Chapter 28

I walked into the advanced calculus classroom and sat down on my seat next to Chase. The teacher started handing out sheets of paper, announcing that we had thirty-minutes to complete the test. I took out a pencil and an eraser from my bookbag, before looking down at the amount of numbers and equations on the sheet of paper.

"Good luck," Chase whispered beside me, and I barely glanced at him. Ever since I left the shooting range, I have been somewhat avoiding him. The fact that it was yesterday didn't really make it easier for me.

I scribbled my answers down on the paper and eyed every problem twice, feeling how my brain burned. Advanced calculus was fun at first, but the teacher stuck to his word and it had been quite challenging. Now, I wouldn't be complaining if it didn't make my brain burn constantly. I finished the test with five minutes to spare and grabbed my stuff. I slung my bag over my shoulder and handed the teacher my sheet of paper with a bored expression.

"Nobody is leaving until the bell rings," Mr. Mosely said once he eyed my things.

"Says who?" I asked and walked out of the classroom without a care in the world. Everyone stared at me as I walked out, but I didn't pay any mind to it. The stares and whispers were certainly nothing new to me. The teacher could send me to detention for all I cared.

Danielle, Kenneth, and Izzy rounded the corner by the lockers and I heaved a sigh. The reason I still came to school was beyond me. I should’ve dropped out a long time ago.

"Amelia!" Izzy called and hurried over to where I stood. "I heard about your mother, is she alright?"

"She's living," I answered simply with a clipped tone. 

She frowned at me and I narrowed my eyes at her. The memory of her talking to Gregory still burned in the back of my mind, making me suspicious about her. 

"Do you know Gregory?"

She seemed taken aback by the sudden question, but answered, nonetheless. "Yes, I've spoken to him. Why?"

"You shouldn't," I warned. "He's no good news."

"What do you mean?" she asked, furrowing her brows.

"Don't you remember how he threatened me at my birthday party?"

"It was more of a warning," she pointed out, and I gave her a hard glare. 

Was she serious? 

She sighed and gave me a small smile. "Right, sorry, but he hasn't done anything to me."

"He used to ‘do nothing’ to me either and look how it ended up. Getting into fights with me and chasing me down out of anger. It's still a mystery as to why he hasn't come up to me for almost a month now. Just be careful," I told her, and the warning bell for next period rang. I walked away without another word and headed to my next class. I sat down at my usual seat and zoned out, not paying any attention to whatever the teacher was saying.

The rest of the school day went on like that. Danielle and Kenneth watching me from afar, me somewhat avoiding Chase, and Izzy furrowing her eyebrows at me whenever we made eye contact. 

I glanced at my watch as the last bell rang—signaling the beginning of lunchtime—and everyone rushed out. I still had about forty minutes to get to the gym, so I decided to crash at the hospital for a bit. My house was currently abandoned due to the fact that it was still under investigation, and I didn’t dare step a foot inside.

I arrived at the hospital in twelve minutes and walked inside my mother's room. Her eyes were closed, and she breathed evenly. Her bruises were slowly fading away, but the scars were very prominent. The tube that she had in her mouth when she was brought here first had been taken out yesterday. She was healthier, to say the least, but the trauma of what happened was still nagging at her.

"Amelia," she croaked out when she opened her eyes and saw me.

"Have you gotten any sort of news from the doctor?" I asked.

"They will run some tests on me tomorrow, and if everything is alright then I'm free to go," she told me with a small smile. 

I looked at her and sighed, burying my head in my hands. "Look, Mom, I know it's late, but I'm sorry. I know the way I treated you back then was unfair," I apologized, sitting down at the uncomfortable-looking chair next to her bed. I had somewhat become better at apologizing, I guess.

"Look at me," she ordered softly, and I did so. "I admit that all I wanted to do was rip your head off, but after you left and threatened to bring me down along with Mark, I came to the realization that you were always crying for help. As twisted as that sounds. Amelia, I haven't been a great mother. I did very bad things and dated a guy who was not good for any of us. I didn't see it back then, but now I do."

