"Oh, I didn't order this"
"It's from that guy over there"
☕☕☕
One blueberry milkshake, a stranger sitting next to her, a cheerful waitress. The play begins.
Wott, the coffee shop close to Avery's school, is the stage for the act she plays, again and...
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I woke up with a crappy headache.
I drank way too much last night, did not get enough sleep, and the fucking alarm wasn't helping.
I push my sore body out of bed, only moved by the thought that if I skipped school, I would leave James, too.
The shower helps me wake up, but my head feels heavy and I'm slightly nauseous. Yet, nothing I can't handle.
Wrapping a towel around myself, I stand in front of the mirror and press my palms against my face. Sighting, I lean over and that's when I see it. It's red, it's darkening, and it's covering all my fucking neck. Fuck!
Last night comes rushing back to me, and the pain intensifies.
Mathew! I can't believe this! I slept with Mathew!
I'm on his list now, his stupid significant achievement. How dare he use me like that when I'm not myself? I know he was as drunk as I was, but I expected better from him.
I dress in a white turtleneck blouse and skinny jeans, hoping it embraced all the bruised areas. James can't see me like this. What do I say to him now?
I march to the kitchen, sunglasses on top of my head and backpack swinging on my shoulder. Pretending I wasn't hungering was always one of my greatest tricks, mostly because it never hit me that hard.
"Morning, mum. Later, mum," I say, heading for the door.
"Wait, Avery!" my mum's voice was filled with worry and my heart stopped for a minute. Is it because of last night? "Your father called..."
I clench my teeth. I don't want to hear about him. He never cared about me all these years. The thought of him irks me up.
"I don't want to know"
"Wait! Please, honey, listen. He's coming for dinner on Tuesday, either you like it or not. I know you don't want to see him, I don't want to either, but he made an effort to change his life, and he wants to be a part of yours again."
My bag falls off my shoulder and hits the floor with a loud thud. I stare at my mum, her face sad, so tired...
"He can't, I don't want him to." My voice breaks, tears threatening to fall down my face.
She hugs me, and I returned the embrace. We only had each other for a long time.
"He can't, mum. He abandoned us! He treated you like rubbish! It's all his fault!"
She looks me in the eye and cups my face in her hands tenderly.
"One dinner, then you can tell him to go away. He won't hear it from me but he'll hear it from you."
I nod slowly, one tear falling off my eye.
"Now go to school, chin up."
A restrained smile is all I can muster. I grab my bag one more time and leave the house. However, before I can close the door, I hear my mum's voice.
