K. Robinson - Twisted Ties

I pushed Ally from my mind as I picked up a piece of cake and started eating it. Today had nothing to do with Ally, and I wouldn’t let her ruin my birthday. Everything was going great for us right now. I finally had not only Emma back in my life, but Andy as well.

“You could at least pretend to be civilized,” Emma said as she watched me eat my cake with my hands.

“What’s the fun in that?” I pointed to Andy. “Yell at him, too. He’s eating it the same way I am.”

“I’m surrounded by cavemen.” Emma laughed at us.

Once we finished our cake, Andy started mixing drinks. It was kind of early to drink, but who cared? It was our birthdays, and we had nowhere to be. By the time we finally got around to watching a movie, we were all buzzed.

Andy sat in the chair closest to the couch as Emma snuggled into my side. I was actually kind of glad that I’d let Andy stick around. He was my best friend, and it was nice to have him here.

When the movie was finished, I put another one in and settled back onto the couch. Emma grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and threw it over us. She snuggled back against me and sighed.

Even though we’d done nothing special, this was the best birthday I’d ever had. Things were finally coming together for me, and I couldn’t be happier.

I stretched and yawned as I glanced at the clock. I’d been studying for almost two hours, and I felt like my brain was about to explode. Jesse was still in class, so I’d taken advantage of the quiet to get ready for a big test on Monday. Whenever Jesse was around, things were rarely quiet.

I decided to take a break and find something to eat. As soon as I thought of food, my stomach growled loudly. I laughed as the sound seemed to echo around the quiet room. Yeah, I definitely need food.

I threw my book down on the living room table and walked to the kitchen. I opened the cabinet to grab a bowl. I rolled my eyes as I dug through Jesse’s eight-million cereal boxes until I found something that looked good. I swore that he lived off that stuff.

I poured some cereal into a bowl and sat down at the table to eat. I looked into the living room and smiled as I noticed that my things were everywhere. Since Jesse and I had gotten back together, I rarely spent any time at my dorm room. Without even realizing it, I’d managed to move half my stuff over here. If Jesse had noticed, he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he was always the one who insisted I stay the night.

I was rinsing my bowl out in the sink when my phone rang. Thinking it was Jesse, I answered without looking at the screen to see who it was.

“Hello?”

“I’m surprised you answered,” my mother’s cold voice replied.

It took me a moment to get over the shock of hearing her voice.

“Mom?”

“Who else would it be?”

“What do you want? I mean, why are you calling?” I asked as I sat down at the kitchen table.

“To see if you’ve wised up yet.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Don’t play stupid, Emma. You know exactly what I’m talking about. I want to know if you’re bored with that school yet.” The way she’d said school made it sound like it was a dirty word.

“No, I’m not bored with it yet. I’m actually really happy here.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Why do you always do that? Anytime I’m happy, you always act like I shouldn’t be. Why can’t you just be happy for me?”

“You don’t belong there, Emma. You need to come home where you’re supposed to be.”

“So you can control my life again? No, thank you.”

“Where did I go wrong with you? I made sure you had everything you ever wanted, and you do this to me.”

I ground my teeth together to keep from yelling. I hated how she always tried to make me out to be the bad guy. She’d done it to me my entire life.

“Yeah, you gave me everything I wanted—except for a mom.”

“What on earth are you talking about?” she asked angrily.

I really didn’t want to do this with her. I was finally happy, and I knew she would only try to tear me down.

“You never acted like I was your daughter. All I wanted was for you to be a mom to me.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“No, it’s not. I’m tired of pretending that we have a relationship because we don’t. We never have.”

“I’m done with this conversation, Emma, and I’m done with you. Don’t bother to call me when the world comes crashing down around you.”

With that, she hung up on me. I sighed as I put my phone down on the table in front of me. Tears slid down my cheeks as I realized that I would never have a normal relationship with my mom. Things would always be tense between us. She wasn’t capable of being the kind of mother that I wanted. I wiped my tears away as I vowed not to let it bother me any longer. I wouldn’t let her destroy whatever life I’d built for myself here.

