Closet Full of Secrets - A Milo Murphy's Law Transfic

Loved for Once

Bethany's POV

I hated feeling calm when we had this silence of bonding between me and my mom because I knew my mom didn't even know the weirdo she raised as a child, she didn't even know who I was. Her hand was cold, she was still wearing her work clothes, I didn't even know what she did for a living. My mother's eyes leave mine and trail down to the parcel that laid on my floor, unopened and forgotten... She let's go of my hand to pick it up and placed the box in her lap, I stop smiling, fear filling me once again.

"Your father also told me how you got a parcel today, would mind if you tell me what you got?" She asks, trying to spark a different subject, I knew she wanted to just talk to me because we hardly do that anymore.

"It-It's j-just someth-thing for a pr-project," I had a problem where I'd stutter pretty badly when I was scared, I kept my eyes on the parcel, not wanting her to know I was anxious but I feel her face change, she hates my stutter but unlike my dad, she knows I can't help it.

"... We need you to go to somebody or someone for that stutter of yours..." she says quietly, I knew she had been thinking about it before, she wanted to fix me, I frown, my heart was racing but as I tried to reach for the parcel, she slightly gets it out my grasp.

"What sort of project do you need this for?" She asks, trying to keep up a conversation, not knowing that it was giving me anxiety knowing my big secret was in her hands, any second to be revealed.

"I-I-I..." I stutter before seeing my mother's face change from soft to judgmental, I take a deep breathe and say as slow as I could to refrain from stuttering, "...Science..."

"Oh? What's inside this then?" She asks, get eyes looking down at the box in her hands, my hands were shaking, I didn't answer because I was so scared that I was nonverbal.

I didn't speak so she thought that it was okay for her to see for herself, she uses her own fake nails to cut open the tape. I looked down, I didn't want to watch this all unravel, I didn't want to see her disgusted face, her judgmental stare, my secret being shared to her against my will. I've already ruined enough today. There was the noise of her opening up the box then there was silence, the only thing I hear was my own heart beating against my rib cage. The silence killed me, I knew she found it, I knew she was grossed out or just maybe confused. Her voice broke the silence as she began to speak.

"Bradley... What is this?" She said in a serious tone, I looked down still but I knew she was holding it, I don't even remember what it looks like, I tried to speech but I couldn't.

"Bradley. Answer me please." Her voice was still stern but the way she said please was oddly calm, I didn't understand, I don't understand what she wants from me.

"I don't know what you want me to say..." I say slowly, facing her, I hope she saw the tear marks on my cheeks or how scared my eyes were when my voice was confident.

"... Why did you really buy this...?" She asks, looking straight through me, my face softens, I knew I couldn't avoid this any longer, I also knew I would homeless in a less than an hour.

"I... M-Mom... There is-is somethin-ing I want to say... I'm not a b-boy..." I was terrified, I was surprised I didn't stutter more, there was silence, it killed me slowly.

"What do mean...?" She asks slowly, her tone of voice unreadable, she was looking away from me, her eyes glued on the wig in her hands.

"I- I'm- I know that you-you don't re-really agree with th-this sort of stuff but... I'm a girl. I'm sorry bu-but this is how things are..." I stutter, my heart was pounding, I couldn't breathe, why did I do this...?

The silence was even longer than the last, I could hear every sound, the sound of the TV playing from outside the closed door, the sound of the rain pitting patting on the window, the rumble of a storm drawing closer. I felt like crying but then I felt something warm wrap around my cold torso, my face being smothered in the smell of home and expensive perfume. My mom hugged me tightly, I couldn't believe this, this was so surreal, this couldn't be actually happening. She lets me go with a single tear running down her face but with a wide, sad smile on her lips. She cups my cheeks, I couldn't bring my self to smile back because I can no idea why she was doing this. My mom looked at me and began to speak.