Walls||CTH AU||

Chapter 19- Truth

Bailey rolled out of bed early the next morning, having had the best night sleep she'd have in a while. She had a theory that if she was up and left the house before 7, her mother wouldn't be able to stop her on the way out of the door, which she had been trying to do for the last few of days. She had no reason to leave the house, as it was a Saturday but she didn't want to talk to her mother.

However, her mother had the same plans, much to Bailey's annoyance.

"Bailey, can we talk?" Kylie asked as soon as she walked into the kitchen for breakfast.

"You have a working voice box don't you?" Bailey sneered, remembering what Calum had said to her the day before.

"Bailey, please. I know you don't particularly like me-"

"Understatement."

"-but just hear me out."

"Okay, but I swear if you go on about suddenly realising I'm your daughter and you have to look after me I will leave."

Kylie sighed, holding onto her coffee cup with two hands and looked up at Bailey. For the first time, she took in that her daughter's appearance. She was shocked at how much Bailey resembled her father, with her sharp blue eyes and her tanned skin. She was also shocked with how grown up Bailey looked, despite her being 17 years old. Kylie hadn't payed much attention to Bailey's appearance over the years and it was weird for her to look at the adolescence in front of her who was no longer the small child in the photographs she kept in a box in her room.

"Go on then." Bailey said, snapping her out of her daze. Kylie swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat thinking about her late husband and told Bailey to sit down.

"I want to talk about why I have been trying to get through to you for the past week. No don't leave, I need to tell you the truth."

Bailey sat back down on the chair, huffing slightly. She had been prepared to leg it out of the door. She folded her arms over her chest and looked expectantly at her mother.

"I have been trying to talk to you more recently because I have a guest coming over in a weeks time for dinner and they really want to meet my daughter."

"What! Why?"

"Well, everyone at works knows I have a daughter and the person I have coming over really wants to meet you because "any daughter of mine must be a delightful young woman.""

"Well they're going to get a shock," Bailey snorted. Kylie chuckled nervously, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"That's what I need to talk to you about," she began. Bailey's head snapped towards her mother, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"I don't like where this is going."

"I need you to cooperate with me, for one night during the dinner. It would be great if you could maybe...take the piercings out and act like everything is good between us."

"Why would I do that? I owe you nothing." Bailey snapped. "I'm not going to pretend that we get along to help you look better. I'm not lying for you. You can take that idea and shove it where the sun don't shine." She pushed herself off the chair and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

Kylie sighed defeatedly, shaking her head so her long blonde hair fell across her face. She was expecting Bailey to react like that, but a small part of her had hoped that she would try and work with her.

She dumped her cup in the sink and followed Bailey's footsteps out of the house, grabbing her car keys off the counter as she left. She had work to do and she knew that would distract her from worrying about Bailey's behaviour at the upcoming dinner.
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"Stupid fucking bad as fuck mother, thinking I'm gonna go along with her lies." Bailey muttered, storming along the street, shoving past little children as she went. She was sure she had made one of them cry at one point. The sad thing was, she didn't feel remotely bad for her actions. She was far too angry to care.

How could her mother think that after everything she hadn't done for Bailey, she would just play along in whatever game her mother was playing? It wasn't going to work like that. Bailey was going to give that woman the reality check that she needed, but at the right moment.

She made her way to the park nearby, sat down on a swing and sighed loudly. Bailey had never met any of Kylie's work colleagues before and she wondered whether they were all as work orientated and obsessive as her mother was. Did they all abandon their children to go on long business trips abroad? Bailey would probably never know.

"What are you doing here?" A familiar voice called out. Bailey turned around to see Calum walking towards her, joined by Luke and a boy with curly hair she had never met.

"Could ask you the same thing," Bailey retorted, turning to face the other way again. Calum and co. sat down in front of her, the curly haired one shooting Luke a confused look.

"Ashton, this is Bailey, she's the new girl at school. Bailey, this is Ashton, a friend of ours from nearby."

"Nice to meet you Bailey," Ashton said politely, holding his hand out to her. Bailey looked at his hand in disgust, shooting him a signature glare. Ashton withdrew his hand and stared awkwardly at the ground.

"Bailey..." Calum warned, "Don't be mean."

"That's like telling a dog to stop barking," Luke piped in. "It's not going to happen."

"Shut your mouth Lucas," Bailey snapped. Luke's grin faded quickly.

"Someone's moody," Calum muttered, but sent Bailey a smile anyway. Bailey just glared at him as well. Ashton was looking between Calum, Luke and Bailey with a frown on his face, trying to piece together what was happening.

"I'm not in the mood for this Tattoos," Bailey growled.

"Ooh, the nicknames are back. I'm going to have to think of one for you."

"Please don't."

Calum grinned, glancing at his friends who were sitting quietly on the concrete, seemingly finding the ground interesting. His grin faded as quickly as Luke's had and he pushed himself up off the ground, wiping the dust off his shirt. Ashton and Luke quickly followed suit.

"Well this has been sufficiently awkward. Have a nice day Bailey." Calum exclaimed, beginning to walk away behind his friends, who were already metres ahead of him. When Bailey didn't respond he sighed and ran to catch up with his friends, smiling apologetically at them. Bailey really confused him, one minute she was happy enough in his company then she was telling him to piss off for no reason.

"Typical."