Blood Lines

When Val pulled into the parking lot of the mall, it brought back some memories of when my mother first brought me here. I haven't been to this mall since my mother's passing and I have no idea why. All the girls showed me different shop that were new and I bought all kinds of things. Leana and Gena both helped me pick out some things from a shop called Hot Topic and all I can say is that, that store had everything that fit my lifestyle. I got me some shirts, jeans, jewelry that Gena thought was pretty badass and so did I, and Leana picked out some arm warmers that went awesomely with all my shirts and a few of my jeans. I swear I'll be coming back to the mall more often now. Val showed me a great place for bedding and I bought like 4 new bed sets and now I don't know which one I want to put on my bed. All of us had an arm load of bags as we sat down in the food court and got us something to eat.

I was halfway through my meal when I looked up and seen my father walking towards us with a woman on his arm. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Well well well...if it isn't my daughter."

"What the hell do want?" I said looking up at him with the look of hatred. Val and the girls looked up at him with the same look as I had on my face.

"Is it a crime to say hello to my daughter?"

"Well you said it. Now get the fuck out of here." Val said and her word dripped with vemon.

"Who the hell is this? Your new mother?" I looked right up to the bitch who opened her mouth.

"They're my friends and if you ain't got anything else to say to me, then I suggest you leave." I said calmly.

"You can't talk to us that way. Especially since this man is your father."

"Bitch you better just shut your fucking mouth because you have no idea who you're messing with." I said with a sarcastic smile on my face.

"What are you going to do if I don't?"

"Then I'll make your life so miserable that you wished you never approached me today." I said in a calm voice which turned to serious at the end.

"Idle threats don't last."

"Oh I wasn't threatening you...I was promising you I would. Now get...the fuck...away from me." I said smiling and then it faded.

"You will not speak to my wife like that you little bitch!" I stood up fast making the chair slam hard against the floor and I placed my hands on the table.

"What the fuck are you going to do?!" I said almost yelling. He pushed his wife behind him and took a step back.

"That's what I thought." I said picking up the chair and setting it up right before sitting down.

"Come on darling. We don't need her." she pulled on my father's arm and I smiled and waved to them in a sarcastic manner as they walked away.

"Well that sure was interesting." I said picking up my drink and taking a sip.

"What was his problem?"

"Well Gena, my father likes to flash new things in people's faces and gloat about what he has but if there's one thing my mother told me about people who do that is this: People who gloat about possessions just to get a rise out of someone, has no morals to their lives and if you get upset by what is going on then you are in his level and he enjoys it. If you smile at them the whole time, they see it doesn't bother you and that person will leave." I said remembering the day my mother told me that. She was such a wise woman.

"She sounds like a fantastic woman."

"She was Val. I just wish all of you could have met her before she died. All of us would get along just fine." I said smiling.

"I wish I could have met her."

"Anyways, what are we doing after the mall?" I asked taking a bite out of my chicken sandwich.

"Let's remove some stress and aches. We'll go to the spa."

"Hell yeah! Now you're talking Val!" Lacey said giving Val a high five. We finished up our food and threw away any trash we had before grabbing our bags and exiting the mall. Val opened the trunk as we got to the car and put our things in before pulling into Val's car. She drove us a short distance to another building that plainly said Spa on the building. Val parked the car and we all got out and went into the building.

The decor of this place was amazing and the warm and welcoming feeling that it gave off made me not want to ever leave. I followed the girls into another room where we would be getting manicures, pedicures, and facials all at once. I've never felt so relaxed in all my life while getting my feet massaged. Usually I won't let anyone touch my feet because...well I just don't like feet but this woman was working wonders on them. After getting all that stuff done, we went into another room where we were going to get massages. Once the person laid their hands on my back, neck, and shoulders I could feel all the aching tension and stress that had built up over the years just melt away completely. I felt like I had just been made a new person.

We left the spa minutes later and I dreaded it. I was getting such a good massage and I never wanted it to end but it had too. We all piled into the car and Val pulled out of the parking lot.

"Hey Roxy can we stop by your house and see it? I always wanted to see what it looked like."

"Sure take the next street and it's the sixth house on the right." I said and Val took my directions and she pulled up to my house when I pointed to it. She put the engine and I got out and grabbed my bags when Val popped the trunk. I fished around for my keys and brought them out fo my pocket as we got to the front door. I pushed open the door and I made my way up the stairs but stopped.

"Just make yourselves at home. There's sodas in the fridge if you get thirst." I said before continuing up the stairs. I pushed opened my bedroom door and sat the bags down on the bed and started unloading the clothes. I'm very OCD about getting my clothes hung up right when I get home. I set the bed sets into the closet so I would know where they were and grabbed song hangers and taking them to my bed. I hung each pair of jeans with a shirt that way I can just take a hanger and have my clothes ready to go. I turned my head towards the door when I heard a knock and I seen Val and the girls.

