iMeet Cute | ✓

↺ 009 : nagging mothers & angry best friends

"And your family isn't a priority?"

CJ arched a brow at me. She couldn't hear what Mom was saying, but she could read my facial expressions. They were probably expressive enough to properly portray my distress.

"It is."

"So what's your excuse?"

"It's not like you guys have been trying, either," I mumbled. "Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

"When will you be home?"

"Whenever spring break is."

"How will you get here?"

"I thought Leah was going to get me."

Mom's voice seemed farther away when she said, "It wouldn't make sense for Leah to come to ASU," she said, paused. "Have you been in touch with August recently?"

Confusion laced my tone. "No, why?"

"I was thinking he could..."

"No. Mom, that is not happening. He is not coming to get me."

She sighed again. She was probably asking herself why I was so stubborn. Not that I was. It wasn't my fault she didn't understand me.

"It's just a car ride, Lenny."

"Yeah," I said with a snort. "It's just a four-hour drive with the one person I can't stand. We'd be at each other's throats the entire time. How am I supposed to live through that?"

"Well, what do you suggest?"

"I suggest you leave me alone. I'll figure it out. I'll be home then. I'll call you more often. Just don't bother me about it." I clicked the red end call button and tossed the device in front of me. It landed on the bed with a thud.

Under normal circumstances, my mother and I's relationship was good. Great, even. Even during the breakup, she was as helpful as can be. What I didn't understand was the reason for this nagging. It was so unusual of her. Granted, I was probably the number one contender for World's Worst Daughter, but she birthed me. She had to put up with me without breathing down my neck.

Stretching in a very catlike manner, I reached for my phone again. I was angry, frustrated, and I needed to calm down, but the pool was too inaccessible at this time of day, and CJ was shooting daggers at me with her eyes. Wonderful indeed. What did I even do to her?

"What was that about?" CJ asked, breaking the silence. She took to her bed, a leg tucked under her weight as she watched me with keen eyes. I was not in the mood to talk and she obviously knew that, which was probably the only reason she chose this exact moment to initiate conversation.

"Nothing," I said through gritted teeth.

She shrugged. "Didn't sound like nothing." Her eyes met mine. "Sounded brutal. Important. A little harsh."

I wasn't taking the bait. I turned back to my phone, opened Carter's app, and clicked on Nash's icon, a white-haired fluffy-looking dog-I couldn't tell what breed it was. Somehow, finding out who was behind this ... thing, avatar, user, whatever, made me see things in a new light. I might not have been able to understand what exactly I was seeing, but that didn't matter.

My thumbs hovered above the screen for what felt like an eternity. I could feel CJ's eyes on me, could feel her possible annoyance. My stomach was in knots and my hands were trembling. Why? I didn't know why. I attributed to the phonecall and the nerves that came with a confrontation, but some part of me felt otherwise.