"Mom—"

"Let me finish," she said, and continued, "after I found out your father got another woman pregnant, I swore to myself I would get revenge somehow. Then I had you. The resemblance between you and your father was sickening, so I knew that you too would leave me eventually, just like he did. So, I made the first mistake ever…I took it out on you. I contacted a man named Tyler, and bought my first share of drugs.

"You were just four at the time, but you were very intelligent. I took drugs on a daily basis, to distract my mind from you and him. By the time you were twelve, I met Mark and started dating him. That was when you started changing and getting into trouble; your entire demeanor changed. Then, I decided to cut Tyler and the drug dealing we had going on. I knew that he would come after me eventually, so I instantly bought another house and sold the old one we had.

"I feel so terrible, Amelia. You don't know how much I regret all the things I did. Now that I look back at everything, I have been such a terrible mother to you. You shouldn't be apologizing, it should be me." By the time she ended her rant, she was sobbing uncontrollably. 

I only stared at her in shock, not realizing tears were streaming down my own cheeks. I knew about the drug thing—I always did. Yet, I never expected her to actually admit it to me. 

She buried her head in her hands and cried while I just sat there and stared, not knowing what to do.

"You still forgot to mention some things," I started unconsciously. "Like when I first scraped my knee and you bought me a teddy bear to calm me down and treated my wound. How you used to talk to me and caress my hair before bed to help me sleep. How you almost broke the wrist of the boy that bullied me in second grade, or how you almost got involved in a fight just because a woman called me ugly."

She lifted her head from her hands and looked at me, her eyes bright with tears. 

I continued, "How you combed my hair and helped me do my homework. How you would always cook me my favorite meal every Saturday. How you would carry me on your shoulders when I couldn't see through the crowd. Mom, you may not have been a great mother, but you haven't been a terrible mother either." I wiped at my tears furiously, cursing silently at my state of vulnerability. 

My mother, on the other hand, was full on sobbing by the minute I finished speaking. 

I rarely cried. The last time I cried was three years ago. After that, I promised myself I wouldn't cry again. I guess I couldn't keep that promise. “I brought you so much stress over the past few years because of my carelessness. I wish I could take those years back, but I can’t.”

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I looked down to see a text message from Wesley. Just then, I noticed the time and sighed. 

Suddenly, arms embraced me in a tight hug, and I tensed. My mom buried her head on the crook of my neck and sobbed heavily. I just sat there, clueless about what to do. We've never had this type of moment before, so I didn't know how to react to the newfound event.

"I love you so much, my daughter..." she whispered in my ear, and that was when I lost it. 

I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her back tightly, letting out a sob and burying my head in her shoulder. I ignored Wesley's text and just enjoyed the moment while it lasted. A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door and a nurse walked in.

"Sorry, visiting hours are over until eight in the afternoon. It would be nice if she got some rest," the nurse spoke, and I looked at my mother.

"I'll try to stop by later," I told her and wiped my tears away. 

She gave me a sad smile and nodded softly, laying back down on her bed. The nurse nodded at me and I walked out of the room silently before walking into the nearest bathroom. 

I washed my face and stretched my arms over my head, then looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were red and puffy because of the crying, and there were small bags under my eyes. I stared at myself for a bit longer, and after a long while, I realized that I finally got some weight off my shoulders.

My phone vibrated again, and I rolled my eyes before hurrying outside the hospital and hopping on my bike. My sight was slightly blurry as I rode over to the gym and parked in my favorite spot.

Now I only had to deal with what was about to come next.

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[Edited: September 4th, 2020 by michh_44]

Amelia's relationship with her mother sure is a rollercoaster. What a sentimental moment they had. Would you forgive Amelia's mother if you where in her shoes? Let me know in the comments and click on that star. Best regards!