Like Catching a Snowflake

Chapter 14 : Hanna

Hanna

I slammed the door to my mom’s new car. She had needed a new one for a while. Her last one was a deathtrap on wheels, literally. This one was a small suv that came with a sunroof. That was only slightly impressive. Just because she got a new car, didn’t mean that she had changed all that much. Even the little shopping trip that she took me on. She let me have anything I wanted and not from the Clarence rack. It was nice, but she was just trying to win back my forgiveness, which she was not going to get back easily.

“Now, so you’re not shocked when you walk in, I’ve done some redecorating,” mom said, unlocking and opening the door for me. I rolled my eyes and walked in, straight for my bedroom, where I planned on spending the rest of the night.

Only I hadn’t planned on getting hungry just an hour later, and the smell of pasta floating down the hallway wasn’t helping. So, I exited my room and headed straight for the kitchen. Surprisingly, it was not my mom who was cooking. No, it was some young guy. The back of his dark blonde head was all I saw, but I could tell he was taller than me. I didn’t know how young he was, but he couldn’t possibly be the reason for the change in my mother. I looked around the kitchen, no alcohol in the usual places. I opened the several cupboards where she usually hid the juice, but those were bare as well. When I opened the fridge, I could only find food and milk. Okay, she couldn’t have changed that much. Could she?

“Having a good look, are we? Well, just so you won’t waste anymore of your time, you won’t find a drop of alcohol anywhere. I made sure of that,” said a deep, raspy voice.

I turned to look at the boy and put my hands on my hips. “You made sure?”

He nodded and smirked at me. “Yes, I did.”

“And who are you?”

I couldn’t help but be a little bitchy. It was just the fact that this guy, who didn’t look much older than me, had succeeded where I had failed way too many times. I couldn’t help but be jealous. What had he done that I hadn’t figured out?

“I’m Simon Livingston,” he said, holding out a hand to shake mine.

I just simply looked at it. “Where did you come from, Simon?”

He pulled his hand back to him and ran it through his hair. “I moved here from London. It was a bit too crazy in town for me.”

“And just how old are you, Simon?” I couldn’t help but be nosey. This guy…I don’t know what it was about him, but I could definitely say that he was already on my bad side.

“I’m nineteen,” he smiled. “And just so you know, I’m also a wizard. I graduated fromm Hogwarts two years ago. I was a hufflepuff, and being the particularly great find that I am, I found all of your mother’s hiding places, even the ones in her room, the bathroom, your room.”

“My room? How would you find alcohol in my room?” This was news to me. Mom was hiding things in my room. That was…going a bit far.

He nodded. “That squeaky floorboard beside your bed? It can be lifted up and you can slip things under there. It’s a wonder you never found it. You must be a good teenager, unlike the rest of us had been.”

I rolled my eyes. “So, what are you doing here?”

“I’m making pasta, if you hadn’t smelt it yet,” he laughed at his own sarcastic joke, which was not all that funny.

“You know what I meant,” my hands went from my hips and my arms crossed over my chest.

“I’m here to help your mom, if that isn’t already obvious. She tried going to Alcoholics Anonymous, but it wasn’t working for her. I moved in across the street and soon found out her secret. I couldn’t let it destroy her like it did my dad, so I’m her personal assistant. She hasn’t touched it since I’ve been here. We had a few times where she’s came close, but she didn’t do it.”

I leaned up against the counter behind me, not moving my arms so they were still crossed. “How could you have succeeded? She is the most stubborn person in the world, and you got through to her when I couldn’t. How did you do it?”

“Sounds like someone’s jealous,” he chimed as he stirred his sauce.

“Seriously,” I said, moving so that I was standing right beside him. “How did you do it?”

He stopped stirring and placed the spoon down on the counter before turning and facing me. “It was fairly easy. It might have been hard for you before because back then she had nothing to lose, or she thought that something would leave her.”

“Are you telling me that this is my entire fault?” I was appalled. I knew this guy for like five minutes and he was already accusing me for my mother’s problem. That was not going to happen.

 He shook his head. “No, I’m not blaming you at all. On the contrary, actually. I’m saying that you are the one that made it possible for her to stop. If you hadn’t left the way that you did, she wouldn’t have quit. The person that she loved the most in the world left her because of that problem, so she thought she could kick it, and for the most part she did, she just needed some support to help her out .You know, someone to remind her why she was clean in the first place.”

I didn’t have anything to say to that. I couldn’t say anything. I was too speechless at what he had just told me. I had been successful after all. None of this would’ve happened if it hadn’t been for me. She loved me so much that she gave up the alcohol in hopes that it would bring me back. I then felt guilty for the why I had treated her when I did come back. It was wrong of me, but I had still been angry with her. She had taken my school money for whiskey. I now understand that it was her problem not her that took that money. She loved me. She loved me.

“I see that you two have met,” mom’s voice came after the back door had opened and closed. “Hanna, I know you must still be angry with me but-“

She stopped talking because I had walked over to her and pulled her close to me. I had to hug her. I had to prove to her that I still loved her. She hugged back instantly. It was so nice to feel the warmth of my mother for the first time since my father left. I didn’t remember him very well, but I know that my mom had hugged me like this before she picked up the bottle, before she turned into that cold-heart bitch.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, pulling away to look in her eyes, the same as mine. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m the one that’s sorry. I shouldn’t have turned to alcohol to sooth my problems. I should’ve turned to my daughter,” she then smiled. “Thank you for teaching me that.”

“No problem,” I smiled back.

“I’m going to go change for dinner,” she said and went down the hall to her room.

I turned back to Simon, who was smiling at me. I could help but blush. I took this time to smile back and really look at him. He was sort of cute in a charming kind of way, nothing like Draco. His smile gave me butterflies in my stomach. It was such a nice smile. I pushed that out of my mind though and thought about what he had said to me. He had helped my mother.

 “I’m sorry for acting like a bitch to you,” I said, slowly.

He nodded. “It’s understandable. I don’t hold it against you. I probably would’ve done the same thing.”

“No, I still shouldn’t have. After you helped my mother, I should be thanking you.” I really did feel guilty about the way I had treated him just a few moments before.

He smiled. “It’s really no problem. Fiona is a very wonderful woman, who raised a very beautiful daughter. I just hope that you don’t yell at me like that all the time.”

I nodded. “I promise I won’t yell at you, unless you deserve it of course.”

“Hungry?” he said after a moment. “The pasta is ready. Wanna help me set the table?”

Beautiful, huh? Did that mean he was hitting on me? Hopefully it didn’t. I mean, I was still in love with Draco. It wouldn’t have been fair to even drag anything out. I helped him set the table with a huge smile on my face none-the-less.