Mother's Little Helper

Half an hour. I lasted half an hour before getting kicked out of my own house.

That's a new record.

It seems my mother did not appreciate that I decided to cook dinner tonight. Especially after being out of the house all day.

My mom was a pill addict. It started with the anti-depressants she got on when I was 11. Another boyfriend had left and she lost her job, it was understood that she was going through a tough time.

At first, life was great. The pills had worked wonders for my mom. She was always smiling and paying attention to me. She'd ask me how my day was, and help me with my homework. Then she got another job, one that paid very well.

Then one day, she ran out of her prescription. She was okay in the beginning, but after a day without them, she snapped. Just went completely nuts. My mom had started throwing furniture and screaming at the top of her lungs. I didn't understand why, and it scared the shit out of me.

One of the neighbors had called the cops. When they came to the door, my mom went back to normal. She told them that the screaming came from the TV, that I'd turned the volume up too loud.

The police left.

And then the screaming started again. Luckily, the next day, she went to the doctors again and got her prescription renewed.

Every time she went back, she'd get more pills. Over the years, she's learned that the stronger stuff came from the streets.

I hardly knew what she popped anymore. Every pill had a different effect on her. They caused mood swing that I could never predict. I just learned to keep a safe distance.

Tonight, she was just crazy. When my mom acted crazy, I just left the house. Usually, I just went to Gerard's house.

Which was where I was going now.

Mrs. Way greeted me at the door. I loved Mrs. Way, she treated me like her own. She didn't understand what exactly went on at home, she never asked. I guess Mrs. Way just knew I was uncomfortable talking about it. So she just smiled at let me in.

"The boys are in the living room, dear." She said kindly before leaving to the kitchen.

"Thank, Mrs. Way," I called after her.

Gerard and his little brother Mikey were playing video games when I came in.

Hearing my foot steps, Mikey looked up and gave me a shy hello, bashfully gazing at me from behind his mousy hair and glasses.

Mikey had always had an adorable-cliche crush on me. I always thought it was cute.

Gerard didn't bother to look up from the video game. He already knew it was me.

Instead, he simply asked, "What the hell do you want, Rose?"

It wasn't said with anger, rather a mock-exasperation.

"Got kicked out again," I answered, plopping down on the couch in between them. "Need a place to stay for the night."

Gerard grunted, used to me staying over. Mikey, on the other hand, sat awkwardly, not knowing whether to ask why I stay over so often or to keep his mouth shut.

After an hour of switching from playing video games to watching TV, Mrs. Way popped her head into the room.

"Turn the television down, kids." She requested kindly. "Me and Mr. Way are going to bed."

Mrs. Way preferred to use formalities around me. Probably because she wanted at least one good influence in my life.

"Sure thing, Mom. " Gerard answered back.

Another hour passed uneventfully.

"I'm going to bed now," Mikey yawned from beside me. "G'night, Rose."

"Night Mikes."

Yet another hour.

"I'm tired." Gerard announced. "We're going to bed now."

It was generally understood that I went to bed the same time as Gerard. If I ever went to bed before him, he'd feel awkward knowing there's a girl in his room, and if he ever went to bed before me, I'd feel awkward knowing that I'm sitting alone in someone else's house.

So I followed Gerard down to his basement bedroom.

A lava lamp by the far side was our only source of light as we descended the stairs. At the bottom, I immediately skipped over to Gerard's dresser, pulling out my favorite pair of his pajama pants. They were black with the batman symbol printed all over them. This particular pair were very big on me, and extremely comfortable.

After choosing my attire, I went into the bathroom adjoining Gerard's room. There, I stripped off my jeans, pulling on the pajama pants. Then, I took off my shirt, leaving on the small black beater underneath. The beater showed a bit of my stomach, but I didn't really care. After getting dressed, I wiped off my makeup and shedded some of my jewelry, then pulled my messy hair back into a low ponytail.

Back in the bedroom, Gerard had also changed into a pair of boxers and a large t-shirt. He now sat on his bed, scribbling in one of his sketch books. I walked passed uninterestedly, and slipped under the covers.

A few minutes later, Gerard put down his sketchbook and joined me.

Together we fell asleep.