R.P.O.V
My day passed slowly. Dimitri and Lissa should have my homework soon. I paced around the room. I couldn't seem to get my mom off my mind.
After she left Saturday, my dad tried to explain the situation. We argued for an hour on the matter before I told him to take me back to school tomorrow.
I stormed up to my room and shut the door. Not even Lissa could convince me to stay till Monday. She tried to tell me that I should make the most of it in case this was my last weekend here, but it just made me feel worse.
~flashback~
When my dad dropped me off Sunday afternoon, I unpacked and sat there for all of three minutes before I got up. I went out into the woods and found a large stick. Since my mom wasn't there to beat with it, a tree was the next best option. There was a nice big one not far from the perfect path. Unleashing all of my pain and anger, I started wailing on the tree.
A few minutes later the stick broke and I dropped the remnants. Defeated, I collapsed onto my knees and started to cry. Why did my mom care all of a sudden? I've built my life since she's been gone. And now she's trying to break it apart.
I found my rage again, replacing the sadness. I stood back up and punched the tree over and over until my knuckles were bleeding.
I walked back to my room and stayed there working on any homework I had.
Nighttime came and went and I spent it watching YouTube videos and crying some more. Why did this make me sad? I should be either angry that she thinks that she can just come back into my life, or happy that she actually cares.
I went down to the track early and waited for Dimitri to get there. Once he did, he chose not to run today and listened to my problems, even though he had no reason to.
~end flashback~
Why was I falling for Dimitri so quickly? I found myself excited for him to get up to my room with my homework.
What if there was no homework? Would he still come to let me know?
Knock Knock
I opened the door and Dimitri was there. He was holding my textbooks and some pieces of paper.
"Hey! Thanks for bringing my homework." I took the stack and turned to put them on my desk. "Do you want to come in?"
He opened his mouth to answer and Lissa showed up behind him. "Hey, Rose. How was your day off?"
Dimitri finally answered. "I should get going. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yup. Bright and early. Bye." He waved and turned around, leaving Lissa and me standing there. She came in and set her stuff down.
"My day was fine. I just sat around and watched Netflix and YouTube." I replied.
"Typical. You have the day off and you don't do anything worthwhile." She smiled. "Let's do something fun tonight. We haven't done our nails together in a while."
I sighed. "Alright, let's do our nails."
We sat down on the floor and Liss pulled out her nail bag. It took a couple of hours to do since we had so many layers to do. In the end, Lissa's fingers and toes were pastel pink, with a white french tip, and mine were a dark reddish cinnamon color.
~2 Months Later~
It was late November and snow was on the ground in a thick blanket. The trial with my mom was dragging on and I sometimes had to miss school for the trials.
The last remnants of nail polish were on my toes. Dimitri and I had to move into the gym for practice now that it was so cold. He started teaching me self-defense and combat skills. He was insanely better than me, but that didn't deter me from trying to kick his ass every day.
I walked to the gym early today. I had another court day today, one that they said might finally end the custody battle. I told this to Dimitri yesterday when I asked to start practice early today. I thought that I had seen a look of worry flash briefly across his face.
I opened the door to the building and saw Dimitri already there. He was sprawled out on the bench along the wall and was reading another western novel.
"Seriously?! I got here ten minutes early and you still beat me! Do you just not sleep?" I threw my hands up in defeat.
He chuckled, which showed one of his rare smiles that made my heart skip a beat. "Sometimes. I just got here a couple of minutes ago, though."
He stood up and began to wrap his hands, and I followed suit. He stopped for a moment and glanced at my hands. He walked over and held his hand out for me to do the same. He ran his thumb across my chapped and cracking skin.
"You should put some Vaseline on this before you wrap your hands up," he said, glancing up to meet my eyes. I had to try so hard to keep my cool.
"Nice thought Comrade, but I don't have any." I tried to pull my hand back but he pulled me over to the bench he had been laying on minutes ago.
He pulled some Vaseline out of his duffle bag and began to rub some onto my hands. He massaged it into my skin, and I got lost in my thoughts about the trial.
"Done." He murmured. My thoughts dissipated when he broke the silence. I re-wrapped my hands and we began our training session.
I fought harder that day than ever before, using my anger to fuel my motions and strength. I was just about to walk out to change and leave when Dimitri spoke. "Roza? You seemed angry today… I want you to know that if you don't want to share with Lissa… I'm here if you need to vent."
"Thanks, Comrade." I left him standing alone in the gym.
I rushed back to my room to change. I chose a white short-sleeved blouse, black slacks, black heels, and a black blazer. All of it was at the suggestion of my dad. He said that if I look professional and show good manners, it might help our case. I left my hair down in thick waves and went to meet my dad in the car.
I walked into the courtroom and took in the crowd of witnesses. They milled about, talking amongst themselves. I made my way to the front where my mom and dad were waiting.
