"Where have you been, Vee?"
I trudged through the front door, exhausted from my evening out. I hoped to slip upstairs unseen, but my mother's shrill voice cut through the hallway. She sat there on our family chair, in the dark, only half of her face being shown. She gave a sadistic mood to her face. "I'm talking to you." We have a stare down, as if she confused me. "It's four hours past your curfew, you were supposed to be home at eight." She spoke again. I knew she was concerned for me, but this wasn't the way to go about it. "I just got dropped off late, his car broke down, relax." She stood up, leaving a curve in the pillow. She gets closer to me, her high heels clacking with every step. "Relax? Really? Is that supposed to make everything okay? It's past midnight! You should have been home hours ago." Her mother stepped closer, voice rising in volume and pitch. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been? I called Lorenzo's mother, she said "you left her house at 9!" I retorted; my voice tinged with annoyance. Her nonchalant demeanor only fueled my frustration, and I could feel my temper rising with each clack of her high heels on the pavement. As she closed the distance between us, her confrontational stance only served to escalate the tension in the air. "It was just a stupid date, Mom! I'm allowed to have a life, you know." "What did you say to me?" she demanded, her tone sharp and aggressive. The audacity of her question only served to further infuriate me, and I braced myself for what was sure to be a heated confrontation. ""Don't you take that tone with me. As long as you're under my roof, you'll abide by my rules." She hissed, spit flying from her lips in rage. I met her glare with equal heat. "Then maybe I don't want to be under your roof anymore." As I felt the sharp sting on my face, I couldn't help but wince at the unexpected pain. The redness spreading across my cheek served as a stark reminder of the abruptness of the moment. It was as if the slap had not only left a physical mark but had also etched a sense of disbelief and hurt in my mind. The suddenness of the action had caught me off guard, leaving me momentarily stunned and unsure of how to react. She didn't wait for a response before storming up the stairs. She flung open her bedroom door with such force it bounced off the wall. Chest heaving, she leaned back against the closed door for support.Hot tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, blurring and burning my vision. My eyes still burned with unshed tears as I crossed to the bed on shaky legs. Collapsing onto the soft comforter, I hugged a pillow tight against her chest. She buried her face in the fabric, muffling the single sob that escaped despite her efforts.For several minutes I lay there, the pillow dampening under her tears. Slowly my breathing began to calm and the tears dried on her cheeks. In their place remained a hollow ache that mirrored the distance growing between me and Maria.