Tangled Love

"Hello? Emily, come home this instant! How dare you leave home so suddenly!"

I scoff, unable to believe her words. I silently wish I never answered the phone but the damn woman wouldn't take no for an answer. After ignoring her calls multiple times, I decided to answer before she blew my phone up. . . Literally.

"Leave me alone Mum."

"Where are you? I demand that you come home!" Mum screeches at the other end. Besides me Jake raises an eyebrow and I know he can hear her scream like a banshee.

"I'm safe, isn't that all that matters?" I argue back with her, desperately trying to make her see sense. I hear her pause on the other end before she inhales sharply. I wonder whether she finally understands but when she begins calling me selfish and an inconvenience, I slump my shoulders in defeat.

Why can she not see that I ran away for my own safety?

Would I always be the child blamed for all of the troubles in her life?

tears sting the back of my eyes and I sniffle, reaching up to quickly wipe them away. A warm hand slips into my left one, intertwining our fingers together. The small contact surprises me because in the past, I'm all alone as the tears fall. I turn my head, eyes connecting with warm blue ones —

the phone from my hand. That's when I

doesn't she?"

I respond quietly. Moments of silence fall on us and I close

tone dropping to almost a hushed whisper. I sigh and

again, lying wide awake at night. I have a vague idea why Mum let Trevor do what he did. It's always been there in the back of my mind and I try to push it away

her way of punishing me." I whisper, feeling

it felt like a glass bottle

me me towards him and wraps an arm around my shoulder. I'm grateful for his support and lean against him, resting my head into the crook of his neck. He smells

asks quietly, his voice a murmur. I nod my head silently, feeling my eyes fill up with emotional tears. The door suddenly opens, ending the conversation between Jake

between themselves. I sniffle quickly, wiping away the tears before they can see the pain in my eyes.

her black skin tight dress. Her wild hair is curled around her shoulders and she's wearing

just a few friends that me and