Going Home

I hated that I was doing this, I hated that I had to do it alone and I hated that I had no choice in the matter.

I checked my phone and re-read the messages of support from my friends.

Sutton: I don’t know why you didn’t ask me to come with you. I could have just seen my family and been there the moment you needed me.

Emery: I will get in a taxi and jump on a train if you tell me to. I will drop everything to be there with you Dri. I don’t know why you are forcing all of us to let you do this alone.

They went on like that. Alec told me he would get Spencer to get on a plane if it’s what I wanted but I couldn’t do that, not with Damon in the picture. Hell, I hadn’t even told Damon what I was doing. He had gone out to visit his family in Boston, not even giving me the chance to let him know about this last minute change of plans.

I put my phone on silent knowing the constant ringing would just make things worse. Hell, me hiding out here was probably making things worse anyway.

I took a deep breath before opening the car door and heading inside to see what was so important my mother demanded I come out here immediately. If it weren’t for the fact that she threatened Lee, I wouldn’t even be here.

“Adrianna, I’m so glad you could make it,” my mother said as soon as I walked in through the front door. I wanted to snap at her but I couldn’t.

“Of course mother. You said it was important. What was so important it couldn’t wait until I had some more free time?” I asked, but all she did was shake her head before heading towards the kitchen.

I wasn’t at all surprised to find what I did when I entered the kitchen, empty alcohol bottles littering the bench. I also wasn’t surprised to find my mother making herself another drink.

My mother was a very social drinker when I was younger, but she became an alcoholic after my father died. Sometimes, she had to drive towns over because the local owner wouldn’t supply her anymore.

“What am I doing out here?” I asked as I took a seat at the breakfast bar, hoping she would finally speak.

“You know your sister won’t visit me, I can barely get her to answer the phone. You should tell her she needs to visit her family more often.”

“She’s focusing on school, she doesn’t need us bothering her every day. Don’t you want her to become a surgeon?”

My mother finally looked up at me and something flashed through her eyes. She was being weird. It wasn’t her usual ‘I’m drunk look at me’ weirdness, it was different. She wasn’t yelling or screaming at me or demanding to know why I wasn’t giving Nathan yet another chance. She also wasn’t talking about how bad of an option Spencer is for a future husband.

“I really wish your sister was here for this but Adrianna we really need to talk. Please hear me out,” my mother pleaded with me and it was something she had never done before. She usually just demanded things.

Two hours later and I couldn’t believe I found myself standing here of all places. I couldn’t even believe what my mother had told me. I don’t know if I want to believe it or if it was just one of her lies to try and win us back.

I took a deep breath in hopes of pushing back the tears before looking out on the intersection that had killed my father and put me back in the hospital just after leaving it hours beforehand.

Ever since that day, I always hated coming through this intersection because it reminded me of being mad at my father for doing what he thought was best, doing what started the process to get Nathan out of my life. Most of all, I hated how it reminded me that the last conversation I had with my father involved me being mad at him and there was no way to change it.

I couldn’t take it any longer, so I eventually gave up and began wandering up and down Main Street in hopes of avoiding going home and dealing with my mother.

It wasn’t until I stepped into the small but always busy coffee shop in hopes of getting some caffeine and warming up that I was shocked.

Damon was sitting in there with Nathan, the last person in the world I would think he was friends with and they were laughing like they knew each other. When they noticed me a look of pure disbelief appeared on their faces.