Sukeban (Discontinued)

Chapter 50: Defenses

Mami remained unshaken by her mother’s words. She simply sighed softly, leaning her body against the side of the doorframe. Her eyes flicked up to her mother again whose expression only looked even angrier at the lax way Mami had responded to her anger. Mami knew what reaction her mother wanted and she wasn’t about to give her mother that sort of satisfaction.

“You are completely selfish, Mami.” Her mother practically growled out the words in anger at her daughter before dropping her arms to the side. She stormed over to the teenager, telling the young woman clearly about the anger Mami had caused in her. Still, Mami didn’t budge or change her emotion. She stood still as stone, refusing to give her mother any sense of satisfaction. She was going to stand strong this time; she wasn’t going to break under her mother again.

Natsumi didn’t say a word to Mami in the seconds after she had come to stand in front of her. Her face twisted in anger and disdain towards Mami and her attitude. For once, however, Mami couldn’t smell the scent of alcohol wafting off of her mother. She knew her mother was sober – and she knew that this anger was simply who her mother was. If Natsumi put her hands on Mami, the teenager knew she couldn’t blame it on the alcohol. But Mami knew it didn’t matter; it’s not as if anyone would even care. Mami had long given up on the idea of anyone caring.

“I don’t understand what I have to do to teach you some respect,” her mother seethed. “You’re so uncaring to everyone around you; you can’t stop to consider someone else for even a second can you?” Mami clenched her teeth at her mother’s words, the anger beginning to seep into her as well.

“I learned that from you,” Mami growled out without a thought. She didn’t regret her words though. She stared at her mother, narrowing her eyes into a harsh glare. She wouldn’t regret those words; her mother deserved to hear them. Her mother deserved to know where Mami had gotten her behaviors from. After all, Mami was nearly a spitting image of her mother in every way. If her mother had anyone to blame for how Mami turned out, it was only herself.

“Don’t you try to pin this on me! It’s high time you learned how to take some responsibility for your actions,” her mother scolded her. “You’ll never get far in the world like this.”

“That’s funny because you don’t take responsibility either and you’ve certainly gotten pretty far.” Mami could hear and feel the slap she’d been given right after she had finished spitting out her words harshly at her mother. Her head snapped to the side, her eyes widening in the shock from the force that was used. Mami turned her head back towards her mother, the anger bubbling in her. The emotions were beginning to grow out of Mami’s control.

“You really do have no respect for anyone but yourself. You already embarrassed me in front of my boss by failing to do such a simple thing as be home when I asked you to be and now--”

“Why did you even want me home?” Mami interrupted her mother, speaking in a loud voice that slightly surprised the aging woman. “Aren’t I an embarrassment to you? Why would you even want your boss getting to know me? I’m sure I would just screw that up too, wouldn’t I?” Mami spit out each of her words, speaking clearly with the emotions that swirled within her.

“Do not interrupt me, Mami,” her mother shot back. Mami scoffed and rolled her eyes. She didn’t want to deal with this today; she had enough on her mind and enough to worry about. She didn’t need her mother adding to any of that.