." I said, knowing I was a little tipsy.