The Insanity of a Wallflower

Tell you a story- XXXVIII

A/N: We hit a mile stone! 80k views! I know other authors make it a lot sooner, but I'm still happy and proud I've finally reached this- even if I took a lot longer to get there. Thanks for the love and support guys.

I'm also finally going to start writing "Handle Name: UNKNOWN". I did a test prologue awhile back and it was very well received, so now that my health and other things are working out- that story will finally begin. I will include that intro below (at the end of this chapter) to shamelessly bait readers to click over and follow haha. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

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Alys

I stared breathlessly at my mother, yet she seemed unphased by my panic. Her head cocked slightly and she narrowed her eyes a bit, probably unsure of why I was horrified by her words. My fingers grasped the file quickly.

"I'm being serious," my mother said. "Alys look at me." She turned my shoulders to face her again, I let her, I didn't want to look back and see if Hayden was watching me. Her voice dipped low and soft. "You don't have to research anything. He... he won't get to you. I know you're scared, but this isn't something you need to do."

My mouth gaped a bit before I closed it. "You think this is because...." Of dad? I wanted to finish but couldn't. I already knew the answer- what else could she think? Dad was released today and I went behind her back to Tim's dad, who was the Mayor, asking about child services and child protection laws. If only she knew...

The guilt built up behind my eyes, but I couldn't tell her the truth so instead I tried to make her supposition less upsetting. "I didn't talk to Bert-" I whispered quietly, "about anything personal between you or I. I just wanted to know the facts of the laws."

She narrowed her eyes detestably at Tim's dad's name. Finally, she sighed and let go of me. "Stay away from that rotten bastard, he can choke on his tongue for all I care."

"You never told me why you hate him." I asked suddenly. I had never cared when they started dating nor when they broke up. Both my mother and Bert dated quietly, they never introduced either Tim or I to one another, or to even each other. My mother kept me tucked away for obvious reasons, and I guess Bert never got around to introducing Tim.

A year after Bert and my mother split up, Karri convinced me to invite Tim and Megan over to my house. As they hid in the downstairs coat closet, my mother had her mental breakdown. She recognized that damn cologne both Tim and his dad wore and said the worst things about him. She truly hated Bert. I never cared to ask why, until now.

"We dated while you were a freshman," She whispered jadedly, "Only for a few months but still, what a mistake."

"Why?" I pressed, "Why do you hate him? Why do you say such horrible things? Tim is nice. What did his dad ever do?"

I suddenly had the need to protect Bert and Tim. They were the ones after all, who were going to help me with Hayden's file.

"Because" my mother snapped, angry I was pressing, "He didn't know you were my daughter."

I froze, and so did she. She had the grace to look ashamed. But it wasn't her shame she was showing, it was her disgrace at ever having dated Tim's dad; humiliation of what he thought.

"While we were still dating, he met you somewhere. He found out you, Alys, were in fact my daughter. He was livid I never said anything about us, about who we were. He was an Assistant City Manager or something when your father was finally arrested and our situations made public. He kept asking to talk with you, see how you were, but then he kept saying how he had connections to all these people... he could get you help... more help."