Chapter 5: Her excuse

Dad ended up coming to pick us up, because Mom wasn’t answering the phone. His old, beaten up car went bambitty-bam down the street and Zoe and I were obviously not okay. He’d ask us a question, like ‘How was your day?’ and we’d both reply: ‘Fine.’ ‘How was the water?’ ‘Fine.’ ‘How did you sleep?’ ‘Fine.’ ‘Do you want to go drive off that bridge?’ ‘Fine.’ It was like we were robots, except with emotion. Lots of deep emotions rushing inside us, screaming to be released. Or atleast that’s how I felt. Who knew, maybe Zoe was glad to finally be rid of me? Finally, I can go on without having a big sister! She’d cackle. Dad swung by the driveway quickly.

“Get ready to tuck and roll.” He teased.

“Daaaad.” Zoe sighed. It was her first real reply for the whole drive. I glanced over at her, and she looked at me too, but we turned quickly away the instant our eyes met.

“Just kidding. Say hi to your Mother for me.” He leaned back and kissed each of our cheeks. I got out on my side, and Zoe got out on hers. No contact whatsoever. I walked up the driveway quickly, and she hovered behind me, her head hung low.

“Michael?” I called as I stepped into the house.

“I’m upstairs!” He yelled. I kicked off my flip flops.

“Okay.” I yelled back up the stairs, and walked down the hall to the kitchen.

“Mom?” I called. I looked at the clock on the wall. 2:00. Her interview ends at 1:00, she should be home. I walked along the slippery kitchen tiles and over to the bathroom. I knocked on the door and pushed it open. My mother lay on the ground, un-conscious, with empty pill bottles all around her. She looked disgusting. Her clothes were wet and she was laying in her own drool.

“Mom!” I gasped, “Zoe, call 911!” I heard Zoe’s running footsteps and her taking the cord-less phone off the base. I kneeled beside Mom and lifted her head, placing it in my lap. I pushed her hair out of her face. Zoe approached the bathroom, holding the phone to her ear.

“What’s happening?” She whimpered.

“She overdosed. Tell them that, and our address, okay?” I ordered her. She nodded.

“Hello? My Mom overdosed. We just got home, and she’s not moving. We live in Earltown-”

“They know that! Tell them the address, Zoe!” I screamed. She frowned and a tear escaped her eye.

“We live at 18 Casper Road. Please hurry.” She hung up.

“Michael!” I screamed.

“What?!” He yelled back. I breathed quickly as Zoe sat down on the other side of Mom.

“Come here!” I screamed. My voice cracked and I began to cry. God, I need my Mom. I threw my head back and closed my eyes tightly. Michael ran down and stood in the doorway of the bathroom a minute later.

“What happened to Mom?!” He exclaimed. The doorbell rang.

“She’s sick. Go answer the door, it’s the paramedics.” I told him sternly. He ran to the door.

“My Mom’s sick, she’s in here.” I heard his soft, fearful voice in the distance as he led the paramedics to the bathroom.

“Girls, you’ll need to leave the room.” One of the paramedics said. His voice was deep, and he had dark skin and black hair.

“I don’t want to leave her.” Zoe protested, her cheeks glistened with tears.

“You’ll have to, if you want us to help her.” He persuaded.

“She’s my Mom.” Zoe said, as if it made a difference.

“Zoe,” I yelled, “get out!” She glanced up, her eyebrows furrowed. Her glare hardened and she stood up and stomped out of the bathroom. I sat down at the kitchen table next to Michael and squeezed his hand.

“She’ll be okay.” I promised, keeping our eye contact strong and un-devided. Zoe stood in the hallway, leaning against the staircase. Her eyes were closed, and she was mumbling to herself. Was she cursing me out? Telling God she wished I was the one who had over-dosed? My gaze filled with doubt and Michael rested his head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him and sighed.

 

“Mom, Alyssa told me you’d be okay. I didn’t believe her, but she was right.” Michael bounced on the queen-sized bed that held our weak mother. She was nestled under the covers, with three ‘Get Well Soon’ cards, one from each of us, on her bed-side table. Her hair was a mess, stringy and greasy, and her lips were pale and chapped.

