Kinda short, sorry. Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July, if you're from America. :)
I listened to Shirtsleeves by Ed Sheeran on repeat during this entire chapter, and I think that shows through a little bit haha. So if you'd like to listen to that song, I highly recommend it. And the rest of Ed Sheeran's new album. It's literally perfection.
Pleaaaaseee let me know what you think! I hope you like it :)
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“Mom! I- what are you doing here?” I asked, all but dropping the suitcase that I just got out of her room. I could only imagine what this looked like right now.
“What the fuck is going on here?” My mom shrieked, glaring at Harry before returning her hateful gaze to me. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard my mom swear.
“It’s not what it looks like, Mom, I swear, just-“ She interrupted me as I tried to explain to her what was going on.
“I told you to stay away from him! He’s bad news, Miranda, God knows what he did to your grades!” She was pointing her pointy nailed finger at him, and I felt myself wanting to rip it off.
“And I told you he had absolutely nothing to do with my grades! Besides, I’m not even in school anymore, and I got my grade up. What the fuck does it matter that I’m with him now?” And I think that’s the first time my mom’s ever heard me swear.
“Do not raise your voice at me, I want you to put that suitcase back where you found it and come with me. We’re going to London,” she stated in a firm voice and I frantically shook my head.
“I’m not going anywhere with you. Harry and I are going to Florida,” I stated, holding my ground. My mom was being unreasonable. She’s hardly ever in my life as it is, so why does she get a say in this subject?
“Florida? There’s no way in hell you’re going to a different country with this boy! You’re coming to London with your mother,” she gripped onto my hand, attempting to pull me out of my room but I refused, yanking my hand out of her grip.
“What mother? I don’t see a mother in here. I see a woman who’s barely even talked to her daughter. And I’d rather go to a different country with someone who actually cares about me than to a city with someone who doesn’t have the right to even call themselves my mother,” I stated, and kind of felt bad for how rude I was being, but I honestly didn’t care. She can’t just show up in my life once a month and expect to have all of this control over me. Granted, I’m not 18 yet, but I was going to be in July, so it’s not like I’m some 15 year old that thinks she’s an adult. I’m two months away from being an adult.
“You know I love you,” she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
I rolled my eyes, throwing my hands up in the air, “Yeah, because I can so tell that by the way you only visit me once a month, and don’t even attempt to come to my graduation. You haven’t once congratulated me for getting a solid A+ in Calculus, after I was so close to failing. I even got a fucking award for finishing that damn subject at the top of my class. I got a 3.8 GPA and I was accepted to NYU, my dream college, but you wouldn’t know that, would you? Do you know what I want to do with my life? What’s my favorite color, ‘mom’,” I put quotation marks around the word ‘mom’, and I knew I was probably being cruel, but I’ve held all of this in my entire life, and it felt so, incredibly good to let it out. I felt a hand slip into mine, rubbing my palm, trying to calm me down, I’m sure. But I didn’t want to calm down. I wanted her to know how terrible it felt to grow up without parents. “You know nothing about me, and you don’t even try to get to know me. You’re too busy with dad in London to give two shits about your daughter that’s living by herself two hours away!”
I saw a tear slide down my mom’s perfectly made up face, and she quickly wiped it away, which hurt my heart a little bit.
“Maybe you should just go with your mum, Randi,” Harry gently suggested and I shook my head, feeling tears brimming my own eyes.
“No, I’m not letting her ruin this fucking vacation, it’s not worth it!” I shouted, almost stomping my foot, but deciding against it.
“You’re seventeen years old, Miranda, you’re very much still my daughter and you are to do as I say and I say you are not going to Florida with this trash!” She was screaming now, gesturing to Harry as she let out the last word in a disgusted tone. Any ounce of guilt I felt diminished, and all I felt now was fury.
“You know nothing about Harry, and he is the absolute furthest thing from trash!” I turned around, picking up the suitcase and throwing all of the clothes that I had piled up on the bed into it. I threw a bunch of underwear in there as well as bras, before going into my bathroom and throwing everything I could possibly think of in there. I didn’t care that it was unorganized, I was mainly focused on getting out of there as soon as possible. How dare she come barging in here and calling Harry trash? I felt arms around my waist, grabbing my hands and rubbing them soothingly.
