Innocence

I left the bathroom only for a minute to grab my phone. When I turned around to go back into the bathroom, my mom was right there, blocking my way. Her hands on her hips, she stepped toward me.

"So how was school? You never really answered my question before."

I tried to side step her, but she followed my movements like it was a dance. I sighed, trying not to freak out. "It was fine Mom."

Her hands left her hips to hang lazily at her sides. "You don't sound so convincing."

I tried to side step her again. "Whatever."

"What's wrong with you Candace?"

I shrugged, but didn't answer. I had so many things that were wrong right now I didn't know where to start even if I was going to tell her everything.

First of all, school went great. That was one of the problems. It wasn't supposed to go great. I was supposed to hate it and want nothing to do with it. But I loved it. I almost wanted to go back.

Second, I didn't like the feeling I got around the Westcotts next door. I was pulled toward them in a way that was unfamiliar, and yet, I wanted to run the other way and never look back. My head would get filled with thoughts and ideas that confused me and my head would be swimming for the rest of the day.

Third, my arm was killing me right now. The doctor said it would hurt for the first two weeks. Well I was going on my second week and it was like the pain was getting worse. Was that even normal, or was my arm just not healing?

And fourth was Nathan. He made me so mad I wanted to run to the nearest wall and take a sledgehammer to it. Need I say more?

My mom runs her fingers through her long blonde hair, thinking of what she should say. “I know you didn’t want to move," she begins, "but your father will take good care of us.”

I didn’t answer. I was not going to get mad at my mom. I know it was all Nathan's fault. He was the one that told my mom he would take care of us. He was the one that charmed her into coming. And he was the one that said everything would be better than before.

“I know mom.”

“Then what is your problem?” she asked annoyed.

"I don't have a problem," I retorted.

"Then why are becoming such a brat?"

That was it. Those words pushed me over the edge.

“I did have a great life in Atlanta, you know! I was happy! I had friends! I had a life! Just because you weren’t happy doesn’t mean I wasn’t! So moving up here was just a waste of life and now I'm going to be stuck here with you and Nathan!”

I knew it wasn’t her fault. I knew it! I just couldn’t keep it in any longer. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I was taking all of my anger out on her.

“Who said I wasn’t happy?” she asked, her back going rigid. She stayed calm like she usually did, but I say her façade crack.

“I can tell mom. I know what you have been doing these past two years. All you did was mope and walk around like the world was against you. I’m the one that is supposed to do that! I’m the teenager!” I yelled.

My mom looked taken aback. “Well, your father left me for his career so I was a little under the weather, yes! But you do not speak to your mother that way! You have no right, the way you are acting now!” she yelled.

She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Did I have to ruin everyone's day today? Why was I being so mean?

I went back into the bathroom and sat down on the floor in front of the door. Dialing Mike's number, I started to cry. He picked up the second ring, his joyful voice ringing in my ear.

"I was just thinking about you, but you beat me…Candace?"

"Why do I ruin everyone's life?" I asked between sobs.

Mike didn't know what to say. "Ah--"

"I didn't mean to do everything I did today, honest I didn't. Everything just pilled up and spilled over on the wrong people."

I heard a door click shut on the other line, and Mike's window being opened. "Tell me what happened."

I gulped in a lungful of air before I started. "All I really want is to be back home, but I have to stay here because my mom is happy and I can't make her leave. School was really fun today even though I didn't want to be, and these stupid guys made me so angry that I yelled at Nathan even though I don't care about that. And then I yelled at my mom and she hates me because of it. I screwed up everyone's day with my bad attitude and now no one wants to be around me."

"I want to be around you."

I smile at this. "I didn't mean you though. My parents, and people that I don't even know are mad at me. I feel like I'm drowning in a life I don't want to be in."

Mike sighed. "If I was there, I would help you out. But I'm here. So I'll do everything I can to help you over the phone."

"Thanks Mike."

"Anytime. Hey, did you get my Christmas present yet? It's taking awhile to get there."

"I don't think so. I haven't checked today, so maybe I did and I just don't know it."

My breathing was even, and the flow of tears had stopped by now. He had calmed me down faster than I could have hoped for.

"Well when you get it, you need to call me. I want to hear what you thought of it."

I laughed, "Is it that important?"

"No. I just want to see what you think of it." He laughed too. "I can't really say anything else about it or I will be giving it away."

"Michael!" Someone on the other line yelled, their voice so loud it sounded like it was from my own bathroom.

Mike didn't even have time to say goodbye before he hung up the phone. I kept my cell phone to my ear for a few moments listening to the dial tone. The phone eventually hung up it's self, tired of not being in use.

I left the bathroom in search of food. I crept through the halls quietly, trying to stay away from anyone who might want to lash out at me for being so rude today. I didn't come across anyone.

The cook in the kitchen handed me plates of food, offering me more than enough to last a lifetime. I greedily grabbed some cookies and headed out of the kitchen. I didn't want to go into by bedroom. That was the place I had been stuck in, and I was not going to go back there now. I traveled down a hallway I had never been down before.

Opening the first door on the right, I found myself looking into a massive office. It was almost like looking into the president's office at the White House. There was a huge desk with tidy stacks of paper on the sides and a lamp curved at angle. Bookshelves and comfy looking couches took up the sides of the room.

I bit into one the cookies I was holding, letting myself swallow before I went inside. Looking closer at the spins of the books, I noticed that they were all about science and movies. Weird combination, but it's true.

I left the room in search of something else. The door of the left was a small office, this one not as fancy or as professional looking. There was hardly anything in this one.

The last door in this hallway was what I had forgotten all about. I hadn't been in there before, but Nathan had mentioned it before. It was a pool; a very large pool. It was probably a hundred feet long. Ladders were every fifty feet and on both ends of the pool. A pile of different flotation devices were piled in one corner of the room, and a door that led into a bathroom was right next to it. Two hot tubs were bubbling on the other side of the enclosed room, and in them were my parents.

They were both watching me, trying to decide what to do.

I decided for them, backing out of the room before they could even get a word out. That was enough exploring for today. To my bedroom I went.