Addiction

-- 21 -- The Truth --

"Are you ready Liv?" Mom called up the stairs to the attic on New Year's Eve.

"Yeah, almost," I replied, slipping my boots on and making sure I had on all my earrings.

"We're leaving in three minutes!" she added.

"Coming!" I exclaimed, grabbing my purse and rushing down the stairs.

In all honesty, I didn't even want to be going to this New Year's party, it was with Nikki's family and I still hadn't talked with her and I did not want to be in the same room with her. But telling my mother that I didn't want to go would include giving her a reason and giving her a reason would include telling her that I got a tattoo and that I went to Canada and drank the day after my nineteenth birthday and that I'd been sleeping with my boyfriend and hardly slept alone the last few months, so off to the party I went.

"Momma my dress is itchy," Janie complained as I walked into the kitchen.

"Olivia, can you make sure the tool isn't rubbing in her legs again?" Mom asked.

"Come here Janie," I said, bending over and helping her pull the tool from her skirt from the waistband of her tights.

"Thank you Livvy," she said.

"Here, let me buckle your shoes," I said, picking her up and carrying over to the couch to buckle her patent leather shoes.

"Where did you get that coat?" Mom asked, looking up from the bowl of salad she had made.

"I found it at Marshall's," I replied, smoothing out my long leopard print coat that was covering my little, strapless, black dress.

"I definitely won't be losing you anywhere," she laughed as I took Janie by the hand and we walked out to the car.

I knew my mother would be slightly uncomfortable with my choice in dresses tonight, but I thought, what the hell, I'm an adult and I knew what's appropriate and what's comfortable for me.

"Here we are," Mom said as we pulled up by Nikki's place where her parents were having the party.

"Come on girls," I said as they unbuckled their seatbelts and jumped out of their seats.

"There they are!" Nikki's mom smiled as we walked into the house.

"Hi Mrs. Thomas," I smiled as she gave the three of us hugs.

"How are you girls?" she smiled.

"Good, how are you?" I asked.

"Fantastic, Nikki's out on the porch getting something to drink if you want to find her," she smiled in return.

Good, I thought to myself, she didn't tell her mom about the fight we had.

I went the opposite direction of Nikki, I didn't want things to get worse and cause a scene in front of all these people, especially my parents.

I managed to avoid Nikki and most of the other people for the majority of the time and hid in the corner of the room like a pro until it was nearly midnight.

"Come on Liv, come socialize!" Mom exclaimed as I sat there texting Liam, "You're going to see Liam tomorrow when he picks you up," she laughed.

"Fine," I sighed, putting my phone back in my clutch.

"Olivia, would you like a flute of champagne for the toast?" Mrs. Thomas asked.

"I'm fine," I said, "Thank you though."

"You're fine honey, you're nineteen, you're legal in Canada," Mom laughed.

"She knows that pretty well," Nikki remarked, taking a drink from her Solo cup, causing me to shoot her a look.