The Water Girl

River

              "My mom is back in my life," I share with my therapists.
             "How do you feel about that?" she asks.
            "I'm not sure yet. It's still a bit strange to have her back in my life, especially knowing that it was my father's fault, not mine."
           "What do you mean?" my therapist inquires.
            Ugh, it frustrates me when she does that. "My mother left our family because my father constantly gave her drugs and made her an addict. My father wanted to reconnect with his high school sweetheart, but she was already married. There's a suspicion that my father may have done something to Rock's dad, according to my mom and Rock."
         "That's a serious accusation," she responds skeptically.
         "No kidding," I reply sarcastically.
        "Alright, let's shift gears and talk about work. Have you returned to work yet?"
       "Yes, but I still experience extreme anxiety."
      "Is the medication I prescribed helping at all?"
      "Yes, but sometimes it feels like the dosage may not be high enough."
     "Well, I can prescribe a slightly higher dosage for you. Let me know how it goes during your next visit, okay?"
     "Sure," I tell her. Doctors are so easy. How does she not know that I'm not someone who abuses pills? I mean, just look at how easily my mother got addicted to drugs. Not that I am, but I could be.
     My therapy session comes to an end, so I head to the diner where my mom works. I never knew she had her RN license, but then again, I didn't know much about her at all. She got her RN license around the same time as Gab, so Gabriela is going to help her get a job at the hospital. It's a chance for my mom to start a new chapter in her life. I don't know why I'm still so skeptical of her. I should be happy. At least I have one parent who shows love.
    I arrive at the diner and sit in Sharon's section. She approaches my table with a big smile. I order a salad and a diet Dr. Pepper.
    Sharon gives me a curious look. "I don't want to gain any more weight than I already have," I explain to her.
  She shakes her head and walks back to the kitchen area.
  "Great, now another person judging me," I say as she returns to the table with my drink.
  "I'm not judging you, sweetheart. It just makes me sad that your father has brainwashed you into thinking you're fat and need to lose weight."
  "He did it to you too, didn't he?" I ask her.
  "Yes, he did. After you were born, he would tell me I should be as skinny as Gab. She just had a baby too, and she didn't have any baby fat. That's when I realized I was just his backup plan because he couldn't have Gabriela."
   "Why did he and Gab break up if he was so in love with her?"
   "I honestly don't know. Once Gab met Rock's dad, she was so infatuated with him that she never talked about Jim."
   "Well, regardless, we're not going to give him any more of our attention," I tell her.
    Mom will work her two weeks' notice at the diner before starting at the hospital, but she has already moved back to the area she grew up in. She is staying with Gabriela for now until we figure out a way to get her back into that house and get my father out. Once we do that, we will all move back to the big house and Mom and Gab will support each other. Gab will help Mom stay sober and handle the bills for the big house, and Mom will assist Gab with whatever she needs. For now, I'll drive her to work until she finishes at the diner, and then we'll get her a car.
                                                                                       🏈🏈🏈
      Later that night, we were all in the kitchen preparing dinner when there was a loud knock on the front door. Gabriela walked over to answer it and my father burst in as if he owned the place.
   "What is she doing here, and why are you associating with her, River? I don't want you being influenced by your pathetic excuse for a mother," my father yelled at us, clearly intoxicated.
   "Leave my house immediately," Gabriela said, grabbing my father's wrist and attempting to lead him towards the door. But before she could, he violently struck her across the face. "After everything I've done for you and those spoiled, selfish brats, knowing I never wanted kids."
   Before I could process what was happening, Rock had my father pinned against the wall by his throat. "Mom, call 911," I instructed my mother. Then I approached Rock and placed my hand on his wrist. "Let him go, Rock. He's not worth it. The police are on their way."
  "You would call the police on your own father?" he asked me.
  "Yes," I replied simply, then started to walk away. But suddenly, my father grabbed me by the back of my hair and pulled me towards him.   "You're just like your drug-addict mother. You'll never amount to anything, and I'll take everything away from you. Say goodbye to your credit cards, you little bitch."
  "I don't have any credit cards, Dad. And as for cutting me off and leaving me with nothing, we'll see about that when we consult a lawyer regarding the house that was passed down to my mother by her grandparents."
   "Who the hell told you that, River? Did that woman tell you?" my dad yelled in my ear.
   "Get your hands off her!" Rock shouted, then punched my father in the nose. My dad fell to the ground, blood spurting everywhere.