“She was.” Mom reached and stroked my hair behind my ear. Zoe and Michael sat cross-legged next to her body, and I was lying next to her.

“Zoe, Michael, dears, could your sister and I have a moment alone, please?” Mom asked. I gazed up at them. Zoe glared at me.

“Why? Does everything have to be about Alyssa? I was the one who fought with the police not to leave your side.” Zoe challenged me.
“She would’ve died if you’d stayed any longer-”

“Girls! Zoe, why don’t you go make Michael something to eat?” Mom glared at her. Zoe pressed her lips together and stood up. She grabbed Michael’s wrist and stomped out, slamming the bedroom door behind her.

“She’s getting moody. It’s this age. You were impossible at fourteen, my God, I do not miss those years at all.” Mom sighed. I smiled weakly.

“Mom, why’d you do it?” My bottom lip trembled, as I blinked away the tears.

“I didn’t get the job. I really wanted it, you know that.” She replied. I let the thought surface in my mind but it didn’t settle right.
“So you overdosed? That’s stupid.” I rolled my eyes.

“I know it was. Now, why don’t you leave me to get some rest for a while?” She asked.

“Okay.” I sat up but my body wouldn’t let me leave. My skin was tingling, and goosebumps rose to the surface of my arms. She gave me a quick peck on the lips and I stood up and scurried downstairs.

“Alyssa. The phone’s for you.” Zoe said as I entered the kitchen. I reached over and took it from her grasp. Her arm shrunk back when the tips of our fingers touched. It hurt inside, to think that it was so awkward between us that just one touch or look could make us so uncomfortable.

“Hello?” I spoke into the speaker of the phone.

“Hey Alyssa.” Matt said, and I could feel him smiling. The way he did when we were together. I wished I could smile like that for him, but it didn’t come naturally. And un-natural-Matt-smiling would just be so wrong.

“Hey! Matt!” I chirped. I wanted to smack myself in the forehead. Dope.

“Sup girl?” He teased. My cheeks flushed red and I took a deep breath.

“Not much.” I lied. Zoe glanced up, her eyebrows arched.

“I’m having a small party tonight. Just a few friends, some dancing. You and Zoe are invited.” He explained.

“What?!” My jaw dropped. What was he thinking? People got drunk at those parties, and he was trying to let my little sister witness all that?

“What?” Zoe asked curiously, standing up. She edged closer to me and nudged her ear close to the speaker.
“No, stop, Zoe.” I pushed her away and ran upstairs with the phone.

“Zoe’s invited?” I asked, sitting down on Michael’s bed.

“Yeah. Some people were asking about her. Don’t you want her to make new friends?” He asked. His friends were there, I could hear them in the background.

“Friends? You know and I know that they don’t want to be her friends.” I replied quietly.

“Alyssa, just because she’s... attractive, doesn’t mean everyone is attracted to her.” He persuaded.
“Right. Name one person who’s not.” I sighed.

“Me.” He spoke clearly. I smiled.

“I know.” I laughed. I breathed in and out deeply.

“So will you come?” He asked hopefully.

“Maybe. Is it, like, formal?” I hoped it wasn’t. I was so not in the mood to have to get all dressed up and do my hair and what-not.

“Not really. Like, don’t show up in your birthday suit, but you don’t have to spend too much time making yourself look nice.” He suggested.
“If you think I have to try to look nice, maybe I will show up in my birthday suit, just to humiliate you.” I taunted.

“Lovely.” He laughed.

“See you soon, then.” I smiled, and pressed ‘Off’. I breathed in, and grinned. I walked back downstairs and stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

“Yo, Zoe. We’re invited to Matt’s party tonight.” I said. She turned quickly, her eyes bright and perky.

“Really? Oh my gosh, can I invite Sammy too?” She asked hopefully. I shrugged. She squealed and grabbed the phone from my hands. I smiled. Every once and a while, I saw a little glimpse of the old Zoe. The over-excited, hyper girl who loved to play dress-up and play spies.

