Like Mother, Like Daughter (Season 3)

Chapter Ten: All or Nothing

I felt the alcohol pumping through my system as I ran through the lobby of the apartment building, before making my way outside, the cool February air hitting me like a knife. I dashed towards my car and let myself inside, locking the doors automatically before I stuck my key into the ignition and floored the gas. I pulled away from the curb, vaguely aware of a shout from behind me, as well as the shadowy figure of someone that could only be Axel, running down the street, reflected in my rearview mirror.

I shook my head, doing my best to see through my veil of tears as I drove, the street lights nearly blinding me in contrast to the darkness outside my car, which seemed to envelope me completely with every yard I put between me and the Valentine's Day gala. I shouldn't have gone off alone; the minute I'd seen Axel and Liam in the kitchen, I should've turned and walked out of the party and confronted Axel later. Instead, I'd pulled the teen girlfriend card and let my feelings of anxiety about our relationship failing get the better of me, and thrown myself into the arms of the very man he'd accused me of still having feelings for. It was all a confirmation, I saw that now, for in Axel's eyes, my past couldn't be forgotten, and I was damaged goods, and too far gone to come clean completely.

"Shit!" I screamed then, nearly driving headlong into a pole on a side street, and immediately swerved out of the way, nearly landing myself in a ditch, were it not for my quick thinking. I came to a complete stop, however, I still managed to break too hard, and I slammed my forehead and top of my face on my steering wheel, the pain like a slam to the face. "Fuck!" I yelled out, and reached up to clutched the pained area; I pulled down my visor mirror, getting a good look at the damage done. My forehead had a red stripe on it from the impact of the wheel itself, while I boasted a slash-like cut on my left cheek. "Dammit..." I whispered. I lowered my eyes then as my phone went off, seeing my mother's name popping up. Knowing I was literally at a dead end, given that salt was literally being put into the wound on my face, I lifted my phone upwards and pressed it to my ear. "Hey, Mom," I said, my voice devoid of emotion.

"Baby, Axel said you just ran out of the party, and got into the car and sped off," she said, her tone full of worry. "Where are you? Are you all right?"

"I'm a few blocks away from the house," I replied, almost as if it didn't really matter one way or the other where I was.

"Baby, what's going on with you?"

"Everything," I whispered, my voice close to breaking.

"Baby, please. Talk to me. What's going on?"

I covered my face with my free hand, my fingertips becoming caked with my own blood. "I really fucked up here," I whispered. I turned my car back on again, wanting nothing more than to get home, hug my daughter, and forget this night ever happened.

"Honey, it can't be all bad..."

"Oh, it was bad," I contradict her, turning the corner and heading down the street. Three blocks to go, three blocks to go, I chanted to myself.

"What happened?" she asked me then, and her voice halted itself, just as she peered out the window, and saw my car pull up. "Come inside, baby. We'll talk."

I nodded. "Yeah," I said, my voice soft as I cut the call and got out of my car. Carefully, and doing my best not to trip on the pavement, I exited my car and locked it behind me, making my way through the gate and stumbled up the stairs. I tried to fish my keys from my pocket, but Mom opened the door for me, and I brushed past her. "Thanks," I muttered as I walked by, making my way into the kitchen, and directly towards the fridge, taking out Dad's bottle of vodka and chugged it.

"Honey... You sure that's a good idea?"

I shrugged, lowering the bottle for a moment. "Why?"

She sighed. "Sweets, are you drunk?"