“Calm down, love,” he turned me around in his body, and I noticed that he shut the bathroom door behind him. I wonder where my mom went. She’s probably in the driveway slashing my tires so I can’t leave. I wouldn’t put it past her.
Only when he wiped his thumbs underneath my eyes did I realize I was crying.
“I don’t wanna go to London, I wanna go to Florida with you. She only wants me to go because she’d rather me be there than with you, so fuck that. She has never been a mom to me, so she can’t just expect to step in and tell me what to do,” I couldn’t stop crying, and I was aware I probably looked mental, but I didn’t mind. “I’m sorry you had to witness that, and that she called you trash, you’re not trash at all. And I’m sorry I’m crying and-“ he cut me off, pressing his lips to mine. I practically sighed in relief, and if I wasn’t as upset as I was right now, I’d probably be embarrassed.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” he whispered, pulling me in for a hug, in which I rested my head against his chest. I could feel and hear his heart beating against my ear, and it calmed me down listening to the steady beat.
“I’m going with you. I could care less what she says, I wanna go with you,” I stated firmly, my mind made up. I pulled out of his arms slightly, so I could angle my head up and look at his eyes, gauging his reaction.
“Then come with me,” he answered, pulling me back in. I allowed him to. “I just don’t want to be the reason you and your mum are fighting. But if you really wanna come with me, I’m obviously not going to stop you.”
I shook my head, “You’re not the reason we’re fighting, she is. For some reason she chooses to judge you, and that’s her own fault. Not yours.”
He kissed my cheek, nodding his head and releasing me from my arms. “Are you finished packing?” He chuckled, looking at the mess of a suitcase that was currently sitting on the bathroom counter.
I looked around, nodding my head, “Yeah, I think that’s everything.”
“Let’s go then, yeah?” He smiled at me and I grinned in return, taking the hand that he had held out for me. I followed him out of the room and down the stairs, seeing my mom pacing around the kitchen with a cup of tea in her hand. At the sound of our footsteps, her head whipped around.
“You take one step outside that door and you no longer live here anymore,” she threatened, and my mouth dropped open. She’s kicking me out if I go on fucking vacation with my boyfriend? Is she serious right now?
“You’re kidding,” was my response, not once believing her. She couldn’t kick me out, this is barely even her house. She never comes here.
“I’m not. I will put this house on the market and you can find your own means of living, since you’re such an ‘adult’ and I’m not your ‘mom’.”
My eyes widened, fresh tears getting ready to spill from my eyes. I loved my mom, so much, and it hurt that she was willing to just kick me to the curb. No matter how much time she spends away, she will always be my mom. She’s the only one I have.
“With all due respect, Mrs. Groves, I think that’s a little harsh,” Harry spoke up for me, since I was clearly speechless.
“What’s harsh is you coming in here and taking my daughter away from me,” was her reply, the evil glare never leaving her face. At this moment, I didn’t even recognize her. This wasn’t my mom. She wasn’t capable of sounding so horrible.
“I wasn’t the one who drove her away, so don’t put the blame on me. I’m not gonna sit here and let you treat your daughter like shit. She deserves so much more than parents who could care less, and it’s a shame that that’s what you gave her growing up.”
I wanted to hug him right now, but I was too busy crying, wondering when my life had gotten so soap opera-ish. I didn’t object when Harry pulled me out of there, my suitcase in his right hand, and my hand in his left.
He opened the car door for me, helping me in before walking over to the driver’s side and starting my car, immediately pulling out of my driveway and going to his apartment.
The tears wouldn’t stop streaming out of my eyes, I felt absolutely terrible. I was just kicked out of my own home and my mom hates my boyfriend, and now probably me. And that fucking hurt.
“I’m sorry,” Harry sighed, reaching his hand over to rub my knee, “I’m so, so sorry.”
I shook my head, grabbing his hand and linking our fingers together.
