D e a n

f o u r t e e n

Effy stumbled through the front door of her quiet house. After struggling for a good five minutes finding the right key and getting it through the lock, she nearly tripped through the threshold and fell face first on the hard floor. Snickering under her breath at herself she slowly closed the door as she got to her feet. With her shoes in hand, she tiptoed as quietly as a mouse up the stairs and crept down the hall past her mothers' room.

The boards creakd and a gentle sob sounded behind the closed door. Effy froze. She knew that cry all too well.

Hesitantly, Effy tiptoed to her room. She jumped in the shower and let the cold water run down on her. After getting cleaned and ready for bed, changed into a black t-shirt and pink and white striped cotton shorts, she decided to tiptoe back to her mother's door. She pressed her ear against the wood and listened carefully. Lexi's crying had stopped, leaving behind low sniffles.

Effy gently opened the door. She paused as her mother turned to her. Eyes red and puffy. The sight alone left Effy's heart tightening in her chest. She walked over and climbed onto the bed and wrapped her arms around her sad mother.

Lexi sniffled as she let her daughter hold her.

"I thought things were better... I feel so humiliated," Lexi sniffled. A wad of tissue paper clenched in her grasp. "I don't know why I keep doing this to myself."

That made two of them.

"What happened?" Effy murmured into the back of Lexi's shoulder.

"He's been calling and texting his ex-girlfriend for the past month, long calls and late ones," Lexi said bitterly like she should have seen it coming. The phone bill, Effy thought, of course, she would see it—after all, she was the one paying for it—and of course Parker would be that stupid.

Lexi winced and she scrunched up her face as though she heard her daughter's thoughts. "I'm such an idiot." she hissed through clenched teeth as she buried her face in her pillow.

"No, you're not, mom," Effy said with a stern voice. She gave her frame a small squeeze like Dean used to do whenever he hugged her. "you're a strong and independent woman."

Lexi smiled, but she didn't want to be an independent woman. Something about the title felt cold and lonely.

They laid in silence for awhile. Effy's breathing patterns began slowing more with each second and soon Lexi found herself all alone yet again.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated on the nightstand next to her where it sat charging. The screen flashed Parkers name and she felt her heart stutter. As much as she wanted to ignore it, she also found herself curious. She made sure Effy was sound asleep before slipping out of bed and sneaking into the hall with the phone. The moment the floorboards creaked, Effy eyes slowly open. She stared at the gap between door and frame in disappointment. She hated always seeing her mother go right back to a man who clearly didn't love her.

"What do you want?" She heard her mother hiss in a low voice.