LABYRINTH II | Scarlett Johansson x Daughter

18 | more than a friend.

Scarlett

Waking up at two o'clock in the morning and finding out my sixteen-year-old daughter wasn't in her bed sent my heart racing.

It hasn't stopped even twenty minutes later, because I haven't been able to get a hold of her and after the conversation the two of us had on the couch less than twelve hours ago, I'm terrified she's high as a kite right now.

For about the tenth time, I hold my phone against my ear and hope that this time she'll pick up. I pace around the house and attempt to swallow the lump in my throat from all the tears I've cried, and just as the phone is about to ring out and I'm going to call the police, Kenzie finally answers.

"Hello?"

A few seconds pass. "Hello. That's all I get?"

"What do you mean?"

"Kenzie," my tone is sharp, "It's twenty past two in the morning. You are not home at twenty past two in the morning, and not only did get miss a heads up on your plans to sneak out, but you wouldn't pick up the goddamn phone! Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

She stays quiet. I take a breath.

"Where are you?"

"I've just gone for a walk, it's not a big deal," she says.

"You don't get to tell me that, Kenz. Especially not after our conversation last night," I warn. "How far from home are you?"

"It's fine, Mom. You're overreacting."

I suck in a deep breath through my nose and close my eyes as I let it back out. Kenzie has a knack for really testing my patience when she wants to, and I have to bite my tongue, especially now so the situation doesn't escalate anymore than it already has.

"Can you just answer my question, please?"

"I'm coming onto our street now. I'll be home in two minutes," she informs me.

A sigh of relief falls past my lips. "Okay. Stay on the phone until then, please."

Kenzie doesn't put up an argument about my request. Just over a minute later, she's walking through the front door and hanging up the phone.
The tension between the two of us has grown undeniably thicker since earlier in the night.

I hate it.

Being a Mom to Kenzie has been the biggest privilege of my life. She's like my best friend, which sometimes makes it incredibly hard to actually do my duties as a Mom. I wish I could just hug her in times of conflict or disappointment and tell her that everything is okay. However, in a situation like this I can't do that.

In a complete silence, Kenzie slips off her uggs and tucks her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "I assume I'm not getting out of this, but can you at least wait until the morning to scold me? I want to go to bed," she tells me, avoiding any form of eye contact.

I think for a moment. There's absolutely no way I'm not discussing this with her, but it is ridiculously late and neither one of us are clearly in the most settled of moods.

"Alright, we can talk in the morning. I want you to empty your pockets first though, please," I order gently, arms crossed over my chest.

Kenzie briefly glances up at me. "Why?"

I give her a look. "You know why. Don't play dumb with me, babe."

"I don't have anything on me, Mom."

I nod. "Okay. I believe you. I still want you to empty your pockets though."

With a deep sigh, Kenzie hesitantly obliges. She places her keys and a pack of gum on the table by the banister and turns the pockets of her jacket inside out to show me there's nothing left in them.