IN WHICH after choosing one friend over the other Talia Anderson has to learn how to live life like a pogue. Even though the pogue king, John Booker Routledge, hates her guts.
(...john b routledge x fem oc)
(... outerbanks, season one-three)
(... sl...
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❝i wanna grab both your shoulders and shake, baby snap out of it (snap out of it) i get the feelin' i left it too late, but baby snap out of it (snap out of it)❞
-snap out of it, arctic monkeys
✸
chapter eleven, THE OTHER MOTHER
Talia Anderson braced for impact as she lifted her feet to the steps leading up to the large house. It felt like it breathed along with her, slow, deep, moving. Her cautious tremble spreading to the door as she reached for the handle, waiting for the fall of her day, the consequence, the second shoe to drop.
The house was filled with music, a light piano track flooding out the door as it opened, the scent of fresh baking hitting Talia full force, nearly knocking the girl off her feet.
"I wasn't sure if you wanted chocolate chip cookies or brownies more, so I made both" If it had ever felt like the teenage girl had entered Coralline's hidden door it was now. Her other mother smiled brightly at the girl as she carried the bag of fresh seafood into the house.
Talia didn't dare tell the woman she wasn't even a fan of chocolate in fear that the picturesque mother would turn cruel and evil again, shapeshifting into a giant spider out to get the girl.
The girl wasn't sure how to approach the situation so she planned to sit silently across from the impersonator in her mother's body. Wondering what kind of sick joke it all was.
"The TV's working again, want to watch a movie while we eat?" Laurel grabbed the bag from her daughter's hand as she plated their meal.
"Sure" The words sounded funny leaving Talia's mouth but it didn't seem like the woman in front of her picked up on it, humming to herself as she divided the portions.
The mother and daughter sat next to each other on the couch, the light from the TV lighting the room drastically every few scenes, the laps dull enough to soothe some of Talia's anxiety.
The food has since been abandoned, lying half-eaten on the living room table as the movie neared its middle. The teenager's eyes were heavy, drooping as she tried to stare forward, scared if she moved everything around her would disappear and instead, she'd be left with a mother who screams and doesn't bake.
"you look so tired Tal" Laurel's words were playful and laced with a small laugh, nudging her daughter's arm gently. Talia looked over at her and tried to shake her head without yawning.
"Tal, geez, come here" Laurel lifted her arms and Talia almost broke down in tears, looking at the spot she opened while her internal battles screamed.
Talia Anderson had never hesitated as much as in that moment, unsure of what she'd owe if she took the opportunity. The exhaustion coursing through the girl's body was ultimately the deciding factor and she leaned over, resting her head against her mother's shoulder.
