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TRACK 46 - PART 2

With (NO) love, Tyler-Jane Roberts

"Is Rory in bed?"

Aidan raised a brow. "Yeah, she's sound asleep. Why?"

"Make sure she doesn't leave her room."

Carter continued to call out my name from behind me. The sound of his voice gained closer with each step. I wanted to tell him it was alright and that I only needed a second to process all of this. But my mind was focused on far too many things to think that clearly.

As my eyes fell upon her, I realized that I had been blinded this entire time. The pure boredom was written across her face - she would make a terrible actress unless she only went for the brooding, uninterested character roles.

Pointing to the vibrant shoulder bag, I asked, "Is this yours?"

Kathy was barely able to get out a "yes" before I began to rummage through it.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"I know it's in here." Ignoring her yells for me to stop, I piled the contents of her bag onto the table. "What did he give you? Cash? A check?"

"Jane, honey, what are you talking about?" The fake, condescending innocence dripped from her tone.

"I'm talking about the fucking money my boyfriend had to pay you to show up tonight!" I cocked my head to the side, taking a step forward. "What? Did the big payout from selling my birth certificate to the press finally run out?"

"What did you say?" Carter's voice roared with anger from behind.

I looked over my shoulder. "Jeff just called me. I took your suggestion and asked him to look into it for me so I could know for sure if it was Silas." Turning my attention back towards my mother, my blood boiled. "Who else could have proven such a thing when his name wasn't on the original document."

Kathy was too stunned to speak. That was a fucking first.

A twisted grin found its way onto my lips and a dark laugh escaped. "Thought you could get away with it, huh? I really should have seen it coming. You've been using me since the day I was born to get money out of people." Turning the bag upside down, I aggressively shook the rest of the contents onto the table, relieved to finally see the wad of cash fall out. "Ah, there it is," I picked it up and tossed it to Carter. "Sorry, you won't get paid this time, mommy. I'm sure this past hour was quite the burden for you."

"That money is mine! I earned it!"

"You... earned it?" My eyes narrowed as I stalked towards her. "You do realize you don't get a fucking paycheck to be a mother, right? I know that's an unheard of concept for you, since you-"

A familiar sound hit the ground.

"Come on, Jane. Help Mommy."

Curious eyes looked at the woman in front of her, watching the sweat drip from her mother's flushed skin.

Tightening the elastic band around her arm, she did her best to force a smile. "Just give Mommy her medicine and I'll feel a lot better."

"That's what you said a couple of hours ago," little TJ squeaked. "You said you would take me to the park."

"Bobby will take you."

The child turned her head to see the man she did not know passed out on the couch. She never understood why her mother always had one of these men around. They never smelled nice. And they always seemed to have a tooth or two missing. It frightened her when they showed an eerie smile; they looked like scary clowns.