The ghost of him

Chapter 19

When I wake up the next morning, and I trudge downstairs, I hear my mom talking on the phone. She's usually super loud when she's on the phone because she can't hear and thinks the other person can't hear her.

This time though, she's whispering, well
more like whisper-screaming. Probably so she doesn't wake me up.

I stare at her for a few seconds as she argues with the person on the other end. It's kind of fun, watching her, but my mood changes when I hear my name somewhere in there. That's when I make my presence known.

"Ahem."

Mom looks at me and her face looks like she just saw a ghost. She immediately hangs up the phone and tries to act like she wasn't just talking to someone a second ago. "Rose! How long have you been standing there?" she scratches the nape of her neck and smiles awkwardly at me.

"Long enough to hear you mention my name in that phone call," I say snarky.

"Oh, that? That was just...a friend. You happened to come up in the conversation." She's acting really guilty, anyone wouldn't believe her.

She definitely is up to something, but I play along. I want to go see Michael today and I want to get on her good side.

"What did I say about talking about me? Mom, it's embarrassing." I whine to her.

"I know, but I love you. And I want to brag about you once in a while." She smiles but then her face changes. "Even though I'm mad at you."

And there it is. When I got home yesterday I went straight to my room because I knew she was going to yell, and I wasn't in the right mental state to deal with it. I'm still not.

Surprisingly though, she didn't. She didn't yell, didn't even talk to me. Maybe she was so mad she was past the point of talking.

But here it is. I knew it was coming.

"Yeah...that...I'm sorry I-"

"Don't you dare lie to me," She points her finger at me. She's been through this routine with me before so she knows I'm lying.

"I'm not. I was going to say that I accidentally left my phone in my car." I pulled that one out of nowhere. "I swear," I add, so she believes me.

"...Fine. I'll believe you." She says like she doesn't in fact believe me. All that matters is that she said it.

"Thank you," I say as I go into the pantry. I get out a box of cereal and go get a bowl and a spoon and put them on the table.

"I was going to ask if I could go out today." I'm thinking that now she believes me, she'll let me go. I want to talk to Michael today. I need to talk to Michael today.

Mom looks at me like I'm crazy. "Absolutely not." She says as she raises her voice.

Not the answer I was expecting...

"What? Why?" I say, also raising my voice.

"Well you are technically still grounded, and after yesterday..."

"I told you the truth," I say with sharpness in my voice. I hate her, she doesn't let me do anything, and she's being very difficult right now.

"Still."

I let out a deep groan as I go get the milk, and then I slam it on the table. "This is why I want to live with dad. He lets me do stuff, and he understands me." I mean it, what I said. I'm not apologizing if she asks me to, and I'm not taking it back.

"I understand you." she crosses her arms and gives me a look.

I laugh, really hard, so much I clench my stomach. "No, you don't." I sit in the chair and begin to pour my cereal. She's funny if she thinks that. We're polar opposites, and she doesn't even consider my feelings.