My Fake Boyfriend

Chapter 16

It's been 4 months, 6 days, 2 hours and 34 minutes since Mike (Casey's dad) told me and my mom the real story of why my dad just up and left.

Why am I counting down to the specific minutes? Because I'm holed up in my room, only coming out for necessities like food and water, and to go to school.

Now, why can't I go out of my room? My mom.

"Sarah!! Get your worthless ass down here! Now!" Her slurred words tell me everything I need to know. I walk down the stairs to see my mom stumbling around in the direction of the kitchen. Probably to go grab another bottle of wine. Luckily for her, my parents barely used to drink wine so they had quite the stash of wine bottles, from dinner parties or presents, tucked away in a locked cabinet.

I walk into the kitchen and see her struggling to pop open the cork on the wine.

"Why are you just standing there you absolute fucking disappointment?! Come help me open the damn wine bottle!" I do as told and go open the bottle. As I start to walk away and back to my room I hear her mutter, "worthless piece of shit." Well that's nice.

I make it to my room safely and I start to reflect on how her drinking got this bad. The night after Casey's family left our house, my mom went crazy. She started throwing everything in her sight. Not at me, thankfully. But at walls, and out windows. She threw my dad's shirts out their bedroom window and into the muddy ground below. She threw plates and drinking glasses. She screamed and screamed until her throat was raw and raspy. She'd repeat, "Why?! Why didn't he fucking tell me?! Fuck!" Followed by deafening screams like someone was being murdered.

I, for one, never saw this coming. It's like something snapped in her and the only way she could feel better was by drinking. I don't blame her for being madder than words can describe, but I never, never thought she would take to drinking.

I tried to tell her to stop, to try and get her to stop, but she didn't listen. She just called me a worthless child and opened another bottle of wine, or beer.

I got used to it, I guess. She didn't harm me, we stayed out of each other's way and life went on.

As for me and Casey, we are still "together" at school since this whole "us" thing is still trending. So we act all lovey-dovey at school, then we part ways at home. I still try and make friendly conversation with him on the car rides but he either doesn't answer or he answers with one word. I never told him about my mom because I don't feel like I can tell him everything anymore. Before when we first started this whole thing, it felt like we picked up where we left off in middle school. I felt like I could be myself around him. I felt like I could trust him. But now, I don't know what happened, but I feel like he's pulling away from me and I don't know how I feel about it.

~~~~~

The next day

"Sarah Layla Bayn! Get your flat ass down here right now!" Wow just calling me and my flat ass out right now aren't you mom?

"Coming!" I yell as I finish brushing my hair, and grabbing my book bag for school. I walk down the stairs, and immediately feel something fly over my head, lightly tapping my scalp. I hear it crash on the wall behind me into millions of pieces. Glass.

Once I processed that my mom threw a beer bottle at my head, I whipped my head around to see the smashed beer bottle. I turn my head back around to see my mom, red in the face. She looked the angriest I have ever seen her.

"It's your fault! It's all your fucking fault! The dealer should have taken you! He should have! Then me and your dad would still be together! You were a horrible mistake! I regret ever having you! You worthless piece of shit! Get out of my face! Now! Or I won't miss with the next bottle!" Her words hurt. They cut deep. I restrained myself from crying in front of her, I fear of what she would do.

I walk outside when Casey pulls up to my driveway to take us to school. I get in the car, put on my seatbelt and face my body to the window. I see in the reflection that he's looking at me, but he quickly looks away and starts the drive to school.

When we get to school, he parks and I try to open the door. Little do I know, it's locked.

"Please open the door." I say, but it comes out a whisper.

"You know, you've never been the quietest cryer." I can sense a little humor in his voice, but he covers it up with sympathy. I give out a little fake chuckle and try the door again.

"I won't unlock the door until you tell me why you are crying." He can see I'm hesitant so he adds, "I'm here for you. Whatever it is. Please?"

I sigh knowing that if I don't cave, we will miss school. I turn to face him, teardrops still rolling down my face. I wipe them away, but look down now finding the seat very interesting.

I hear him sigh, and I feel his fingers lightly touch my chin, bringing my head up so my eyes meet his. I look into his eyes to see genuine care from them. He's going to find out sooner or later, why not sooner?

"Um, my mom, she's been drinking." My voice is quiet. "Like, a lot. Ever since she found out about, you know." Casey's eyes turn from care to fear.

"Has she...hit you?"

"No. She's never hurt me. Until today." He urged me to continue. "I was walking down the stairs, and I felt a beer bottle scrape the top of my head. It crashed on the wall behind me. Thankfully she was too drunk to aim." All this while, his fingers never left my face which was quite comforting in a situation like this. Despite my best efforts, a tear escapes and Casey was quick to wipe it away. He's silent, waiting for me to continue like he knows there's more.

"She started spewing hurtful words at me like, worthless, and a piece of shit, and that I was a mistake. That the dealer should have taken me instead of my dad." Casey stiffens as he hears the last part. He is quick to pull me into a hug. Rubbing soft circles on my back that gave me chills.

He pulls back from the hug and looks into my eyes. Searching. He catches me off guard as he places his lips on mine. I resist at first, but he insists and I soon melt into it. It was short, but nevertheless left me breathless.

"You are going to come live with me." That's the last thing he says before he unlocks the car door and gets out.

Omg guys! Thank you for 900+ reads! I cannot thank y'all enough! Keep reading, commenting and voting!!

Just a side note: Comment what you've been doing in quarantine, I've been baking a lot!

With love,
~ Simone <3