It's Complicated

It's Complicated: 3

Natalie Portman as Emiliana Taylors (Tala's mom) ---------------------------------->

===Tala's Point Of View===

Soon after I collapsed, all of my tears stopped flowing so I just lay there staring blankly at the ceiling.

I just want to go home. And not the place I'm in now... my only home back in California with my dad. He understands me and never pushed me into doing anything after mom left. It was just me and him. Most of the time I'd be the one making the food since he can't cook to save his life. We mostly ordered takeout or I'd make something, but he would never cook me food at the risk of accidentally putting me in the hospital.

I smile a little thinking about dad at the exact moment there's a quiet knock at my bedroom door. It turns into a frown as I roll out of bed and move to door. I press my ear against the wood and listen to the soft breathing of whoever's on the other side. Shrugging, I back away and go into my bathroom to take out my contacts. They're dry enough that I accidentally rip one while trying to take it out so I throw them away. I'll grab a new pair tomorrow.

The knocking becomes more consistant and to the point where it's annoying. Grabbing my glasses, I slip them onto my face and open my door to glare at the person on the other side.

"What?" Barron drops his hand.

"Can I come in? I wanna talk." I cross my arms.

"You can talk from here." He rolls his eyes, mumbling to himself and tries to push me aside to go into my room, but I lean against the door frame to block his path.

"Come on Tala, why can't we talk?" He runs a hand through his short hair, getting it to stick up at a bunch of different angles.

"We are talking." I pretend to inspect my nails to subtly say that this is waisting my time.

"Mother of... listen, I just wanted to tell you that you'll be starting school tomorrow." My eyes snap to meet his in less then a second after he uttered those words.

"No." I slam the door in his face and lock it just as he hits it with his hand.

"Tala!"

"Go away Barron! There's nothing you can say or do to make me go to school tomorrow!"

"It's a great school!"

"How would you know that? You're in college." I retort, falling onto the bed stomach down. I adjust my glasses on my nose and grab one of my favorite books off the bedside table.

"I go to one of the colleges in the area, but I've heard great things about the place you'll be going! Why can't you give it a chance?" I immediately get the hidden question of 'Why can't you give us a chance' in that phrase.

"Because, when I'm almost forcefully taken from a place I actually want to be, I have to right to be angry or even mad enough not to listen to anyone." He's silent and I pray that he's walked away. Talking to him brings back all the good memories we had together and it'll make it harder to stay mad at him. We're really close for siblings of a few years apart and it's harder then you think to stay mad at him even after he sided with my mom.

"If you don't go to school then you can't leave the house. It's not my punishment, but mom had a feeling you wouldn't go."

"Fine." I open City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare and pick up where I last left off.

"I'm sorry." I hear my older brother say to the door before the sound of his footsteps fade into silence. Tears prick my eyes even after I told myself I didn't care about what happens to him anymore. Each part of me wants forgive just him a little more each time I see him. The way his eyes hold such hurt and guilt is slowly eating me from the inside out that I'm the reason he's feeling that way. No matter how much I say I hate him, I don't.