I boredly shoved chips into her mouth as Jimmy and I watched the football match. "Is this gonna be over soon?" I protested.
"Come on, it's almost finished," he said, ignoring me.
"It's gone into triple overtime!" I complained. Sports were boring, and I wanted to do something fun. I leaned in closer, and planted a flirty kiss on his cheek. He waved his hand at me, as if swatting a fly, and I got the message. "Sometimes I think you're not too interested in me, Jimmy." He continued ignoring her.
"No, Rose, I promise I am," he said after several minutes, his eyes still glued to the telly. I was fuming.
"Whatever," I miffed, and went into the kitchen for a snack. Mum was standing at the counter, leaving through a magazine and drinking her nightly tea. I opened up a package of biscuits that she'd been saving for guests, but this was an emergency.
"Everything alright, Rose?" Mum asked.
"Yeah, everything's fine," I asserted too quickly, "why do you ask?"
"You've just crushed that biscuit in your hand," she pointed out. I disposed of its mangled remains in the bin, and pulled out another.
"What do you know about biscuits?" I said defensively.
"Oi, don't be like that. I'm only trying to help. Has this got something to do with that boy Jimmy sitting in the living room, sprawled out like he owns the flat?" I didn't say anything, I didn't want to talk about it.
"Come on, Rose," she pleaded, "talk to your mum." She looked concerned, but had a hint of something else underlying it. Frustration or anger, perhaps.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you didn't like Jimmy," I said accusingly.
"Well he hasn't been good for you, and you know it. You've been missing classes, and sneaking around to parties with him and his lousy band!" she yelled.
"The Bleeding Swines are not lousy. I guess you're just too old to appreciate good music, or to know your own bloody daughter!"
"I do too know you! I've raised you by myself for sixteen years!" Mum walked into the sitting room, and turned off the telly.
"Oi, what was that for?" Jimmy protested.
"I've had enough of your nonsense, I want you out. And I don't want you hanging around my daughter anymore," she ordered.
"Mum, I love him!" I screamed. She couldn't be doing this; this wasn't happening.
"She's not just your daughter anymore, she's so much more than that. She's my girlfriend," Jimmy defended. "She's the hottest girl around." My heart melted; that was the nicest thing he'd ever said to me.
"That's it, you're done. Get of my house," said Mum. She grabbed Jimmy by the shoulders, and shoved him to the front door.
"Oi, you're spoiling my fun," Jimmy complained as Mum shoved him out the front door, slamming it.
Hot, angry tears were streaming down my face. "I can't believe you just did that," I said quietly. I looked up at her, and for a second she almost looked regretful. But no, she was just as smug as ever.
"He was bad for you, Rose," she said sternly.
"No, he was not!" I screamed. "He was perfect! He was cool and he liked me!"
"Rose, when you're older, you'll thank me."
"In the meantime, I'm going over to Shareen's. I can't deal with you." I walked out, and slammed the door. She didn't follow me.
I pulled my mobile out of my back pocket, and sent a quick text to Shareen. Im coming over, i need a place 2 crash.
Her reply was immediate. Everything ok?
Ill explain when i get there. i hate my mum., I sent back to her. Shareen sent back a frowny face emoticon, and I put my mobile back in my pocket.
I started the short walk from my flat to Shareen's. It was dark out, but I make this journey all the time. I look down at my feet and count my steps to pass the time.
I was still fuming. What Mum did to Jimmy wasn't fair. He'd been a good boyfriend; Mum was just being a wet blanket. I'll just have to start sneaking around to see him. It wouldn't the first time.
"Oi, watch where you're going!" I said to the bloke who had just bumped into me. He looked at me, and widened his eyes.
"It's you!" he said excitedly.
"I'm sorry mate, but I don't know what you're talking about," I said, and walked away quickly.
"No, don't go, it's important," he said. I stop in my tracks.
"What's important?" I ask after a moment.
"You're the Slayer," he said. I turn around.
"I'm the what?" I ask defensively.
"You're the Slayer, the only one who can protect us from the vampires," he said, "you have no idea how long I've been looking for you." He reached into his leather jacket and pulled out something, and tried to hand it to me.
"That's a piece of wood. I don't want that," I said.
"Take it, you'll need it to protect yourself from the vampires," he said. Protect myself from him, more like it. I hesitate for a moment, but take the stick. If he tries to mug me, I can at least try to stab him with it, it's quite sharp.
I shook my head. "There is no such thing as vampires."
"I know it'll take some getting used to, but this is your life now. This is your destiny," he said.
"I don't have a destiny. I get up every day, go to school, eat chips, and go to bed. That's all my life is. I don't need you spewing nonsense about how I'm some vampire slayer. Thanks for the pointy stick, now leave me alone," I huffed, and continued back on my walk to Shareen's flat.
"You can't run from this," he yelled after me. I walked faster.
"You'll never believe what just happened to me," I said to Shareen. She looked concerned.
"What is this about, Rose?" she asked. I hesitated, getting a bit choked up.
"My mum kicked Jimmy out of the house," I said after a minute.
"Jackie wouldn't do that, would she?" she gasped.
"She did do it, Shareen. I was talking to her in the kitchen while I was eating biscuits and then she suddenly started freaking out and then she went and kicked him out," I said, tears starting to drip.
"Did she at least give a reason?" Shareen asked, confused.
"She said something about him 'not being good for me,'" I mimicked. I blew my nose into a tissue from the box on Shareen's nightstand.
Shareen paused for a moment. "She may have a point, Rose."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You haven't been the same since you got together with him," she said, "you've been bailing on me so you can go hang out with him."
"I have to go to his band rehearsals, Shareen, I'm their groupie," I sniffled.
"All I'm saying is that you've been different lately."
"I need you to back me up on this, Shareen." A huge tear rolled down my cheek. Shareen sighed, and gave me a hug.
"I'm so sorry that your mum is such a killjoy," she said. I hugged her tightly.
"I am too."
She pulled out a box of sweets from under her bed. "These are for emergencies," she said.
Tears welled up in my eyes. Shareen was such a good mate. I opened up a Mars bar and sat up against the pillow. Something was still bugging me, though.
"There was something else I wanted to talk to you about, actually," I said.
"What is it? Did something happen?" she asked.
"Yeah, actually, something real weird happened when I was walking over here. Some bloke bumped into me and then called me a vampire slayer. Then he handed me this sharp wooden stick," I said, pulling it out and showing it to Shareen.
"He gave you a stick of wood? That's bizarre."
"He said I'm supposed to use it to protect myself from the vampires. He said it was my destiny. Do you think this means anything?"
"No, Rose, of course not. He probably just had too much to drink."
"Yeah, you're probably right." My phone beeped in my pocket, and I pulled it out.
"What's it say?" she asked.
"Nothing, just a text from Mum to make sure I arrived okay," I lied. I didn't want Shareen to worry about what it said.
The vampires will find you. You must be ready. -D