I Don't Care (Twenty)

Surprises have never been their forte.

If you were dead or still alive,
I don’t care, I don’t care,
Just go and leave this all behind,
Cause I swear, I don’t care

I try to make you see my side,
I always try to stay in line,
But your eyes see right through,
That’s all they do,
Getting buried in this place,
Got no room, you’re in my face,
Don’t say anything, just go away
-I Don’t Care, Apocalyptica

I sigh and sit up, my hair trailing down my bare back. It was long before, but now it’s even longer. It falls to just above my hips in little wispy curls. At the highs school we had the gym showers, but it’s been a long time. My hair’s soft but greasy.

“We need to tell everybody that it’s safe here.”

“Is it bad that I don’t really care about them right now?” He laughed, stretching out on his bed. I grinned.

“Kind of,” I answered, pulling on my underwear and my shirt. He sat up, about to say something, but the door banged open.

“Who the f**k is in my house?” A voice boomed, sending me skittering toward Adam, who pulled the sheets around him tighter.

“Uncle Kiegan?” Adam asked, his eyes wide.

“Adam?” His uncle choked, staggering forward.

Kiegan is bald with a small, dark-haired beard. His eyes are almost the same shade that Adam’s are. At first glance he looked friendly, but he’d proved that wrong a long time ago. I didn’t understand what was so wrong about me that he knew about. In any case, Kiegan didn’t seem to see me.

“What happened to you? I thought…I thought you were dead.”

“No, no. I’m fine, I went to help Emma and…” he trailed off, glancing at me. I gave a stiff smile. Kiegan’s smile tightened as he finally took notice of me.  “Look, there are others. We need to go get them, they’re waiting for us.”

“Others?” Kiegan said carefully, his eyes darting around suspiciously. “There are others here too, Adam. We can only fit so many people comfortably.”

“Who else is here?” I asked anxiously before I had a chance to shush myself.

Kiegan looked back at me, curling his lip. He still didn’t know why I was here in his nephew’s bedroom. I don’t think he knew that Adam was naked. Hesitantly he answered, “There is a lovely woman by the name of Jeanette Andrews, and another man named Mordecai.”

“We can’t just leave the others to die! There’s room for them here.” Adam hadn’t noticed my freeze. My last step-father, Everett, had the last name of Andrews. Jeanette Andrews was my mother.

In the past few weeks, I had come to accept the fact that my mother was dead. It was probably inevitable, given the current circumstances. I was evil enough to hope that was the case.

I felt my knees give way and I grabbed the sheets to keep from falling over. Kiegan and Adam were still arguing. I didn’t know what to do.

“Look, can we talk about this later? I’m kind of lacking clothes right now.” His uncle stopped, his eyes widening.

“You two…” Oh look who finally caught on.  Adam wasn’t expecting the anger that Kiegan began to emit. I shrank away from him. Yelling made me nervous; a left over trait from childhood. Kiegan’s finger was pointed in Adam’s face, almost touching his nose. “Are you an idiot? Don’t you know what kind of world this is? You can’t just go around f*****g everyone! Especially not diseased little witches like her!”

I felt my eyes burn, even if I was used to this. Adam, however,  shouted right back. His anger made him louder. “She’s my girlfriend! Don’t you ever say she’s a diseased little witch. Emma’s helped me a lot more than you! I love her!”

“You don’t know what love is! She’s just playing you!” I’d never seen Kiegan so angry. He stomped around the bed, his eyes wild. The man yanked my arm, and I let out a cry of surprise. Adam’s eyes were wide and he looked angrier than I’d ever seen him.

Jeez, everyone around here needs to take a chill pill.

“What if she’s pregnant? Hmm?” Kiegan snarled, thrusting me towards the door. Adam rushed out of bed and pulled his pants on.  

“Don’t touch her,” he said, deathly calm. “The world’s changed, Uncle. One way or the other, others will be here soon. I suggest you accept it.”

Then he grabbed my hand, breathing heavily mind you, and pulled us out of the bedroom and down the hallway. We were silent for a few minutes before he said, “We’ll need to make arrangements if there are other people here…I don’t care who they are, this is my house, so-”

“My mom,” I said quietly, barely moving my lips enough to speak.

“What?” he asked, startled.

“She’s here,” I said after a deep breath. She’s here somewhere and I have to face her sometime.

Adam is silent and I don’t know what he’s thinking. When we are about to descend the stairs, two people appear at the bottom. I suddenly realize I’m still not wearing any pants. What a thing to forget.

“Emma?” The woman shrieks, flabbergasted. I try not to grimace. The air is suddenly stuck in my throat and my chest is too heavy. You'd think I'd be able to confront this after what I'd been through.

Adam squeezes my hand, his eyes wide.

“Mother,” I say hesitantly, wondering why it is so hard to talk.

“Oh my baby girl! I was so worried about you!” Mom rushes up the stairs, her dark hair pulled back into that familiar style. I automatically shrink away from her touch. That is not new. I did that even before the world ended.

And suddenly, all my hateful memories come back. That last time I saw my mom, she had just slapped me and I told her to f**k herself. I’d gone to Adam’s house that night, seeking solace. Every comforting word he’d said had hurt, but I still took them. The next day he broke up with his girlfriend.

I remember another time, when she’d abused me emotionally and I’d almost killed myself. Another time when she told me that Adam didn’t want to be seen with me ever again.

I felt hate course through my veins, setting a fire in my belly and making my throat itch with words I had to scream.

“Who the f**k are you to talk to me? You ruined my life, you stupid f*****g c**t. You don’t get some to say some apology that you don’t even f*****g mean! I hate you!” I practically scream. I have never been this angry before. Maybe I’m PMSing.

She is startled and Adam says my name in a quiet warning. I push past her and make my way down the stairs. I think they follow me, but I am too heated to look back.

The other person at the bottom of the stairs had left and now held out a pair of shorts to me. I pulled them on, grabbing Adam’s hand again when I was done. He glanced at me questioningly and I shook my head before I had the chance to start crying. Adam just nodded, pulling me closer.

“Emma Creighton, you do not talk to your mother like that! I don’t understand why you hate me so much, but everything I do is for you! I love you.”

I glance back as I open the door. The stranger, Mordecai, is glancing at my mom and his hand is twitching towards hers. Kiegan has appeared at the top of the stairs. “I don’t care,” I say, my voice slighting contorted.

I mean it.

Author's Note

Woo! Second to last chapter, guys. :D

Reviews

[♪The Girl Next Do..]

OH MY GOSH! I NEED MORE! IT CAN'T END!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rhea752]

Oh my goodness so hateful. nicely done!!!

[Sophie]

I'm gonna die, that's all there is to it. I'm going to die once this amazingness ends.

[Amanda]

Don't die, you're supposed to be one of my best buddies :D

[Sophie]

I'll be back!

[Amanda]

Don't you mean Bach... :P

[Sophie]

Of course :P