 

“That’s his house! That’s Matt’s house!” Zoe cheered in the back seat of my truck with Sammy. We’d swung by Sammy’s house earlier to pick her up, and she looked slightly gross, in my opinion. She had on tons of silver eyeshadow and black mascara, with glossy pink lips that personally I would never want to kiss. She was wearing a royal blue bubble dress with a v-neck, and it looked pretty good on her, despite the makeup malfunctions.

“Party, party!” Sammy crooned and she danced around, though they were strapped down by their seat belts. I pulled up in front of his average-sized grey house and put the car in park. I stepped out and stuck my key in the side of my door, turning it to the side. It locked with a click and I led Sammy and Zoe to the door. Zoe was wearing a coral pink empire waist tank top with distressed denim short shorts. She looked really nice, I had to admit, and it embarrassed me that she knew her way around a makeup brush better then me. She knew her perfect colours, how to make herself glow, while I just sort of made it all up as I went along. I also looked pretty nice, if I do say so myself, in a white tank top with a black high-waisted mini-skirt and a teal quarter-sleeve cardigan.

“I’m so excited.” Zoe and Sammy whispered back and forth as I rang the doorbell. I, for one, was nervous too. It was stupid, because it was Matt’s party, and he wouldn’t let things get out of hand. But every party was full of mysteries, and it sometimes made you almost want to back out, just the feeling that maybe you could totally humiliate yourself.

“Hey, it’s Miss Liss!” Pete exclaimed. I smiled. I really don’t like you, so don’t act like we’re old pals. I thought to myself. Me and Alyssa go waaaay back. He’d tell his friends.

“Hey Pete.” I replied, and I stepped inside the house.

“The party’s in the basement. You’re the last people to get here.” He explained.

“Fashionably late, sir, fashionably late.” Sammy giggled with Zoe. I rolled my eyes and my black flats slipped off my heels at every step I took to the basement. I knew it well. Matt and I had watched many movies down there, had our first kiss there and had some pretty memorable boyfriend-girlfriend moments there. The stairs were covered with beige carpet, and they were steep. We scurried down, Pete at the end of the line. Pete’s the caboose. I smiled to myself. Good, Alyssa. Smiling gives you a happy glow. An attractive happy glow. I assured myself.

“My girl!” Matt called, and he jumped up from his lazy perch on one of his couches. On the couches were his friends, Scottie, Ray, Ethan, Jeremy and Chris. There were girls too, most of whom I knew, Maya, Noelle, Jamie, Shannon, Hannah and Becca. Zoe and Sammy, as I expected, where the only two eighth graders. And also as expected, they got uncomfortable glares from all the eleventh grade girls who were there. Psh. You put two busty girls and a few not-so-busty girls in the same room and they’ll have the same reaction every time. I giggled to myself. Matt pulled me close to him and kissed the top of my head. I wiggled my arms out over his tight grasp and laughed.

“Losing... air... quickly...” I emphasized.

“Such a drama queen.” He laughed. Zoe stepped forward and smiled hugely at him.

“Hey Matt!” She exclaimed happily. She was a little too excited about that party.

“Hey. Everyone, this is Zoe, Alyssa’s little sister.” He announced.

“Little?” Shannon murmured under her breath to Maya and she snickered. Zoe’s face turned bright red and I shot Shannon the nastiest-of-nasty-looks. Grrr. I am Alyssa’s nasty look. Hear me roar!

“And this is...?” Matt gestured to Sammy, trailing off.

“Sammy.” She replied, smooth and collected. It was just a little upsetting that Sammy was better with guys then I was. The Sammy who Zoe used to have tea parties with. Surprise, surprise, right? Judging by Shannon’s comment, and Sammy’s smoothness, and Maya’s giggling, I knew it was going to be a long night.

Reviews

[J.A.N]

Okaaay,
the entire chapter UNEXPECTED!
Wow, I really do like it though.
:]