14. Twice For Saturday

Thalia was about to burst. She couldn't even concentrate on her classes for the rest of day, continuously cursing herself that she should've just said no in fourth period and she wouldn't have to deal with Dr. Woodrow. But of course, her pride got in the way and this was the price; a session with Dr. Woodrow every freaking Friday. Thalia was going to go mad.

"Oh, if I didn't have some kind of morals I'd kill her," Thalia mumbled as she left the school. She walked sulkily back to her apartment and as soon as she had walked in, the strong smell of cigarettes smacked her nose. Before she could even complain, she heard the sound of someone throwing up. Thalia dropped her bag and walked towards the hallway and into her mother's room.

"Mom?" Thalia called out as she reached the doorframe that led into the bathroom. Her mother was on the floor, with her head in the toilet. She lifted her head and wiped her lips with her bare arm.

"What?" she rasped as she panted from the force of hurling her guts out.

"You okay? Do you have the flu?" Thalia asked, taking a step into the bathroom. Her mother waived her hand.

"I'm peachy," she replied hoarsely. "Now leave me alone," she said. "I –" the rest of her sentence was interrupted by another fit of vomit. Thalia sighed and quickly made her way to her bedroom. This was twice her mother was throwing up. She probably has a bout of flu, so Thalia made a mental note to have the least contact with her. No need to get sick as well. She lay down on her bed, her head hanging off the end as she listened to music. She stared across her room, to the corner where her locked chest lay. Thalia reminisced about what it contained, but her memories were interrupted by a vibration on her stomach. She pulled out her earphones and answered her phone.

"Thalia speaking," she said.

"Hey Thalia," a voice Thalia had come to know by heart replied.

"What do you want, Percy?" she said, rolling over to lay on her stomach.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me this Saturday." Thalia ran her hand down her face in frustration.

"Percy, I already gave you my answer. The only relationship between us, is that I am occasionally your babysitter, that's it," Thalia answered, sounding firm, but as gentle as she could as well. She didn't like him, but that didn't give her a reason to be crass.

"Come on Thalia," Percy's voice answered after a few seconds. He sounded pleading, but then he added with a teasing note in his voice, "You can't deny the chemistry between us." Thalia smacked her forehead.

"No, Percy. Not happening," she said. "'Bye," she said, as she hung up. She chewed on her lip. This boy is definitely persistent, I'll give him that. Thalia stretched and was pulling her books out of her backpack for homework when her phone goes off again.

"No, I am not – oh, hi Sally," Thalia answered and closed her eyes, feeling embarrassed.

"You all right Thalia?" she asked, noticing Thalia's momentary outburst.

"Perfect, sorry. What is it?" Thalia asked, trying to sound happy.

"Well, I was hoping you could babysit my kids again this Saturday." Thalia's eyes opened wide.

"This… Saturday?" Thalia asked hesitantly and hoping it was some other Saturday.

"Yes. See, I'm taking this test and I'm going to the library to study. I don't trust my boys will stay still, so I was hoping you'd keep an eye on them. That's not a problem, is it?" Thalia gritted her teeth.

"No," she said as she ground her teeth. "It's fine. What time?"

"12 o'clock. Oh, thank you Thalia!"

"No problem," Thalia said as she hung up, trying her best not to throw her phone. This was too much of a coincidence. She would get Percy Saturday. You could count on that.

Shaking off her anger, she started her homework with her radio blazing. She chewed on her pencil as she tried to answer her math homework and cursing herself every time she got the wrong answer.

"This sucks," she breathed. As she tried again, she heard a frustrated half-grunt/half-scream coming from down the hall. Thalia ignored it, but when she heard it for the second time she stood up and followed the noise. Her mother's door was opened and Thalia leaned against the doorframe with crossed arms. Her mother was standing in front of her dresser shirtless and trying to button up a pair of jeans. She grunted again and stomped her foot. With a frustrated sigh she pulled her jeans off and stomped into her closet.

"You all right?" Thalia asked as she watched her mother pull out clothes.

"Nothing fits!" she yelled.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing!" she yelled spinning around. She grabbed a pair of jeans that were thrown on the floor and pulled them on. She tried to button it but she must've gained enough weight where the buttons were a single hair apart. Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Come on," Thalia said as she stood behind her mother, grabbed on to her jeans and buttoned them up.

"Oh, they feel tight," her mother squeaked. Thalia stood back and sat on her mother's bed.

"Seems like you've been eating more," Thalia commented as her mother pulled on a blue tee. Her mother stayed quiet and stood in front of her dresser and looked in the mirror as she put her make up on. Suddenly, Thalia almost felt like crying. She remembered sitting in the same place many years ago, watching her mother brush her hair before she took Thalia out to the park.

She would turn around to see Thalia ogling at her and she'd giggle. She would sit on the bed next to her and brush Thalia's hair as she told her how beautiful she was and recounted the day she had met her father.

"I was trying to audition for a commercial, but as soon as I had walked in, they told me the part had already been cast," she would say. "I was heartbroken, but when I had stomped my way out of the building, I had bumped into a man. A very handsome man. Your father," she smiled.

"He took me to dinner that night and well… it was pretty much bliss after that. Everything seemed to have fallen into place. I appeared in a few commercials, as if your father was my good luck charm," she said as she would braid Thalia's hair. Then, she would turn her around and cup her face.

"And not only did he give me the confidence I needed to audition… he gave me you," she would whisper and then kiss Thalia's forehead.

She could see everything as if it were that day. She could almost feel the brush passing through her hair when she felt a tear rolling down her cheek. She quickly wiped away.

"I'm leaving tonight," her mother commented as she put on her mascara. Thalia's eyes snapped up.

"Don't wait up," she said, as she grabbed her bright red lipstick. Thalia bit her tongue. Without another word she jumped off the bed and walked out of the room without sparing a second glance.

Sups, thanks for the reviews guys! So, I hoped you liked this chapter and don't forget to tell me what you thought about it! Oh, and Happy Belated Valentines Day :P Too early or too late, can't get it right :P Till the next chapter!