Imperfect

Chapter 5

I know, I took forever but this just would not work! Finally I managed to finish it. I hope you guys like it!!!

Chapter 5

Nell’s POV

“What the hell was that?”

I forced myself to stop smiling as I turned towards my mother, my feet on the bottom step leading up to my room. “I got a ride home.”

“With whom?” she snapped, fury written on every line of her face.

I shrugged, ignoring the way my heart was starting to beat faster, anxiety creeping up on me as I did what I never did. Faced off with my mother.

“He’s just a guy from school.”

Rage burned in her eyes and she dropped her shopping bags, closing the distance between us in two long strides.

My anxiety tripled as she looked at me like I was two feet tall and even though I was standing a step above her, I felt it.

“Don’t you ever, ever embarrass me like that again, do you hear me, Penelope? People like that boy don’t belong around here.”

“You don’t even know him,” I said, my voice cracking slightly as my panic threatened to choke me. God, she shouldn’t affect me like this anymore. Why did I still care so much?

“I don’t need to know him, Nell. He’s got trash written all over him.”

I lurched back in disgust, hating her more than ever in that moment. “You’re such a snob,” I hissed, my voice perfectly clear for once, my disgust making my anxiety fade for a moment.

“How dare you call me a snob!” she shouted, her hand lashing out to wrap her fingers around my bicep. “It’s hard enough to keep people from talking about your issues without having you riding around on the back of some loser’s motorcycle. Is it your mission to drag this family down, Nell?”

The words felt like a slap to the face, making me flinch. “How can you say that?” I whispered, my hands fisting at my sides. Couldn’t she see? Didn’t she get it? This family was all I ever thought about. It was driving me nuts trying to hold it together, trying to toe the line but it was getting confusing. There were too many lines I couldn’t cross, too many rules I needed to follow in order to pass inspection.

“Sylvia warned me about this.”

My eyes snapped to hers as my heart stopped dead in my chest. “What?” I wheezed.

“She told me this is how it would start, that I needed to watch for the signs.”

I shook my head, frowning down at her. “What signs? What are you talking about?”

“You’re acting out, talking back, it’s a symptom that you’re regressing.”

“I’m not regressing,” I said in a choked voice, my lungs constricting, working hard to gather some much needed oxygen but it wasn’t working. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, could barely even see as the world around my mother faded and all I could make out were her disapproving eyes glaring up at me. “I’m fine,” I wheezed.

“You’d better be, Nell. If I see anything like that again, don’t even think for one second that I’ll hesitate in sending you back to the institution.”

“No,” I whispered, desperation making my knees quake. I was ready to beg, to cry until she took it back. “Please,” I croaked, reaching my hand out to grip her forearm but she pulled back as soon as I made contact.