Page 50 of Reconciling With the Rival

But our mother isn't one of those people.

“I don't need you to keep protecting me, Ella. I need you to live your life and stop worrying about me all the time. I’m a big girl. I can make my own decisions.”

That kind of hits me in the chest. I know she’s older now, and I know she’s capable of doing things herself, but to me, she’ll always be the sister who used to crawl into bed with me in the middle of the night. She’ll always be the kid who cried when one of her stuffed animals fell off her bed and got left out during the night.

“I know, Lizzie, but—”

My sister gets out of my car as if it’s on fire, slamming the door behind her. I flinch, feeling like I got punched in the face. I get that she’s mad at me, but she would thank me if she knew what our mother was really like. I don’t want her to find out. I don't think she could handle the heartbreak.

As I watch her go inside, I slump against my seat. All I want to do is protect her. That’s all I’ve done since our mom left the first time.

It fucking hurts hearing she wants a relationship with Lizzie now, and me, I guess. But I know better than to believe in her. It makes me mad she picks now, of all times, to come back.

It’s bad enough she’s around again, but now, my sister is mad at me.

Today has officially been the worst, and all I need when I get home is a bottle of tequila and some shitty movie to distract me from the weirdness I’m feeling.

It turns out, theonly thing I have at home is wine and an annoyed roommate.

It seems like Leo and I have both had days from hell, and being mad in the same space is a recipe for disaster.

The disaster starts now, because Leo is cooking around me in the kitchen as I try to find the corkscrew, and there’s nothing that pisses me off more than someone being in the kitchen at the same time as me. I don't know why it angers me, but him being in my space is always an annoyance, and today is no different.

I sigh heavily as I search another drawer and can’t find it. I swear, we always keep it in the drawer next to where we store the alcohol, but it’s not in there.

“Do you need some help or something?” Leo asks, a pinch of attitude in his voice.

“No. Go back to huffing by the stove,” I tell him as I open another cabinet.Where the fuck is this corkscrew?

“Only you could make this day worse,” he whispers under his breath, though not very well, because I heard every word.

“How is it possible your day was bad? You went to work and came home. It’s no different than any other day for you, and Brody was even in today— Oh! That’s it then.” I stand from the hunched over position I was in.

“What?”

“You’re probably pissed off because you spent the entire day up Brody’s ass.”

His eyes narrow at me, and he looks more pissed than before.Good. His mere presence in my safe space angers me every time I come home to find he’s here.

I open another drawer, and as I see the corkscrew and try to grab it, Leo shuts it and almost breaks my fucking hands.

“What the fuck is your problem? You could have broken my fingers, you fucking psychopath!”

He cages me into the kitchen island, both of his arms on either side of me. “You. You are my fucking problem, Williams.”

“Give me a fucking break, Zimmerman. You’re the one slamming shit with a pissed off expression on your face.”

“It’s been a long day, and I wanted to come home, make a nice meal, and enjoy my night.”

I point my finger at him. “Then do that! Nobody’s fucking stopping you!” I press my finger into his chest and try to shove him away, but he doesn't budge.

“You are! You’re stopping me from having a good night!”

“I’ve barely talked to you since I got home!” I say as I push off the island. I’m sick of this. I didn't come home just to get into a yelling match with Leo. All I want is to get drunk and try to forget about the bomb my sister dropped on me this afternoon, but I can’t, because he’s here. He’s always fucking around no matter where I go, and it pisses me off.

I hate looking at his stupid face all day, and I hate seeing his annoying ass when I come home and try to unwind.

Alissa owes me big time for letting him stay here.

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