The Jock, The Nerd and The Geek

21

Jurrivh- I'll always love you.

(ah, can't find it.)

~

Alex stared at her new phone. Third one in what? A month? She let out a sigh, her eyes now at the books on her desk. The result to the exam she had written were out, and she had passed, really well. Not that she didn't expect that.

Still, she couldn't exactly celebrate.

Not after Sunday.

Adriana had let Alex clean her as usual, and everything had been fine. That was until she was cleaning the kitchen and Hezekiah called.

She wanted to ignore it. The old man already knew not to call her when she was home, but she couldn't. The results to the exam she wrote was going to be out soon and she knew she was going to ace it, and if she did, they'd be enough money for her till she got another exam to write, a scholarship one, and when she got to college, she'd never need his help again.

So she picked. "I've told you never to call. Just text,"

"I know, I..." She could hear Hezekiah breathe in for a few seconds then out before saying, "Just wanted to see how you're doing. You haven't used your credit card in a week."

"I didn't need it at the time." Then she let out an hiss. "Just tell me what you want for fuck's sake."

"The party is this Friday. Nolan is celebrating his fifty-sixth birthday, and as always, he wants you there. It's a black and white casual event. He says he'd get you the dress and everything else when you're ready."

"Alright, good—"

"Wait."

Alex shouldn't have. She knew deep down, waiting wasn't good. She wasn't even sure now why she did as she heard him say, "How's Adriana?"

Alex felt her anger swell as she replied, "Keep her fucking name out of your mouth, Hezekiah."

Then she heard a plate fall.

Phone still on her ear, Alex turned, seeing Adriana standing at the door. Her eyes stared wide at her, her body unmoving as Hezekiah's frantic voice echoed through the phone, "Alex? Are you alright?"

"Mom," Alex said, trying to calm her down. "I can ex—"

In five strides, Adriana was in front of her, but she didn't hit Alex. Instead, she grabbed the phone from her and headed outside, taking the bat in a corner of the storeroom.

Alex ran after her as the woman reached the backyard, shrieking to the highest tone she could muster as she bashed the phone, over and over again.

When she was done, she turned swiftly to Alex, bat still in her hand. "You wanted to leave, didn't you?"

She shook her head, moving backwards now. "N-No. I was just —"

"You think your Father is better," A disgusted scowl showed on her face. "He lied to me for twenty years! He lied to us! And left us to be a sissy for a white man! And you still talk to him?! Your siblings don't know better! I thought I raised you better!"

"Mom—"

Then the angry look on Adriana's face fell like a wall crumbling down as her lower lip began to shake. The bat fell fast, then the tears came after.

Alex watched as her Mother fell to the floor, sobbing loudly as she mumbled under her breath, "I gave him everything. I gave him everything—"

Watching her, she wasn't sure what she was feeling anymore. At the beginning, it used to be disgust, and now... Hezekiah had been Adriana's first love. She had left her family just to be with him.