Status: This story is finished. :D
Unbound
Trashed and Scattered
“Where have you been?” Lisa demanded, putting her hands on her hips as Charlie walked into the room.
“I was down the hall in my friend Jo’s room.” Charlie said, dropping her purse by the door.
“I have been calling you for the past two hours!” Lisa yelled. “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“Oh…it was off.” Charlie lied quickly. “Sorry.”
“Sorry?” Lisa asked. “Sorry?”
“Yeah.” Charlie said. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh you’re gonna be sorry.” Lisa said angrily. “You’re gonna be sorry the whole two extra hours you just earned in the gym tonight.”
“Tonight? I…I can’t tonight.”
“And why the hell not?” Lisa demanded.
“I’ve got…erm…plans.”
“With who?”
“Um, Jo and me are going to the movies.”
“Jo and I.” Lisa corrected. “And no you’re not. You’re going to the gym.”
“Mom I was in the gym this morning.” Charlie said as she went to the mini refrigerator for a water bottle. “Why do I have to go again?”
“Because I said so.” Lisa snapped. “If you think for one minute that you’re even close to being ready for this pageant you’re sorely mistaken.”
“But I am ready.” Charlie protested. “Really. I did everything perfectly in practice today. I didn’t make one mistake.”
“Maybe not today,” Lisa said rolling her eyes. “But it’s overconfidence like that, that makes you not ready. You have to stay focused Charlotte. I-”
“Charlie.” Charlie said quietly.
“Excuse me?” Lisa asked, stopping in mid sentence. “What did you just say?”
“Charlie.” She said again more confidently. “My name is Charlie.”
“Whatever.” Lisa said waving her off. “You need to start working out twice a day now so that means you won’t have time to waste on that girl you were with.”
“Jo.” Charlie said irritably. “She has a name you know. And she’s my friend.”
“Friend?” Lisa laughed. “Oh please. Have I taught you nothing? That girl is the competition. She’s here for the same reason you are. To win.”
“That’s not why I’m here.” Charlie said quietly.
“Excuse me?”
“I said, I’m not here for that.” Charlie said. “I’m not like you mom. Winning isn’t important to me. I don’t care about wining. I don’t even want to win.”
“Ooh! That’s good stuff.” Lisa said. “You should use that when they ask you about your morals onstage.”
“Are you even listening to me?!” Charlie shouted.
“Of course I am.” Lisa said. “Honey you’re just nervous. And you should be. You aren’t working hard enough. You need to stay focused. Which means more time practicing, and less time screwing around with friends.”
“I’m working as hard as I can!” Charlie shouted. “And I’m not wasting time with Jo. We are friends. And that’s something you will never, ever know anything about. You don’t get it do you?” I never wanted this. Any of it! This is your dream mom, not mine. I hate competing. I always have. Me competing is just you being the selfish bitch you are. You’ve been living your dream though me my entire life and I’m sick of it.”
“Are you finished?” Lisa asked after a minute. “Because that little speech of yours just earned you an extra hour on the treadmill.”
It took every ounce of Charlie’s stamina to keep her from punching Lisa dead in the face.
“Now get your fat ass to the gym.” Lisa said. “Now.”
“You are beautiful.” Jo’s words rang through her ears.
“No.”
“What did you just say?” Lisa asked, dumbfounded.
“I said no.” Charlie said simply.
“Maybe I’m not making myself clear enough for-”
“No, you’ve made yourself perfectly clear.” Charlie said. “I’m just not listening to you any-”
But Charlie didn’t have a chance to finish as Lisa’s hand made contact with the side of her face that was already home to the other healing bruise. The searing pain in Charlie’s face brought her literally to her knees and her vision clouded as tears started building behind her eyes. But she refused to cry in front of her mother. She wouldn’t give Lisa that satisfaction of knowing that she had won.
“You ever disrespect me like that again, and I’ll be sure to leave a mark no amount of makeup would ever be able to cover.” Lisa said threateningly.
Charlie didn’t say anything, but stared at a spot on the carpeted floor concentrating intently on not releasing the tears that were threatening to spill over.
