The Uprising

CHAPTER 18

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Kayla drives me home after she argues that Jordon couldn't be trusted around her patient. It was almost midnight and my mother's car was parked in the driveway. That meant I was in deep trouble. I prayed that she would be asleep but that prayer seem to be in vain.

"Jemima Arielle Wilson! Where were you?!" She screams when I enter the house.

"With Lia," That wasn't a complete lie, it just didn't include the part where Lia died.

"Oh so you're lying to me now, I called Lia's mother, neither of you were there. Where did you go?!"

All I could do was stare at my fuming mother. Since my brother died I had barely looked at her. She appeared stressed, weak, and beaten. She tries to hold her emotions together all these years for the sake of me—she couldn't do that anymore.

"First you take my car without my consent. Don't think I didn't notice. Then you disappear without an explanation," she continues "I know you're an adult but I'm your mother. Do you understand that I'm your mother? I lost my son I can't lose you too," That last part came out soft, it sent knives through my chest.

I'm a horrible daughter.

"You're not going to lose me."

"That's what your brother said and where is he now? I can't allow you to take to the path he did." She thinks about something for a moment before talking again. "Therapy-".

"No, no, no" I protest stopping her before she finishes, my mother gives me the look. The one that says you are living under my roof hence you abide by my rules in addition to that I also carried you for nine months. The look I completely dislike.

"You have to talk to someone, it's obvious that you don't want to talk to me so you'll talk to someone else. Tomorrow at nine. Eat something and get some sleep," There wasn't any room for an argument. I know my mother well enough to know that she was serious.

At seven in the morning, she woke me up. Sluggish, demotivated, cranky, and groggy—I drag myself through my morning routine and settled for a blue floral dress and a pair of flip-flops. Getting into the car was another struggle, after fourth five minutes of talking to myself in the mirror, I concluded that the only option that would get me out of this predicament faster, was just to go along with it.

"Jemi why did you leave your purse outside!" My mother called from the car.

"I didn't!" My attention was more focused on giving myself a pep talk in the mirror. Then I remembered that I left my purse at Lia's and it would be impossible for it to be here.

There it was. My purse was on the front steps. It was almost as if it was there all along. I know very well that it wasn't there before, I was certainly not the one who put it there. "Close the door and get in the car," All I did was stared at the purse that was now in my hands. "Oh I left my jacket," my mother came out of the car and went back inside. My eyes scan the street for anything unusual. There was a familiar black van parked on the other side of the curb.

When I got over there and knocked on the glass, I wasn't too surprised to see a beaming Tae along with Dash's bruised face behind the wheel.

"What are you doing at my house?"

"We are parked on the other side of your house we aren't actually at your house," It was already too early to deal with Tae's whimsical sense of humor, so I ignored him and turn my attention to Dash for an answer.