Heart Strings

Chapter Eleven

I turned to see a drunk Alex, his lost gaze placed on Maddison.

"I was talking to Henry." Maddison gestured towards me.

Alex's smile turned into a frown as he ignored to acknowledge me which I could not care less about. I turned my attention toward the exit.

"The geek." he muttered under his breath.

I instantly rolled my eyes, I bit my tongue deciding against talking.

I left the area not turning back, the dim lighting catches me off guard. People either left or migrated somewhere else because there were only a few couples still dancing together drink in hand.

I eventually found Phoebe by the window.

"Okay, I wanna go." I said walking up to her.

Phoebe stood there unmoving, too interested in whatever was outside. I bent forward, getting a peek. The same guy that Phoebe was talking to earlier, was outside with a different girl.

"Why are you watching them?" I asked leaning back.

I lifted my hand, waving it in front of her face. Her eyes found mine quickly.

"Huh?" she asked

"Nevermind, can you take me home?" I asked wanting to leave and not question her at the moment.

"I can't." she said calmly turning back to the damn window.

I blinked at her, trying to see if she was joking but she still didn't move meaning she wasn't.

"You look like a creep." I joked

Eventually, she backed away from the window. We both began to walk to the front door. I was behind her and that's when I noticed she was drunk. She was stumbling slightly, I made a mental note to take her keys before we even drove home.

I zipped my jacket up once the cold air hit my exposed skin. The cold weather was my favorite, I could wear a long sleeve and hoodie with a jacket without weird looks from people.

I unintentionally bumped into Phoebe not knowing she stopped. We were on the porch still, I looked off to the side seeing the same girl. She had just stood in the same spot, looking off into space.

Phoebe smirked to herself before walking again. I dismissed the moment catching up to  Phoebe before she could open the car.

"You can't drive. I know you were drinking." I said quickly as I snatched the keys out of her hands.

I opened the car door to the back seat pushing her inside. Phoebe giggled as she tossed her head back.

"We had a moment...a sweet moment." Phoebe whispered shakily.

I smiled sadly at Phoebe unsure of her problems. Whatever mess she had managed to get into wasn't turning out so wonderful. I went back to putting her seat belt on.

After forty minutes, I had taken Phoebe home. She said she could walk herself in, so I watched by the car making sure she was inside. Since I drove to Phoebe's, my car was still here. I didn't see the point in taking two different vehicles if we were going to the same location. However,  now it seemed like the better idea.

When I did get home, Sabrina was passed out on the couch. I went up close to her body to examine her body. She had on a flower-patterned shirt and hot pink shorts. I puffed out a breath and picked her up carrying her to my bed.

Sabrina didn't wake up as I tucked her tiny body under my covers. I grabbed some clothes off the floor and headed to the bathroom in need of a shower.

I twisted the handle and dropped the clothes ground. Panic washed over me as I saw my mother's limp body lying on the floor. I rushed to her body, checking for a sign of life. I went to the bath and turned the cold water on. Usually, the woman just needed shock.

I dragged her heavy body into the tub, grabbing the shower head. I sprayed her down, head to toe. My panic increased when it didn't work. I threw the shower head to the side.

I got in her lap, slapping her cheek hard. Her body twitched a little.

"Momma." I said grabbing her face

Her eyes opened slowly looking around before making eye contact with me. She just stared at me blankly before leaning over to puke. Luckily, it all went on the bathroom floor. I got out of the tub and stepped over the puke. Leaving to get bleach and towels that would need to be thrown away after. I would replace them with my next check.

I spent the rest of the night by the tub. Mom hadn't moved from the tub, she was awake and breathing thankfully. The elastic rope was still tightly wrapped around her. I pulled it off allowing blood to circulate in the area again.

———

How do we feel?

Share your thoughts and opinions if you have any.

Bye 🩵