The Hustler Wedding [Alex Gaskarth]

Chapter Five: The Confrontation

   I swear to god, you could've heard a pin drop. And I really wish it had. It probably would've made the silence way less awkward.

   "Who are your friends?" She asked conversationally, gently reaching out to touch me.

   I stiffened, and her hand flew away from mine. Tay shot me a sympathetic look and mouthed 'sorry' from behind my mother.

   "They're exactly that, my friends," I answered coldly. "And I don't see the need to introduce them to you."

   A look I hadn't seen in ten years crossed her face. You know the one, every parent or authority figure has it. It's the one where they look extremely disappointed in you, as though one moment of being rude means you've somehow dared to fail them.  

   "Airlia!" My mother snapped, scandalized. "That was extremely rude." 

   "Yeah, and disowning your seventeen-year-old right after she finds out she's miscarried her baby is sooo polite." 

   She looked shocked, then hurt. But in a pathetic sort of way, like if you were to kick a puppy with a broken leg. 

   I hated that look. It was the only way she'd ever gotten me to do anything I hadn't wanted to, and it appeared I still wasn't immune to her particular brand of good ole-fashioned Catholic guilt. 

   "Mom, I'm sorry," I said quietly, pulling her into a gentle hug. "But you cut me out of your life a long time ago, and you and dad both made it very clear that you wanted nothing to do with me." 

   She took a short look at me, with wide, pleading eyes. "Can we talk? Alone." She added, shooting an apologetic look at my entourage. "Please, sweetheart? Just for five minutes. I promise, if it's not worth your time, you can leave after five minutes. Just... please, Airlia." 

   I looked at my mother, then back at everyone else. Isobel caught my eye and gave me an encouraging look over Tay's shoulder. My gaze travelled back to my own mother, and I hesitated momentarily.  

   "Fine. But I want Cassadee to stay." 

   Cassadee looked surprised, but stayed back while everyone else cleared out, promising to meet back at the hotel afterwards. I pulled Cass off to the side before we sat down with my mother, and explained my motivation; her dad had walked out on her, her sister, and her mom, and she'd spent a lot of time trying to be "good enough" for him to come back. She would be the perfect one to keep me level-headed through the discussion, and serve as my reminder of everything and everyone that had happened to me since I'd been kicked out of my parents' house.

   I only realized I was shaking when Cassadee gently cupped her hand around my shoulder to steady my trembling form. She stared into my expression for a moment, her steely green eyes watching me with concern. "You don't have to do this, 'Lia," she said softly. "If you don't want to talk to her, we can leave. I can go and tell her no, and we can get out, right now." 

   "No." My voice was shaky, but still strong enough to convey how much I knew I had to do this. My mother, despite what I might've said about her before, was nothing if not sensible. She wouldn't ask to speak to me if she didn't feel it was absolutely necessary. "Just... if I start to lose it, get me out of here, please."

   "Of course!" She agreed amicably. "Now, let's go get this over with."

  

   She took my hand, like we were in preschool again, and we walked back to the booth where my mother was waiting with a takeout cup of coffee.