By Your Side

Simone dropped me off at my house after we were done meeting with Jost. Luckily, it wasn’t too late from the time I would normally get home so I could just tell my parents I was hanging out with Tom after school.

“That’s weird… my dad’s car isn’t there,” I stated as she turned into my driveway.

“He’s probably working late, sweetie.” Simone assured me.

“Yea probably,” I agreed but was still unsure. My dad’s job never usually kept him there later than he was supposed to. “I’ll see you guys at school tomorrow,” I said giving a hug to Tom and thanking Simone for the ride on my way out.

“Don’t mention it. See you later, Anna.”

“Bye.” I waved again before walking inside.

I had a big grin on my face as I thought about everything from earlier. That and my parents had no idea that I skipped school. Sure, it might come back and bite me in the ass eventually but it was totally worth it.

I headed for the stairs but got an uneasy feeling and the grin on my face fell when I saw a random empty bottle lying in the doorway between the living room and part of the kitchen. That was very unusual, seeing as my parents hardly drank unless it was for a special occasion.

As soon as I took a few more steps into the living room, the smell of alcohol hit me like a ton of bricks. I wrinkled my nose in disgust but continued to walk in there anyway. Everything was dark except for the faint glow of the TV, since all the blinds and curtains on the windows were closed.

Once my eyes adjusted, I saw my mother sitting alone on the couch. There were even more empty bottles scattered across the floor and on the couch next to her. The smell was even more intense as I got closer.

“Mom?” I started. Something must’ve been incredibly wrong for her to be drinking like this. She hardly noticed me as I moved in front of her. “Mom,” I said sternly this time. She barely turned her head to look at me. She didn’t even look like my mother, but like a stranger. Her long, brown hair was falling out of her usual perfect bun. She didn’t have any makeup on (which was definitely strange because she always cared about her appearance), and her eyes were glass-like.

“What are you doing?” My voice shaking with surprise at what I saw. “All this alcohol is bad for you. You shouldn’t be doing this, mom.” I said while picking up all the bottles from the floor.

“Don’t you dare tell me what I should or shouldn’t do,” she hissed.

I had never been afraid of my mom in my entire life until now; she was like a monster.

“You’re just like him,” she emphasized the word, “he’s always telling me what to do… but not anymore. I’m done, with all of you.”

“You’re drunk! I don’t even know what you are talking about!” I cried and yanked the half-empty bottle out of her hand.

“Give. Me. That,” she said her words like ice; cold and harsh.

“No. You have had enough. Pull yourself together and go to bed.”

I went into the kitchen and dumped the bottles into the trash can. It hurt to see my mother acting like this. Tears fell down my cheeks as I walked to my room. She was supposed to be the one taking care of the family. I was fourteen years old! No teen should ever see her mom, the person she looks up to most in life, falling apart like that.