The rest of the car ride to his apartment was silent, except for my small, uncontrollable sobs every few minutes. I tried to stop, but I couldn’t help but feel like a disappointment. My entire life was spent trying to please my parents, getting good grades and being a good person. I never did drugs, I rarely drank, I didn’t have a million boyfriends. But I never felt good enough. And the one time I do something that my mom doesn’t like, she kicks me out of my fucking house. What am I going to do? I can’t just expect to live with Harry, he’s not going to want me around 24/7. I still have a little time to figure it out, anyways. We’re going to Florida for a week, and I can think about what I’m gonna do until then. Plus, Harry and I will probably stay at the beach house for a little bit, and I’m going to New York at the end of August, so I just have to get through until then.
By the time we pulled into his apartment complex, my tears have calmed down, and the only evidence of them were the dried tear streaks on my cheeks, my bloodshot eyes, and my red, puffy nose.
Harry opened the door for me, grabbing my suitcase as well, before leading me up to his apartment. Once he unlocked the door, he set the suitcase down and then walked me over to the couch, sitting next to me and wrapping his arm around me.
“It’ll all be fine, I’m sure she didn’t mean it. Once she has time to think about it, she’ll realize she’s wrong,” he whispered in my ear and I nodded, not in agreement, but in hopes of him being right.
“But what if she’s not?” I dared to ask, “What if I’m really kicked out? What am I gonna do?”
He looked at me as if I grew an extra head, “Stay with me.”
I looked up at him, not seeing a note of humor in his eyes. “I can’t just impose like that,” I shook my head, not wanting to bug him.
“Impose? Randi, you’re my fucking girlfriend. I want you here more than you probably wanna be here,” he chuckled and that caused a small smile to grow on my face.
“Thank you,” I smiled, nuzzling my head into the crook of his neck.
After a few minutes of silence, Harry broke it, “Did you mean what you said earlier? Did you really get accepted to NYU?”
My eyes widened, not realizing in my moment of rage earlier that I had let that slip to him. He didn’t know that I was moving to New York.
My gaze fell to my lap, not knowing how to respond to that. I wasn’t ready to tell him, what if he doesn’t want anything to do with me once he realizes I’m moving to another country? What if he calls this entire thing off?
I slowly nodded my head yes, not looking at him as I picked the nail polish off of my nails.
“When we’re you going to tell me?” He asked me softly. He didn’t really sound angry, just curious.
“I wanted to, I just- I didn’t know how to,” I replied, “I didn’t know what your reaction would be. Why would you want to be with me if I lived in another country?”
“Just because you’re following your dream, doesn’t mean I’m going to leave you,” he stated, using his thumb and fore finger to push my face up to look at him. “I love you, Randi, and I’m not saying that just to say it. I’m so fucking in love with you, and I don’t think I could leave you even if I wanted to.”
“But you won’t wanna be with me when we’re in different time zones, and different countries and we never get to see each other,” I began sobbing again, I’m really emotional today. It’s probably gonna be that time of the month soon.
“I will. I plan on being with you for as long as you want me to be,” he answered, kissing me on the forehead. “And I’m gonna support you every step of the way. Even when you’re 5 hours behind me in a different country. It’ll work out, we’ll make it.”
“I love you,” I sat up, looking at his beautifully sculpted face. He was literally perfection.
“I love you,” he smiled back, kissing me on the nose. I scrunched it up, the action feeling strange. “Don’t be afraid to tell me things, please. I wanna know anything and everything about you. And you got an award for finishing Calculus at the top of your class?” He grinned at me, and I returned one.
“Yep,” I stated proudly, “I got an A+ in it, since I did a bunch of extra credit. My final grade was 113%.”
“Holy shit,” he breathed out in disbelief, causing me to giggle, completely forgetting about the tears that fell down my face only moments before. “I have a genius on my hands,” he smirked and I rolled my eyes.
“Thank you,” I said, snuggling back into his side.
I could picture him scrunching up his eyebrows, “For what?”
I shrugged, “Everything. For sticking up for me in front of my mom, and letting me stay with you, and not being mad at me about New York, and just being you.”
“And thank you, Miranda Groves, for sticking up for me in front of your mom, and staying with me, and just being you,” he responded with a cute little smile on his plump, pink lips.
“Now, let’s watch some Disney movies,” I stated and I heard him chuckle from beside me.
“Not a chance.”