Page 93 of I Knew He Was Trouble
I bite the inside of my lip. Of course, she isn’t here to see me. It’s just because she needs something now that she’s spent all her divorce money and got broken up with for the umpteenth time.
“Doyouhave a boyfriend?”
I’m shocked she asked me a personal question, trying to pretend to be the kind of mother she never was.
“Kind of.” I don’t want to get into the complicated answer to that question with her.
“Do yourself a favor and end things now. All men leave, Kelsey. It’s what they do. So, save yourself and get out before you end up heartbroken.”
My stomach twists, and I’m hit with a wave of nausea. Her words stir up all the insecurities I’ve felt around dating my entire life. The insecurities I have when it comes to relationships because of her and my dad.
“So, where can I sleep?” she asks.
“We don’t have a guest room.”
“I’ll sleep on the couch, then.” She sits down. “Can you get me some water? I was waiting outside for an hour after my Uber dropped me off.”
I walk to the kitchen without another word. I’m not at all surprised to find my friends standing there, obviously listening to our conversation.
Alyssa shoves a glass of water in my hand, barely half-full, and Mallory shoves a wad of cash into my other hand.
“What’s this for?”
“Give it to your mom and tell her to get a hotel room for the night. After that, she’s on her own,” Mallory says with fierce determination. From the look in her eyes, I know she’d rather march right over to my mother and give her a piece of her mind. “She doesn’t get to do this to you. She doesn’t get to just walk in when it’s convenient for her and drag you back down with her.”
Shayna pats Mallory’s back. “She’s right. It’s unfair to you.”
I take a deep breath before walking back into the living room. I set the water on the coffee table in front of my mother and hand her the cash.
“I don’t understand,” she says, looking at me with a pinched expression.
“It’s for you to get a hotel room. You can get a good night’s sleep and then figure out what you’re going to do next, but you can’t stay here.” My chest feels lighter saying the words I’ve wanted to for so long but have never been courageous enough to until now.
“Well, I guess I’ve just been a terrible mother to you, huh? Kicking your own mother out…” She huffs, standing without even taking a sip of the drink. “Don’t come crying to me when your little boyfriend inevitably breaks your heart.”
Without so much as a goodbye, she stalks out of the room.
When I hear the front door slam shut, I crumble onto the couch, feeling numb. My friends come rushing in. Alyssa holds my hand while Shayna runs her hands down my hair in calming strokes. Mallory sits at my feet, looking like she’s holding back some strong words about my mother.
I let my guard fall, and tears stream down my face. Mallory grabs a tissue from the coffee table and hands it to me. I dab under my eyes.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Alyssa asks once the tears have slowed.
I shrug. “What is there to talk about? Y’all heard everything she said.”
“But none of it is true.” Shayna wipes a rogue tear from my cheek. “You’re different from your mom, Kels. And Tyler is different than all the men she dates.”
Alyssa nods. “He’s an in-it-for-the-long-haul kind of guy.”
“I know I’m not my mom, and thank goodness for that because I never want to be like her.” I scoff. “But Tyler’s not my boyfriend, and I don’t need him.”
“Kels.” Alyssa squeezes my hand. “You’ve been the happiest version of yourself this week that I’ve ever seen.”
Mallory sighs. “She’s right. You’ve been humming and smiling constantly. It was honestly a little nauseating.” Alyssa whacksher arm. “Ouch, what was that for?” Mallory rubs the red spot. “I was agreeing with you.”
“Calling being happynauseatingisn’t helping.”
“I was saying seeing herin loveis nauseating. Of course, I want her to be happy.”