   "I found the will in your office while you were at work, Father. But you just confirmed everything I needed to know."
    It took about 15 minutes for the police to arrive. When we explained the situation to them, they wasted no time in arresting my father and taking him to jail.
When my dad is not around and we're all settled in for dinner, Rock suddenly asks, "So when do we get to go back to the big house?"
   "Rock!" His mom scolds him.
  "What?" He says, throwing his hands up in defense.
    I just laugh at him and finish my meal. After I'm done eating, I take my plate to the kitchen, rinse it, and put it in the dishwasher. Once I've finished all that, I head up to the room I've been given and start preparing my things for a shower. As I'm doing so, I feel someone approaching me from behind. Assuming it's my mom checking on me, I turn around, only to find Rock standing there.
   "Can I help you, Rock?" I ask him.
   "Yes, actually, I think you can," he tells me, then he blocks me between the wall and his body. He kisses me, and in that moment, I forget how to breathe. I find myself kissing him back, even though I know it's wrong. After all, I have a boyfriend. "Rock," I whisper between kisses.
   "Yeah, Riv?"
  "We can't do this to Brody," I tell him, and he leans back, placing his forehead against mine. "You want me, River... you just have to admit it to yourself."
  "Rock, I need to take a shower and then get my homework done. I have a lot to do this week."
  "Okay, Riv."
                                                           🏈🏈🏈
    The next day at school, Brody asked me multiple times if everything was okay. He noticed that I had been distant lately. Little does he know, I can't stop thinking about Rock and the kiss we shared last night. I know I shouldn't be dwelling on it.
    I replied to Brody, "Yes, I'm okay. There's just been a lot going on at home recently, and on top of that, my doctor increased my anxiety medication dosage. It sometimes makes me zone out."
   "I'm sorry, River. Let me take you out tonight after school. We can do something to take your mind off all the stress at home. Is Rock still bothering you?"
   "Sometimes I confide in Brody," I thought to myself. He doesn't need to know the real reason behind my distance. Besides, this issue with Rock will blow over. Amy and he will reconcile, and everything will be forgotten. I smiled at that thought because I genuinely like Brody, and he's the only guy who has shown interest in me without making fun of me.
   "Yes, you can take me out tonight," I told Brody.
   "Actually, not tonight, love birds. Our parents have something planned at home. Maybe tomorrow night, Brody," Rock interrupted, acting like he's in charge.
   "Are you kidding me?" I apologized to Brody and walked away towards my classes. I knew arguing wouldn't solve anything. As I reached my English literature building, Sydney and Jessica caught up with me. They also had this class.
   "So, Riv, what was all that about?" Jessica asked me.
    "I honestly don't know," I replied.
Jessica glanced at Sydney and asked, "Should I tell her, or do you want to do it?"
    "What are you talking about, Jessica?" I asked, confused.
   "Do you not see what's happening with Rock?" Sydney asked, tilting her head.
   "Rock being Rock, it'll all blow over when he gets back with Amy in a week or so," I replied dismissively.
    Jessica gave me a look that said, "Are you really that clueless?"
  "Enough, both of you," I told them, walking into the classroom and finding my seat.
   "You don't think you're good enough for him, do you?" Jessica asked me.
   "Not really, Jess," I admitted.
   "They've really fucked you up over the years, haven't they?" Jessica remarked.
    "Jessica!"
   "Oh, don't 'Jessica' me. I'm 16 now."
    "Since when is it okay to use that word?" I asked, unable to hide my smile. Jessica reminded me of Sydney, so I knew she would be fine when we weren't here next year to support her. Besides, she had plenty of friends.
    After that class, we went to our lockers. As I stood at mine, someone pushed me into it and yelled, "Watch out, earthquake!" I didn't see Rock and Brody nearby, but they quickly grabbed the guy and started punching him. The guy groaned, "What the hell, guys? It's the fucking water girl."
    "If you ever look at River or even say hello to her again, I'll break your fucking nose next time. Do I make myself clear?" Rock growled.
    "Yeah, man... yeah," the guy stammered, then hurried out of sight. Rock looked at me and asked, "Are you okay, River?"
     I shook my head. "Yeah, I'm okay," I reassured him, then turned back to my locker to exchange my books.
   "Did he hurt you anywhere?" Brody asked, coming up beside me and placing his hand on my shoulder.
   "No, I'm okay. Just a little embarrassed," I replied.
   "You have nothing to be embarrassed about," Brody said, leaning in to kiss my forehead, but Rock pulled him away. "Come on, man, we have to get to our other classroom before the teachers come out."
    I looked at Rock, silently telling him to stop. But the jerk just smirked at me.

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                                          Much Love!

@crystalsteadman 2023