Tabloid (Dirty Laundry #1)

44. Living is Overrated

Two Weeks After the Peach Festival Incident

"Tally!" Jeremiah's voice echoed through her room.

She rolled over hiding her head under her blankets. "What?" She moaned.

"I'm done with this. You need to come back to the living." He yanked the comforter from her body.

Talia groaned pulling the pillow over her head now. "The land of the living is overrated."

"Yeah well, if you don't get your ass moving, your mama has threatened to send your grandpa to visit us. We don't need his naked ass around our apartment."

"What did you just say?"

"Your mama is threatening to send your grandpa here. Now, get up and call her so that we don't have him showing up and stripping down."

"Alright."

Talia grabbed her phone. The time on the phone read 12:15pm. She sighed then pushed her mother's contact on her phone.

"Talia is that you?"

"Yes, mama." Talia said flatly.

"How could you just disappear like that?"

"I asked Rex to tell you I was leaving." She flopped down on her bed.

"Yes, Rex did tell me, but you didn't. Are you trying to break your mama's heart?"

Talia rolled her eyes and stared at her ceiling. "Mama, I didn't leave because of you. I needed to figure things out. I'm sorry I didn't call."

Her mama was quiet. "Have you talked to Zechariah since your spat?"

Talia sighed. "No, Mama."

"Well, when I talked to his mama on Sunday she said he was really upset about it. You should reach out to him. She said he's in some third world country shooting a movie though. I think its New Zimbabwe."

"He's in New Zealand."

"See you still care. I don't think this is something you can't get past." She encouraged.

That was a road she wasn't ready to head down. Her heart still felt raw. Just looking at the pictures on her phone, which she did way too frequently, gave her physical pain.

"Well, I gotta go, Mama. Give Daddy my love."

Before Talia hung up, she heard her dad in the background yell, "Tell her I made room to mount that boy's balls on my wall."

Her mama's muffled yell back, "Oh stop it. I'm trying to help her fix this."

"She doesn't need to fix shit. That boy is the one who pulled that shit on her. She deserves better." He yelled.

"Ok. Bye, Mama." Talia finally hung up before she heard any more.

Talia rolled out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. The bright sunlight still stung her eyes from Jeremiah ripping open her curtains. Stepping into the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She looked like roadkill left out in the sun too long. Her face still held remnants of the last time she had make-up on. Hair was matted and greasy around her face. Purple smudges under her eyes showed her lack of sleep. Breathing in deep she realized she smelled like the roadkill too.

Stripping down she stepped into the hot shower. It was hot enough to scorch but she barely felt it. The water pounded down on her exhausted body. Talia had been hiding since she returned to L.A two weeks ago. Her room had become a sanctuary no one could penetrate.