I'll Swim, You Play Your Football

Chapter 30

"What?! She said she never wanted to see me again." I said backing away from him.

"I think with everything going on she needs to talk to you. Maybe tell you some things. If you really don't want to see her, believe me I understand. I can just call her." My father, oh that's weird... said. I sighed.

"Have you been there recently?" He shook his head.

"Not since I met you." I thought about it.

"Well I guess I'll go. I'll have a lot of people with me and she won't do much with witnesses. I want to see how Callie's living too. If she's treating her like crap I'm taking Callie." I said taking Alex's hand. We thanked doctor S and walked out of the office together.

"Alright, so do you want to go today?"
I shrugged. I have nothing to lose right?

"I guess so." I said. "Do you want to just go now?" He nodded.

"I'll call her and let her know." He said pulling out his phone.

"We'll meet you there." I said and pulled Alex to my car. We went to the passenger side and he leaned against the car, pulling me against him.

"Do you want me to bring you home first?" I asked putting my hand on his cheek. He rolled his eyes.

"When will you ever learn?" I tilted my head in question. "Obviously I'm coming with you. I'm not a bad boyfriend." He took my hand and I leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and put his head in my chest. "Now come on. We've got to go." I let go of him and opened his door, motioning him in. He smiled and stepped into the car. I quickly walked over to the drivers side and started the car. We drove in absolute silence, neither of us knowing what to say. I took a deep breath as I pulled into the parking lot of the shady motel I used to live in. 

  "You ready?" Alex asked when I put the car in park. I nodded and before I could have any second thoughts I stepped out of the car. Just as I closed my door, a shiny black Lincoln pulled into the parking lot and parked beside me. My father stepped out and nodded towards me.

  "Ready?" He asked. I nodded and the three of us walked up the stairs together. I knocked on the door of the place I've lived practically my whole life. I felt like an outsider. I heard footsteps and then the door opened. I looked down to see my mom standing there. I sucked in a breath of air. She looked terrible. She looked like she lost weight and she had already been a stick. There was a cigarette between her fingers. Her eyes were big and glassy.

   "Landon." She whispered. I just stared at her. Her eyes shifted to Alex. Her eyes didn't change at all while looking at him. "You came back." She said looking back to me. I cleared my throat.

  "He said you needed to talk to me, so here I am." 

  "Right, right." She said, shaking her head and stepping back like she had just snapped out of a daze. "Do you want to come in?" She looked up to me with pleading eyes. I sighed and nodded before stepping inside. Alex and my father followed closely behind me. "Cigarette?" She asked.

  "Ya." I said. She whipped out a pack and handed me one. I put it between my lips and she lit it like nothing had changed. "Where's Callie?" I asked.

  "In her room, why?" She said taking her cigarette between two fingers and blowing the smoke out towards us.

  "I want to make sure everything with her is okay." I said putting my hand out for Alex to take. He slid his hand into mine and followed me down the hall to the room my sister and mother share. She was laying on her bed, flipping through a magazine. She looked up and when she saw us, jumped up and ran towards me. I caught her when she jumped on me and wrapped her arms tightly around me.