Parenting

32

OWENS POV
Amelia ran downstairs and I opened Ava's door.
"Why did you think this was a good idea!" I yelled.
"How was I supposed to know that about mom! You didn't fucking know that either!" She yelled.
"I know more than you do!" I said, "you're grounded for a month."
"Dad!" She said.
"Did you give your mother everything?" I said sternly, "Because Ava if I find anything else in here you can make it 2 months!"
"I gave her everything!" She said crying.
"Where's your phone?" I said.
"Dad!" She said. I saw it on her desk and took it with her laptop.
"We will discuss this further later," I said sternly. I slammed her door and walked downstairs to find Amelia. She was pacing back and forth in the kitchen talking to herself. I have never seen her like this.
"Amelia?" I said. She stopped walking and looked at me.
"I did this," she said quietly, "this is my fault."
"No it's not Amelia," I said.
"I-I," she said as she continued crying, "I can't breathe."
"Amelia," I said and started walking towards her.
"Don't touch me," she said.
"Mia," I said softly.
"Don't Mia me! This is my fault Owen let me deal with it!" She said.
"Amelia," I said, "this isn't your fault Amelia she's a teenager! Teenagers do stuff like this, she gave everything up, we hopefully caught this early."
"You have no idea what it's like! Not everyone is perfect like you Owen!" She yelled and grabbed her purse and started to walk out of the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" I said calmly.
"I need to go take care of something," she said, determined to get past me.
"What is it?" I asked.
"WHY CANT YOU JUST SEE THAT THIS IS MY FAULT AND NOT EVERYONE IS PERFECT LIKE YOU! YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS IS LIKE BECAUSE YOURE SO FUCKING PERFECT," she yelled at me.
"AMELIA!" I said, "I AM NOT PERFECT AND YOU KNOW THAT, JUST BECAUSE I HAVENT EXPERIENCED THIS DOESNT MEAN I CANT HELP!"
"YES IT DOES OWEN. YOU WERENT SENT OFF TO REHAB TWICE. YOU DIDNT DIE IN YOUR LIVING ROOM. YOU DIDNT ALMOST JUMP OFF YOUR FRIENDS ROOF BECAUSE YOU WERE SO INTOXICATED AND DRUGGED YOU COULDNT REMEMBER YOUR OWN NAME FOR GODS SAKE!" She yelled, I knew she was breaking and I needed to be there for me but she wouldn't let me.
"So let me go," she said as I still had my hands on her shoulders.
"No," I said.
"why not," she challenged.
"Where are you going?" I said, worried that she was going to break her sobriety.
"LET ME LEAVE," she yelled crying, "THIS IS ALL MY FAULT ANYWAY WHY DO YOU EVEN WANT ME HERE!"
"Amelia what are you talking about honey?" I asked softly. She started sobbing and it broke my heart. I wrapped my arms around her and she let me.
"It's all my fault," she said, "I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize, this isn't your fault," I said.
"I need to go to a meeting, before I do something I'll regret for the rest of my life," she said softly.
"Okay," I nodded.
"Can I take Ava with me?" She asked.
"Sure, I think that would be a good idea," I said.
"Thanks," she sniffled.
"I love you," I said.
"I love you too," she said softly and kissed my cheek.
AMELIAS POV
I was scared. I felt sick to my stomach. This was my fault. I needed a meeting before I did something I could regret. I ran upstairs and opened Ava's door.
"Get up," I said.
"Where are we going?" She asked.
"Just get you and get in the car," I said. She got up and followed me downstairs and we got in my car. I started driving and it was silent until Ava spoke up.
"So where are we going?" She asked.
"To a meeting," I said.
"AA?" She asked.
"Yes," I said.
"Do you go often?" She asked.
"Not as much as I should," I said and parked the car.
"I'm sorry I didn't know," She said.
"How could you?" I said, "I didn't want you guys to find out, or at least not like this."
"But you got through it," she said.
