Bates & Landon [Wattys2015]

BATES

So that's what I made her.

I finished my homework, ate some peaches, helped Emmy take a bath, and I took a shower myself. Emmy and I played hide and seek for a while before she got tired and we both went to lay down.

"Night," she mumbled, eyes closed, curled in a ball on her bed across mine.

"Goodnight Emmy," I said and soon enough she was asleep.

I went to sleep not long after that, I assume. But I woke up when someone entered our house. I heard the familiar stumbling and hiccups to know it was our Mother. I walked out and stood at the door.

She saw me and stopped, "Oh, Bates!" She grinned lazily.

"Mom, it's eleven o'clock at night," I shook my head.

She giggled, "Oops?" Her dark eyes widened, hand flying to her mouth, and she ran to the bathroom. The sounds of her throwing up filled the silence in the house. I walked into the bathroom, sighing, and held back her hair.

She was crying and barfing all the contents in her stomach in the toilet. Both hands were gripping the toilet seat. Finally she stopped throwing up and just sobbed, her forehead against the toilet seat. I got her a glass of water. "Here," I shoved the cup in her hand, leaning against against the doorway.

"Th--Thank you, honey," she gulped it all down.

"Where's Andrew?" I asked her, crossing my arms.

She moved a sweaty strand of hair out of her face. "He didn't go to the party," she licked her dry lips.

"Oh, so it was just you? How did you get home?"

"Brandon dropped me off," she said, giving me a look. Brandon was one of her "friends."

"At least you got home safely,"

"Could you please stop talking?" She lifted a hand to her head, closing her eyes, "My head -- oh God -- is hurting so bad."

"Maybe you shouldn't have gotten drunk!" I snap, causing her to jump and look at me with wide eyes.

"What is your problem?"

"You always get drunk! Mom, do you not realize that?!? Every single day. You're always gone partying while I'm at the house, taking care of Emmy and making sure we have enough food to eat and make sure we have enough money to pay rent and make sure Emmy is okay and fed and bathed and everything else. I'm tired of being the grown up in this house! You need to grow up and look at what you are doing. Are you happy throwing your life away to alcohol and partying while your kids stay home and your oldest has to run it like he owns it?!? Because I'm not happy about this! And neither is Emmy. She needs a Mother in her life, but you were never there."

She was crying, but I couldn't stop the words flowing out of my mouth.

"You were never there. And when you were here you are always so drunk you don't ever know what's going on. Do you even know what her favorite color is? Do you know what mine is?" I said, my hands shaking, "Because, honestly, if you don't get a hold of yourself I will have to call Aunt Jenny." I walked away then, feeling the need to just get away before I started to say more and I'd regret the words I'd say.

My hands were shaking slightly and anger had filled -- no, consumed -- me. I was just so angry at her and how she did all this partying when she had two kids at home. I was sad, too. I was sad that I had to grow up so fast and sad that Emmy is growing up without a Mother because the one she has is too busy wasting her life.