“Stay out of my sight.” Lisa said before walking off towards the bedroom area of the room. “Do whatever the hell you want tonight but you’ll be sorry come tomorrow.”
“I was down the hall in my friend Jo’s room.” Charlie said, dropping her purse by the door.
“I have been calling you for the past two hours!” Lisa yelled. “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“Oh…it was off.” Charlie lied quickly. “Sorry.”
“Sorry?” Lisa asked. “Sorry?”
“Yeah.” Charlie said. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh you’re gonna be sorry.” Lisa said angrily. “You’re gonna be sorry the whole two extra hours you just earned in the gym tonight.”
“Tonight? I…I can’t tonight.”
“And why the hell not?” Lisa demanded.
“I’ve got…erm…plans.”
“With who?”
“Um, Jo and me are going to the movies.”
“Jo and I.” Lisa corrected. “And no you’re not. You’re going to the gym.”
“Mom I was in the gym this morning.” Charlie said as she went to the mini refrigerator for a water bottle. “Why do I have to go again?”
“Because I said so.” Lisa snapped. “If you think for one minute that you’re even close to being ready for this pageant you’re sorely mistaken.”
“But I am ready.” Charlie protested. “Really. I did everything perfectly in practice today. I didn’t make one mistake.”
“Maybe not today,” Lisa said rolling her eyes. “But it’s overconfidence like that, that makes you not ready. You have to stay focused Charlotte. I-”
“Charlie.” Charlie said quietly.
“Excuse me?” Lisa asked, stopping in mid sentence. “What did you just say?”
“Charlie.” She said again more confidently. “My name is Charlie.”
“Whatever.” Lisa said waving her off. “You need to start working out twice a day now so that means you won’t have time to waste on that girl you were with.”
“Jo.” Charlie said irritably. “She has a name you know. And she’s my friend.”
“Friend?” Lisa laughed. “Oh please. Have I taught you nothing? That girl is the competition. She’s here for the same reason you are. To win.”
“That’s not why I’m here.” Charlie said quietly.
“Excuse me?”
“I said, I’m not here for that.” Charlie said. “I’m not like you mom. Winning isn’t important to me. I don’t care about wining. I don’t even want to win.”
“Ooh! That’s good stuff.” Lisa said. “You should use that when they ask you about your morals onstage.”
“Are you even listening to me?!” Charlie shouted.
“Of course I am.” Lisa said. “Honey you’re just nervous. And you should be. You aren’t working hard enough. You need to stay focused. Which means more time practicing, and less time screwing around with friends.”
“I’m working as hard as I can!” Charlie shouted. “And I’m not wasting time with Jo. We are friends. And that’s something you will never, ever know anything about. You don’t get it do you?” I never wanted this. Any of it! This is your dream mom, not mine. I hate competing. I always have. Me competing is just you being the selfish bitch you are. You’ve been living your dream though me my entire life and I’m sick of it.”
“Are you finished?” Lisa asked after a minute. “Because that little speech of yours just earned you an extra hour on the treadmill.”
It took every ounce of Charlie’s stamina to keep her from punching Lisa dead in the face.
“Now get your fat ass to the gym.” Lisa said. “Now.”
“You are beautiful.” Jo’s words rang through her ears.
“No.”
“What did you just say?” Lisa asked, dumbfounded.
“I said no.” Charlie said simply.
“Maybe I’m not making myself clear enough for-”
“No, you’ve made yourself perfectly clear.” Charlie said. “I’m just not listening to you any-”
But Charlie didn’t have a chance to finish as Lisa’s hand made contact with the side of her face that was already home to the other healing bruise. The searing pain in Charlie’s face brought her literally to her knees and her vision clouded as tears started building behind her eyes. But she refused to cry in front of her mother. She wouldn’t give Lisa that satisfaction of knowing that she had won.
“You ever disrespect me like that again, and I’ll be sure to leave a mark no amount of makeup would ever be able to cover.” Lisa said threateningly.
Charlie didn’t say anything, but stared at a spot on the carpeted floor concentrating intently on not releasing the tears that were threatening to spill over.
“Stay out of my sight.” Lisa said before walking off towards the bedroom area of the room. “Do whatever the hell you want tonight but you’ll be sorry come tomorrow.”