I picked my phone back up and deleted her number from my Contacts list. She would never know about Jesse. She would never know when I graduated from college and found a job. She would never know when she was a grandma. She would know nothing about me from this day on.

I stood and started walking to the bedroom when the doorbell rang. My forehead creased in confusion. I had no idea who it could be. The only person who ever stopped by was Andy, and he never bothered to knock, let alone ring the doorbell. I walked to the door and looked through the peephole. Not seeing anyone, I opened the door, but no one was there. I stuck my head out and looked both directions, but there wasn’t a soul around.

I assumed it was just kids messing around as I closed the door and walked back into the bedroom. As soon as I made it there, the doorbell rang again. I ignored it, but whoever it was rang it again. Afraid that someone was actually out there this time, I turned and made my way back to the door.

I opened the door to see that no one was around—again. This was starting to piss me off. I walked out onto the porch and looked around the yard.

“Okay, whoever you are, you’re hilarious,” I said sarcastically.

When no one appeared, I turned and started to walk back inside. As soon as I turned toward the door, I was shoved from behind. I stumbled through the entryway and grabbed the chair to keep from falling. I spun around to see who was behind me, and I stopped dead. Ally was standing in the doorway with the most chilling smile I’d ever seen. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I stared at her.

“What? No hello?” she asked sweetly.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I told her.

I’d never liked her, but I’d never been afraid of her like I was now. Something in her eyes told me that I should be very afraid. I glanced at the clock on the wall to see that it would be another hour before Jesse came home.

“Why shouldn’t I? I live here. My name is on the lease,” she said as she continued to smile at me.

“You’re not welcome here,” I told her, refusing to show that I was afraid of her.

“No, you’re not welcome here. This is my home.”

“It’s Jesse’s.”

Her eyes lit up at the sound of his name. “Where is Jesse anyway?”

“He will be here any minute,” I lied.

“Tell the truth, Emma. I know what time he gets home. I lived here, remember?”

“So you keep saying.”

I needed to get her out of here—now. She was slowly inching her way into the house and away from the door. The farther away from the door she walked, the less chance I had of getting her out.

My eyes scanned the room, looking for something to use as a weapon if I needed one. My eyes landed on my cell phone. It was still on the kitchen table. It was so close yet so far away. I knew Jesse wouldn’t be able to answer if I called him, but Andy wasn’t working today. If I could just get to my phone, I could call him to help me.

“Why are you really here?” I asked.

“Can’t I just come to visit you guys? I mean, you’ve pretty much moved in, and Andy is here whenever he isn’t working.”

“You’ve been watching us.” It was a statement, not a question.

“I have. It’s funny how blissfully unaware you three are. I mean, I was practically part of the party on your birthday. I have to say, I liked the second movie a lot better than the first.”

“You were here?”

“Well, I wasn’t in the house, if that’s what you’re asking, but I was around.”

She was seriously starting to freak me out. It was clear that she had been stalking us. She’d never left.

“Why didn’t you leave, like Jesse told you to?” I asked.

She laughed. “Jesse is just confused. He’ll come around eventually.”

“He’s not confused, Ally. He hates you for what you did to him, to us.”

“You’re being silly. Jesse could never hate me. He loves me.”

“Ally, something is seriously wrong with you. You need help.”

She just laughed as she stepped closer to me. If she came much closer, I wouldn’t be able to make it to my phone. I needed to distract her, so I could either make a run for it out the door or get to my phone. Right now, she was still between the door and me, so I needed to make a move toward my phone.

“So, why do you think Jesse loves you?” I asked, trying to distract her.

She smiled. “You wouldn’t want to hear why.”

“Of course I do. If something happened between you two, I should know about it. That would mean he lied to me.”

She studied me for a minute. I tried to look like I was genuinely worried about what she would tell me. I knew she would probably say the most horrible thing she could think of just to hurt me. I wouldn’t believe anything she might say.