Adolescence
Your Love Is A Lie
“Billie, I want to live with you. I’m so sick of putting up with my parents. Can’t you do something? Can’t you persuade legal people to let me live with you?”
“Who says we have to bring legal matters into this? Just go home, pack your stuff and I’ll come get you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be sure? You’re the love of my life.”
****
I went home and when I had almost all my stuff packed up, I called him. “Hey I’m ready.”
“Alright be there in a minute.”
I finished and sat down on my bed. Someone came through my door and I slung my backpack over my arm.
“What are you ready for?” my mom’s voice asked.
“What?”
“Well, you told Billie that you were ready for something…What?”
“Oh, I was ready for him to come get me.”
I could tell this night wouldn’t go as planned. She was drunk. “Where are y’all going?”
“His house.”
“At 9:00? What are you going to do?”
“Watch a movie.”
“With a backpack?”
Goddamn woman. Do you ever stop asking questions.
“I’m just bringing some stuff with me.”
She walked down a few steps and saw other suitcases in the corner. She took my backpack and unzipped it, revealing clothes and everything else I’d owned.
“You’re moving out?!” she asked with fire in her voice.
“Mom, I swear it’s not what you think.” Although she was exactly on the dot.
“Jessica! I thought I was being a better mom! I was really trying to improve so this kind of thing would never happen!”
“It’s really not you, mom. I just love him.”
“You’re 15, Jess!”
“16. In case you didn’t notice, my birthday was months ago.”
“Don’t get smart with me!” she stuck me across the face.
I threw down my backpack and ran past her upstairs and outside and Billie still wasn’t there. I started to run down the street and my mom was following closely behind. I didn’t get very far, I saw Billie’s car turn the corner and stop in front of my house. He didn’t see me running the opposite way. My mom stopped and turned around and ran to him, she obviously wanted to accomplish something.
I started running back; I wanted to protect him. My mom got to him quickly and he ran around his car. I could hear yelling.
“You! You stay away from my daughter! I do not want her living with scum like you!”
By now, I was next to Billie and my mom was coming towards us and we were backing up.
“No offense, but she’s been living with scum her entire life.”
“What did you say?”
“Mom! Leave him alone!” I stood and stopped in front of him and my mom stopped a few feet away.
She didn’t take notice that I was in front of her. She was looking past me at Billie and still yelling. “You are trying to take my daughter away from me! But you’re not going to do it! She is mine! And if you ever try to steal her away again, I’ll call the cops!”
“And tell them what? That you by no means beat the living shit out of her and want her to forevermore suffer? Come on, Linda. You know she was going to move out sooner or later, just get the pain over with now.”
“Stop talking!” she yelled. “You don’t know how hard it is to be me!”
“It’s hard being you? What the hell are you even talking about?”
“Just don’t take my daughter away from me…She’s all I’ve got.”
“Mom, it’s a little to late to be showing sympathy towards me. Maybe you should have started…I don’t know…16 years ago.”
She still paid no attention to me. “Just please. You can take my money, my food, and my furniture. But please don’t take my daughter.”
By this time, I was wondering where my dad was. But I seized the opportunity and dove into my window and grabbed all my stuff. Billie followed my lead and ran to his car and was ready to open the door when I came running out. I burst out the front door and he opened the backdoor and ran around to his door and I dashed in, slamming the door shut behind me and Billie took off, having no idea where he was going.
My mom followed us and after a while, she stopped and turned around, knowing she’d lost the fight. I climbed into the front seat and stared at Billie.
“Why did you do that?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“She gave you that really sympathetic story. And you just took in no regards her feelings and put yours first.”
“But Billie, it was all a fake. She said the exact same thing to social services 8 years ago.”
“How do you know this time she wasn’t telling the truth?”
“Why would she all the sudden stop lying to me and everyone else around her?”
He shrugged. “All I care about is you. That you’re safe and that you’re happy.”
“Who says we have to bring legal matters into this? Just go home, pack your stuff and I’ll come get you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be sure? You’re the love of my life.”
****
I went home and when I had almost all my stuff packed up, I called him. “Hey I’m ready.”
“Alright be there in a minute.”
I finished and sat down on my bed. Someone came through my door and I slung my backpack over my arm.
“What are you ready for?” my mom’s voice asked.
“What?”
“Well, you told Billie that you were ready for something…What?”
“Oh, I was ready for him to come get me.”
I could tell this night wouldn’t go as planned. She was drunk. “Where are y’all going?”
“His house.”
“At 9:00? What are you going to do?”
“Watch a movie.”
“With a backpack?”
Goddamn woman. Do you ever stop asking questions.
“I’m just bringing some stuff with me.”
She walked down a few steps and saw other suitcases in the corner. She took my backpack and unzipped it, revealing clothes and everything else I’d owned.
“You’re moving out?!” she asked with fire in her voice.
“Mom, I swear it’s not what you think.” Although she was exactly on the dot.
“Jessica! I thought I was being a better mom! I was really trying to improve so this kind of thing would never happen!”
“It’s really not you, mom. I just love him.”
“You’re 15, Jess!”
“16. In case you didn’t notice, my birthday was months ago.”
“Don’t get smart with me!” she stuck me across the face.
I threw down my backpack and ran past her upstairs and outside and Billie still wasn’t there. I started to run down the street and my mom was following closely behind. I didn’t get very far, I saw Billie’s car turn the corner and stop in front of my house. He didn’t see me running the opposite way. My mom stopped and turned around and ran to him, she obviously wanted to accomplish something.
I started running back; I wanted to protect him. My mom got to him quickly and he ran around his car. I could hear yelling.
“You! You stay away from my daughter! I do not want her living with scum like you!”
By now, I was next to Billie and my mom was coming towards us and we were backing up.
“No offense, but she’s been living with scum her entire life.”
“What did you say?”
“Mom! Leave him alone!” I stood and stopped in front of him and my mom stopped a few feet away.
She didn’t take notice that I was in front of her. She was looking past me at Billie and still yelling. “You are trying to take my daughter away from me! But you’re not going to do it! She is mine! And if you ever try to steal her away again, I’ll call the cops!”
“And tell them what? That you by no means beat the living shit out of her and want her to forevermore suffer? Come on, Linda. You know she was going to move out sooner or later, just get the pain over with now.”
“Stop talking!” she yelled. “You don’t know how hard it is to be me!”
“It’s hard being you? What the hell are you even talking about?”
“Just don’t take my daughter away from me…She’s all I’ve got.”
“Mom, it’s a little to late to be showing sympathy towards me. Maybe you should have started…I don’t know…16 years ago.”
She still paid no attention to me. “Just please. You can take my money, my food, and my furniture. But please don’t take my daughter.”
By this time, I was wondering where my dad was. But I seized the opportunity and dove into my window and grabbed all my stuff. Billie followed my lead and ran to his car and was ready to open the door when I came running out. I burst out the front door and he opened the backdoor and ran around to his door and I dashed in, slamming the door shut behind me and Billie took off, having no idea where he was going.
My mom followed us and after a while, she stopped and turned around, knowing she’d lost the fight. I climbed into the front seat and stared at Billie.
“Why did you do that?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“She gave you that really sympathetic story. And you just took in no regards her feelings and put yours first.”
“But Billie, it was all a fake. She said the exact same thing to social services 8 years ago.”
“How do you know this time she wasn’t telling the truth?”
“Why would she all the sudden stop lying to me and everyone else around her?”
He shrugged. “All I care about is you. That you’re safe and that you’re happy.”