Caroline's Cries

Chapter 10

Caroline's POV

Bike rides with Jake were always my favorite. We would bike along streams, around the mountains, and sometimes the middle of nowhere. No matter how many times we biked around the same exact spot, we would always find something new and majestic about it. Whether that be a baby blue bird, or even a cool-looking rock. They were wonderous with him. 

Right now, we were currently biking along a stream. Listening to the wind and the water's waves run over the cool rocks inside the streams. It has been three months since I was told the happy news, I lived with no fear. My hair had started growing back because I had stopped my chemo treatments altogether. Jake, on the other hand, had worries that it would come back if I didn't keep up with chemo. 

After biking for about 30 minutes, we stopped and stood side by side right next to the stream. It was quiet for a second, and then he looked down at me with a concerned look on his face. 

"You look flushed, are you sure you should have stopped chemo?" 

I rolled my eyes, "Jake. You've been bugging me about this for 3 months! I'm fine. It's not going to come back." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes, I'm fine. Now let me live my life as a normal teenage girl please." 

He nodded his head, got on his bike and motioned for me to follow him. 

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We laughed together as we pulled up to my house, recovering from a lame dad joke he made. I noticed there was another car in the driveway, but I didn't really pay attention to it at first. It was probably my mom's friend. 

"See you tomorrow." I smiled. 

He grinned and we gave our goodbye kisses. I watched as he rode away and once he was completely out of sight, I parked my bike in the drive-way.

Walking towards the house door, I heard laughter inside. But it wasn't a normal laughter, it was the kind of laughter that Jake and I make when we're together. I started getting suspicious, and pressed my ear against the door. 

That's when I heard my mom whisper something and the door flung open. 

"Welcome home sweetie." my mom said as her face peered above me. She asked me about my bike ride with Jake and I told her all about it, but I noticed she seemed to be hiding something inside. 

"Um, okay, I'm going to go to my room now..." I eventually said, gently pushing past her to fit through the doorway. 

That's when I noticed a man sitting on our couch. He looked like a dumb car salesman; black gelled hair, brown eyes, and one of those stupid smiles. He was also wearing a bowtie.

"Who is this?" I asked, looking towards my mom. 

She sighed and closed the door. "Honey, this is..."

The guy leaped up and shook my hand, "Jerry, I'm Jerry." 

A perplexed look came across my face, what was a weirdo named Jerry doing inside of my house?

"And why are you here?" I asked.

"Honey, this is my fiance." My mom stated.

"Fiance?!" 

"Yeah, we've been engaged for months." 

"Months?! And you didn't even think about telling me?" I yelled at my mom. 

"We're also getting married in two months." Jerry chimed in. 

"Two months?!" I screamed.

"Jerry, you aren't making the situation better here," My mom sighed as she grabbed my arm, "Caroline can we please talk?"

She pulled me into her room and closed the door. 

"Why didn't you think about telling your daughter that you're getting married in two months? Were you just going to tell me when the wedding happens?" 

"No, Caroline, I should have told you earlier... but I didn't know how you would adapt to the sudden change." 

"Well now you know, and I don't like him. He's a big dork." 

"Caroline!" My mom's voice was full of warning, "He's going to be in this family whether you like it or not." 

I rolled my eyes and ran out of the room, slamming the door to my own room. 

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Two months have passed. 

I was forced into joining my mom for the wedding dress shopping, the food shopping, the decorations shopping, the rehersal dinner, everything like that. 

I didn't like him. He would constantly ask Jake "So son, when are YOU going to put a ring on it?" And laugh his head off. He made me uncomfortable and my mom was the only one who laughed at his jokes. 

Part of me wanted to ruin their wedding, maybe I could poison him or... no, that would be too evil. I could crash it, but I was too angry at my mom to do that. What kind of a mother gets married to a man that her daughter doesn't even approve of? Let alone wait until the last minute to say "Hey, this guy is going to be in our lives forever." 

The day of the wedding, I was forced into my pink bridesmaid dress. I was forced to drive in the car and I was forced to attend everything the wedding had to offer. It was awful and boring. Normally weddings aren't awful and boring, but watching my mom say "I do" to Jerry made me cringe. 

I'm still mourning the loss of my dad. To have my mother just dispose of my feelings towards that is so hurtful. My dad was sometimes the only person who cared about me. I loved him. I thought my mom did too. But she moved on so fast, almost too fast for my liking. My sorrow towards my father's death will never go away. My mom was so depressed, so full of saddness, unable to laugh and smile after he died. But now she's met Mr. Car-salesman. It feels as if those sad thoughts she had towards my father were thrown down the sink. And Jerry turned on the garbage disposal.

It's been a month since my mom married Jerry, every day is filled with unwanted lovey-dovey remarks from one to another. My only escape now is Jake.