"You can too," I said, "so uh, just listen to what everyone has to say, you'll probably have to introduce yourself, I can speak for you if you want, you don't have to talk, but listen. And remember, it's a judge free zone."
"Okay," she said. We got out and she was silent as we walked in. She sat down next to me and this was the last place I imagined I would be with her tonight.
AVAS POV
I was walking out of AA with my mom. I was embarrassed, and scared. I didn't mean for it to go this far, and I sure as hell didn't know about my moms past addiction. We were walking back to the car and she was silent, I could tell how disappointed she was in me.
"Hey mom?" I said.
"Yeah?" She said.
"Do you think we could come back?" I asked. She stopped walking and looked at me.
"I think it would be best," she said.
"Okay," I said. She was being awfully nice to me, which was weird since she blew up at my dad.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked, "I mean I disappointed you, and myself, why are you being so nice?" She sighed and looked at me.
"If I learned anything from my mother, I think it would be that screaming at a teenager in a room full of strangers during their first meeting about how bad drugs and alcohol are and how much I'm disappointed while you are already embarrassed isn't an effective approach," She said softly.
"Thank you," I said.
"You're still grounded," she said.
"I understand," I said.
"I just need to know if it was more than smoking and alcohol, if it was pills or other drugs," she said.
"I promise you I gave you everything," I said.
"Okay," she said, "how long did your father ground you for?"
"A month," I said.
"Alright," she said as we started driving home. I felt like shit, I messed up so badly.
"Oh and Ava?" She said.
"Yeah?" I said.
"I might be mad at you, hell I'm extremely pissed, and disappointed, but I'm here for you, if you ever need anything, or want to go to a meeting, I'm here," she said.
"Thanks mom," I said.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too," I said.
OWENS POV
Ava and Amelia have been gone for a long time. I was worried. Riley, Noah, and Olivia already went to bed and I searched every corner of Ava's room for drugs and she was telling the truth. I was laying in bed watching TV when I heard the front door open. A few minutes later Amelia opened the bedroom door. She didn't say anything and silently walked into the bathroom. I waited for her to come out to talk to her.
"How was the meeting?" I asked.
"Weird having your own kid sitting next to you," she said. I didn't say anything and she looked at me.
"Um," she said and looked around the room, "where did you put the alcohol and cigarettes."
"In the dumpster down the street," I said.
"Okay," she nodded, "that's good." She was sweating and I knew she was craving drugs.
"Amelia?" I said. She looked up from her hands and looked at me.
"I want drugs so badly Owen," she said, "They're gone right?"
"Amelia it's all gone I promise," I said. I wrapped my arms around her and she started crying.
"I can't do this," she said in a small voice.
"You don't have to do this alone, I'm right here," I said.
"But you don't get it, sadly I do," she said.
"Well if there's anything I can do let me know," I said. She nodded and changed and sat down at the desk in our room. She looked like she was thinking.
"You okay?" I asked.
"I can't escape it," she said.
"Escape what?" I said softly and moved closer to her.
"The drugs. My past. Christopher. Ryan. Dying. Oxy. Alcohol. AA. My past. I can't escape it, it always comes back to bite me in the ass," she said, "God had a funny way of teaching me lessons."
"This isn't your fault," I said.
"Yes it is Owen," she said, "unless your suggesting she got the addictive personality from you."
"Amelia it happens she's a teenager, but we're doing everything to make it better and back to normal," I said.
"It's never normal," she mumbled, "you wouldn't get it."
"I'm sorry," I said.
"Can we just go to bed?" She asked.
"Yeah," I said, "we can."
"Thanks," she said and got up and collapsed into the bed. She faced the wall and I laid there next to her and neither one of us said anything. She sniffled and my heart broke.
"Mia?" I said.
"Yeah?" She said.
"Can I hold you?" I asked. It was silent for a moment and she rolled over and faced me.
"Yeah," she said as her voice broke.
"Come here," I said, "shh it's okay, it's going to be okay, we can handle it together, Ava will be okay. You'll be okay." I kissed her head and rubbed her back as she cried into my chest.