𝙎𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙆𝙎; 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙖𝙣

|| 10 ||

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

Taking her advice, Natalie returned home, determinate to talk to her daughter that day. She wanted to listen to her, what she needed. Not like Natalie didn't know what her own daughter needed, but that would be easier than anything else.

Amber was in the kitchen having a snack, while Cara was cooking dinner. "Hey, honey, can we talk? I know that everything is a little too hard, but only if we talk to each other we can figure everything out." The only reply Natalie got was Amber getting up from her chair and walking away. "Amber, this is getting ridiculous." Natalie said and followed her daughter up the stairs. "I am talking to you." She continued. "Don't you dare slam the door in my face." She warned her as she entered her room. "Okay, that's enough!" She yelled and put her hand on the door. "Stop making everything harder than it already is!"

"I am making everything harder?" Amber finally spoke to her. Rather yelled. She had so many feelings bolted up for so long. Natalie knew that the outburst was bound to happen soon. "I am? What about you? What about your stupid decision to pack everything and leave? What about dad and his stupid hoes? And what about me? Is either of you thinking about me? Or do I not matter to you anymore?"

"I am thinking about you. I try my best Amber." Natalie didn't yell this time. She kept her voice as steady and clear as possible.

"When do you think about me? Between the 18 hours you spend at work?" 

"The 18 hours of work is how you have food and clothes to wear and a bed to sleep at night with a roof over your head. I love my job Amber, but I never chose work over you." 

"Well, you're doing an awful job at showing it." Amber said and this time she slammed the door in her mother's face.

"It was better when she was not talking to me." Natalie told her mother as she walked back in the kitchen. She had reached a dead end and she wasn't sure how to continue. And that was unlike her in so many ways. Then again everything that was happening was unlike her life and what she had dreamed about it over the years.

"Nat, go take a walk or something. I'll let her cool down and then I'll talk to her, okay?" Cara wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulder. She needed all the support she could get and this time Cara wasn't judging her about anything. She mostly hated how she tried to talk to her into staying with Isaac after she found out about how he wanted to take the custody of Amber.

"No." Natalie shook her head.

"She's not the only one who needs to cool down. And you're not going to do that here, okay?" Cara had to deal with many difficult situations when her daughters were teens so she knew a little bit better how to approach Amber. Plus her granddaughter was not mad at her, she was going to talk to her after all. 

"She just accused me of being away so many hours, I doubt that leaving will solve anything."

"Do you know how many things you used to accuse me of but weren't even true?" Cara asked her daughter. "Just trust me, she is you when you were a teen."

"I'm giving you an hour. I am not going to be away longer than that." Natalie agreed and grabbed her jacket, wanting nothing more than fresh air hitting her face.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

Fresh air was not something she could find at Joe's place. But she needed a glass of scotch. So she ended up heading towards the bar. She looked around, looking for Derek in the crowd. She knew he would kill her if he saw her there. But instead she found Mark's familiar smirk. "Fancy seeing you here Natalia." He walked up to her and took a seat at the empty stool next to where she was about to seat. "Where you hoping to find me here?"