Strict | H.S.

Chapter 32.

[Ava]

After Harry and I ate lunch at the outdoor restaurant, he wanted to go and talk to my mom. It made me feel uneasy. She was just going to freak out on me like she's been doing for years now. "I don't think this is a good idea..." I said, anxiously in the passenger seat as we sat in front of my house.

Harry put the Rover in park. "It'll be fine, angel," he promised, opening then driver's side door. I followed him up to the house and he knocked.

Mom opened the door, a tight look on her face, but this one her hair wasn't pinned up sloppily in curlers. She smiled at Harry and then tensed up when she laid her eyes on me. "Hi. Ava." She spoke tight-lipped.

I wanted to cry. Why was she treating me like this? Mom was slowly becoming unbearable toward me. I stepped behind Harry some more, and I didn't respond to her. I couldn't speak. I felt way too uncomfortable with her negative aura. "So. You want to have a talk?"

I actually didn't want to talk to her. I was here because Harry thinks it's the right thing to do, but once again, I didn't reply to her.

"May we come in and have a word?" Harry asked, his voice polite and calming.

Mom's frown turned upwards into a small smile. "Yes, please. I do must apologize to you Mr. Styles for how I treated you." She moved away from the door and sat down. Harry and I entered and sat across from her. "I was very mad about Ava's actions at the time, but I realize now, you did the best you could with her. It's not your fault Ava is a monster."

I cringed.

I couldn't stand how she insulted me.

Harry raised his hand. "No, Madame. Ava is an angel. She's just been misguided."

Mom's brows rose. "I misguided Ava?"

Harry exhaled a deep breath, preparing for a loud argument. "I'm not trying to make you upset. It's just important to learn from your mistakes. After all, we all make mistakes."

Mom sighed, looking down. "What did I do wrong?"

Harry replied, respectfully. "It's not what you did wrong, but what you can do better." He cleared his throat. "I noticed, the first day that I was hired, how both Ava and you screamed at and disrespected each other. It's never okay to disrespect someone." Mom's eyes raised and looked at Harry as he talked. "Ava just needed kind and understanding correction, not a mean-spirited and harmful argument."

Mom swallowed. "I messed up. It was just so hard being a single mother to two girls."

"Being a single mother isn't an excuse for treating me bad!" I yelled, hot tears in my eyes. Harry put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"She has a lot of anger builded up," Harry said.

"I-I'm sorry, Ava." Mom admitted.

I was shocked. She apologized to me?!

Mom continued, "I... I was embarrassed of you because everyone called me gross for being a teenaged mother... I never let that go."

"That's not my fault! I didn't ask to be born!" I cried, angrily, leaning forward on the couch.

Harry squeezed my knee, "Shhh... relax, angel."

I glared at him. "NO! It's ridiculous how she is blaming me for her stupid past choices!" I glared at Mom. "You chose to sleep with the star football quarterback when you were just sixteen! You chose to give birth to me! How can you blame me for your actions?!" For the first time in a long time, I felt the urge to break something—to cause damage.

I stood up hastily and grabbed the side of the coffee table, lifting half of it up off the floor. I was going to flip the table and break the glass decorations that sat on it, but Harry grabbed the table and pushed it back down, causing the smooth wooden corner to slip out of my hands.

Harry's tattooed arm crossed over my chest and brought me down, making me sit down alongside him. "Breathe... breathe."

I was crying, clinging to his arm. Hearing his soft words, my hectic breathing slowed down and was reduced to coughs and hiccups. "I-I'm s-sorry, H-harry."

His chin rested on my shoulder, my back flat to his chest. "Shhh... it's alright, Ava." His arm loosened and I sat up, wiping my eyes.

Tears blanketed my Mom's eyes, which caught my attention. "Ava, I-I don't know why I didn't ever consider your feelings... You were affected by poor choices, too."

"Because you were selfish!" I snapped.

"Ava, how can make this up to you?" Mom asked, her voice quiet and saddened.

I glared at her. "You can't."

Mom burst into tears. I had never seen her cry like this before... It actually broke my heart. "I'm sorry, Mom," I frowned, reaching for her. "I've always loved you. I just never understood why you slowly began hating me."

Mom took several deep breaths. "I loved you too, but life was so hard and I just wanted a normal life. My boyfriends always left me because they didn't want you. I shouldn't have let that sour my mood toward you, princess."

Princess.

I inhaled a sharp breath, shocked at the sweet memory of mom calling me her little princess when I was a kid. I was compelled to hug her and when I did, loving emotions washed over me. It was the best hug mom and I had ever shared. It was real and genuine.

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to be continued...
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