Under the Surface

Chapter 21: Stella

Stella tapped her fingers on the black leather of the wheel of her car as she sat at the collection point of Levell High. It was only 12am, and she was busy working at the office before she got a call from Mr.Brown who had explained that they had watched the CCTV footage of the carnival, which she was relieved to finally find out which little brats poured alcohol into her homemade punch, only to find out it was her daughter and her friends. She was shocked, angry and embarrassed. Also a little bit relieved that he no longer thought she was some crazy alcoholic housewife who is a drunk, not only a drunk, but is a drunk who wants everyone else around her to be drunk too! She wasn't sure how she was going to punish Danielle, all she knew was that she was livid. How could she be this stupid! She looked out the passenger seat window to see her daughter trailing out, books in hand. At least she's bringing books home with her. She looked pissed off and annoyed. What does she have to be pissed off and annoyed about? If anyone should be pissed off and annoyed it's me...and I am pissed off and annoyed. She opened the car door and slopped onto the seat by her mother. Stella stared at her, waiting for her to say something. Danielle kept her eyes straight ahead and said "sorry.".  "Sorry? " repeated Stella, still staring at her. "Danielle, look at me!" she demanded. Danielle slowly turned her head to face her mother. "What the hell! Why? Why would you do that? Do you have any idea what you've done! God, Danielle you're suspended! You did something illegal and not to mention you totally fucked me over on top of it all. I mean how could you possibly be so stupid?" Stella blurted out. "I know," she replied, simply. "God, I don't know what to do with you anymore. You know, I try and I try to be a good mother and give you everything, but of course everything  is my fault! I'm at a loss, what is it going to take for you to just stop! I do my best, okay? Obviously it's not good enough and of course I'm the one that's ruining everything and it's my fault that you did this, it's my fault that your father doesn't love me anymore ..." she blurted, before she realised what she had just said to her daughter. Her words were coming out like word vomit before she even realised what she was saying. "What?" questioned Danielle, looking into her mother's eyes for the first time. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that. It's not true," replied Stella, looking down. "What do you mean dad doesn't love you? You're not getting a divorce are you?" she questioned. Stella could see the worry on her daughter's face and in her voice. It was suddenly like the old Danielle was sitting beside her. "No, no honey, we're just...going through a difficult time right now. We're fine, we'll be fine. Promise," she smiled, raising her hand to stroke her daughter's cheek. She then started the car up and drove home in the silence. 

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"What? Why would she do that?" questioned Martin to Stella later that night after he arrived home and she told him about the whole ordeal. "God, I don't know. Why does she do any of the shit she does at the moment?" replied Stella, rubbing her temples as she sat on the sofa in their living room. "I mean, we're lucky she didn't get expelled!" he said, as he sat down on the opposite couch and started flicking through the channels of the TV. Stella sighed and rolled her eyes. "Maybe you should go talk to her? See if you can get anything out of her?" asked Stella to her husband who was more interested in finding a TV show that pleased him. He managed to take his eyes off the screen and made a face which implied that him talking to her wouldn't do anything, but instead replied "okay," before he got up and walked out of the room to go to his daughter's bedroom.