Till Death Do You Part

Chapter Fifteen ~ Nothing

Chapter Fifteen ~ Nothing

It wasn't until my mom had left the house to throw out the garbage that she found me. By then I was soaking wet. My skin felt frozen.

"Honey, you're soaking," My mom avoided stepping in mud, carefully making her way over to me. She grabbed my arm and pulled me to get up. "Come on, let's go inside. I'll make you some tea."

I followed her back into the house, slowly trudging up the flight of stairs and inside. My mom released her grip on my arm as we entered the hallway of our apartment. Slipping of my shoes, I tugged my wet socks off and tossed them to the floor before heading to my room.

"Tea will be ready in a few minutes." My mom called from behind as I rushed upstairs.

Shutting my bedroom door behind me, I went over to my dresser and pulled out the first set of pajamas in sight. I pulled off all my clothes (except for my underwear and bra) and spread them across the top of a radiator near a window. I could hear rain patter lightly against them as I undressed and slipped into dry clothes.

My hair began to dry. The ends frizzed and knotted together to the point that strands looked like straw. I ran my fingers through my hair, gently tugging the knots apart. A couple of knots wouldn't loosen. I'll brush them out later.

Feeling a little dizzy, I walked over to a window and pressed my palms against it. The cool glass felt nice against my hands. I watched raindrops trail down the glass in silence. My index finger followed one raindrop’s path down before I backed away and turned to head downstairs. The tea pot was whistling loudly, its screeches echoed throughout the house. Tea time.

"Ginger or chamomile?" My mom casually asked as I entered the kitchen. 

"Chamomile."

"Good, that's all we have," She chuckled as she poured hot water from the kettle into a mug. As she placed my tea on the table she watched me quietly. Sitting down in the chair across from me, she leaned forward and watched me sip my tea. I burned my tongue. "Too hot?"

"A little." I placed the mug down and got up to get an ice cube from the freezer to cool down my tea.

"Honey, are you feeling okay?" She suddenly asked. I almost dropped my ice cube.

"Yeah, I feel good. You?"

"Cara," My mom raised her voice, making me freeze in my seat. "Is there anything you need to tell me? Cause if there is, now's the time to open up."

"Mom, what are you trying to say?" I questioned, dropping the ice cube into my cup of tea. I pushed it around and watched it float across the top like an iceberg. The heat made a huge crack form across it.

"Lately you haven't been acting like yourself... You just seem so quiet. Did something happen?"

"No," I lied, my stomach twisted into knots. I drank some tea to calm my stomach down. Even with the ice cube my tea burned my throat. "Nothing."

Suddenly, my mom touched my right hand. I looked at her and knew that she didn't believe me. Her eyes were glassy and wide.

"Honey," She rubbed my hand gently as if trying to comfort me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I repeated, squeezing her hand reassuring. I smiled at her and then drank some more tea. I couldn't taste the chamomile anymore. Stupid ice. "Really, I'm fine."

"Honey, you know that if you ever want to talk about anything you can come to me," She paused. "I'll listen."

I nodded and finished up my tea before getting up to go. Just as I was about to leave I turned around and gave my mom a kiss on the forehead. I smiled at her and then went up to the bathroom. Locking the door, I leaned back against it and fell to the floor. Softly, I pressed my legs against me and folded my arms across them.

"Look what you've done to me, Death," I whispered. "Now I'm the liar... Happy?"

Tears stung my cheeks, coating my face and arms. Drop by drop, I let my defenses crumble.

Can anyone rescue me?