"Come on in. I was just getting these clothes hung up." I said putting the last pair of jeans and a t-shirt on a hanger. I picked all of them up and went into the closet and started hanging them. Thank God for a big walk in closet. I came out and shut the doors and seen Val and the other girls looking at the pictures I had on the dresser and my desk.

"Is this your mother?"

"Yeah. She was 8 months pregnant with me at that time." I said picking up the picture and just staring down at it. I miss her so much. I sat it back down on the dresser.

"She's very pretty."

"Thank you. There's something I've never shown anyone. If you'd like, I'll show it to you." I said and they nodded and I had them follow me out of my room and down the long hallway to my mother's room. I took out my keys again and unlocked her room. I liked to keep it locked for personal reasons. I opened the door and stepped inside and I seen the look on their faces.

"This room is so awesome. Did your mother decorate this?"

"No I did about 3 months after mom died. She always wanted a room to look like this." I said admiring the work. I had custom made black curtains with skulls and crossbones that swept all the way down to the red hardwood flooring. The desk and dresser were Oak with an Antique finish. I went over to the closet and pulled the black doors open and stepped inside looking for the black garmet bag. I found it and took it off the rack and brought it out of the closet and set it down on the bed. The girls stood beside me as I unzipped it to reveal a wedding dress. The main color was black but the red fishnet vails that clung to it was designed to look ripped and in the places where it was sewn, skulls with swords through the cranium.

"This was my mother's wedding dress." I said smiling.

"Oh my it's so beautiful Roxy."

"Thank you Val. About a month before my mom passed she showed this to me and she said she wanted me to get married in it. I asked her what if the guy doesn't want me to wear it. She wuld always say if a man doesn't want you to wear your mother's wedding gown, then he has no family values." I explained as I zipped it back up.

"Smart woman." I nodded and took the dress back into the closet and hung it up. I exited the closet and shut the doors behind me. I seen Val look down at her phone and groan.

"Girls I need to take you home. I have to get to my mother's house and pick up Skylar."

"I'll go with you Val if that's alright with you." I offered and she nodded. We left my mom's room and I locked it back up before we left the house completely. We dropped off Leana, Lacey, and Gena before making our way to Val's mother's house. It took us a little over 2 hours to get to her mother's house and when she pulled into the drive I seen Sky playing in the dirt and an older woman sitting on the porch watching him. Val got out in a hurry and Skylar ran over to her and she picked him up with ease. I exited the car and Sky spotted me and he ran over to me.

"Roxy!" I smiled and scooped him into my arms and started tickling him. He laughed and squirmed and I set him back on his feet.

"Come on Roxy! I want you to meet my grandma." He pulled me over to the front porch where the woman sat. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Hello my name is Valary."

"It's very nice to meet you. I'm Roxy." I said shaking her hand with a smile.

"So you're the Roxy Skylar talks nonstop about."

"Yes I am. I'm his babysitter." I said looking down at my little man.

"Nah you're not my babysitter. You're my girlfriend." He smiled and I picked him up and held him in my arms.

"I'm your girlfriend?"

"Don't you want to me?" he asked looking into my eyes.

"I would be honored to have such a handsome little guy like you." I pinched his cheeks and he shook his head.

"Grandma does that!" he said rubbing his cheek. I laughed and set him back down on the ground.

"I'm sorry to pick up Skylar and run but we have to get back before Matt. I'll see you later mom." Val said hugging her mom and took Skylar to the car.

"It was very nice to meet you Roxy."

"Same here Valary." I said smiling and waving to her as I went to the car and got in. Val backed down the driveway and we headed back to Huntington. When we reached Huntington and I looked into the backseat and seen Sky fast sleep. I turned down the radio so it wouldn't wake him up. Val pulled into the driveway of her house and cut the engine. I got out and gently got Skylar from the back while Val got her things from the trunk. We went into the house and I followed Val up the stairs and I went into Skylar's room while Val went into her's. I laid Skylar down in bed taking off his shoes and little sock before covering him up. I quietly left his room and shut the door just as quiet.

Val came out of her room shutting the door behind her.

"Val I had one hell of a time today." I said as we walked down the stairs.

"I'm glad you did. Are you going to stay until Matt get's here?"

"No I need to get home and wash some clothes before i go to bed." I said heading for the door.

"Alright I'll see you in the morning."

"Have a good night Val." I said leaving the house. I got into my car and started it up and backed out of the drive and pulled away from the house. I stopped at the red light and when it turned I headed across the intersection. I felt my car flip onto it's side and my head banged against the door several times before I blacked out.