Mom turned and looked at my outfit. She didn't comment but gave me a sigh of disapproval. I looked down and rolled my eyes. My outfit was wrinkled. That's what bothered her.
The Judge took his place at the front of the room, and we sat down after he did. Mom was on the Plaintiff's side, and dad and I were on the defendant's. We began by covering what was said in the last few trials, occasionally being asked if statements were still true. I began to space out and only tuned back in when they called me to the stand.
"Could you state your relationship with your mother?" My mom's lawyer asked. Her lawyer was good. He started by asking seemingly unbiased questions, and slowly added it until you were so flustered you tripped over your own words.
"That depends."
"On what exactly?"
"Whether you mean my physical relationship or my emotional one."
"Why don't you answer both, then." He said.
"My physical one is nonexistent. The last time I had seen her was after the first custody battle when I packed my belongings and moved here to live with my dad. As far as my emotional one… I hate her." I spat, looking right at her. "She didn't care about me enough when I was little, so she can't care now." I switched my gaze to the lawyer again.
"... Right. And could you share how your life's been with your father?"
"It's been great. He rarely stays at the office late when Lissa and I are there, and when he does he plans it so we can know ahead of time. He helps with our homework wherever he can. He's able to provide the stability that my mom never could."
"Would you elaborate, please?"
"My mom's the bodyguard of some rich man. He would decide on a whim to go to some remote tropical locale and my mom would follow him, children be damned. He had an entire security team that could've gone with him so she could stay, but she didn't. As a result, my father parented me more than her."
"But, isn't it also true that you've been kicked out of five schools in six years?"
"Yes, but-"
"Then what kind of stability is being provided when you're allowed to run around unchecked, with no repercussions?"
"I am disciplined for my behavior. I just have anger issues. That's not my dad's fault."
"Then what kind of parenting does it show when he can't even teach you self-control?"
"I guess I'm too Scottish for my own good. Ever wonder why my mom's a bodyguard?"
"And what about in September of this year? Your mother says that you ran away from home?"
"Okay, now you're pissing me off. First off, I didn't run away. I went for a run to clear my head after I came home from school for the weekend only to find out that the woman, who never gave a shit about me, suddenly wants custody over me. And second, I don't 'do it all the time', I do it when I'm pissed, which hardly ever happens. But when I do I'd rather run it off instead of putting holes in the wall."
"That's all Your Honor." said the lawyer.
"I believe that I've gathered enough information to make a well-educated decision. The court will recess for fifteen minutes, then we'll meet back here for my verdict." He smacked his gavel against the desk and stood to leave.
We stood up and filed into the hallway. Dad and I sat on one of the benches and waited.
"Do you think she'll win?" I asked.
"I think that at the most… she'll get 50%," he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
"50% of what?"
"I don't know, Rose. I don't know."
Fifteen minutes later, we all gathered back into the room. The witnesses, dad, mom, her lawyer, and I sat where we had before.
"Before I share the verdict, could Ms. Hathaway and Mr. Mazur come to the front?" Dad stood up but my mom and I looked confused at who he was talking about. "The parents, please." the judge said. Mom joined dad at the front of the room.
He began to talk to them, and my attempts to listen were futile. They both nodded and returned to their seats. I started to ask dad what was said but he shushed me.
"Now, since Rose is only going to be a minor for a year and a half, it affected my decision, along with the fact that she has a whole life set up here. My verdict is as follows," he pulled a piece of paper out of a folder. "'Rosemarie Hathaway will spend her Junior and Senior years of high school with her father, Ibraham Mazur. Holidays throughout the school year will alternate who she spends them with. After her Junior year ends, she will spend the summer with her mother, Janine Hathaway, in Virginia. On her 18th birthday, she will have the right to choose who she lives with.'" He smacked his gavel. "Court adjourned."
My jaw dropped. A whole summer?! Halfway across the country?! I couldn't believe it. Mom and dad shook hands out of politeness.
"Let's go home, Rose." Dad put his hand on my arm and led me out to the car. I didn't say anything the entire ride home; and, despite half a day being left of school, he didn't bring me back.
"Look, Rose, it won't be so bad. Most of the year will be spent here in Montana."
"And what about when I'm in Virginia? All my friends are here."
"We'll manage. We always do. It's only one summer."
"Yeah… How come you didn't bring me back to school?" I asked.
"I thought you might prefer to have a day before going back. I have to go back to the office, but there are leftovers in the fridge. I love you."
"I love you, too, dad." I got out of the car and went inside the house. I watched and waved from the window as he drove away.
I went up to my room and pulled out my laptop. I decided that watching some videos or TV would be a good distraction from today.
5 hours later dad came home from work to drive me back to school. How would I tell Lissa about what happened?
More importantly, how would I survive a summer with the one person in the world that I hate more than anything?
Hello all. So sorry about the delay. Did anyone else think that the summer passed surprisingly quickly? My goodness one day I was graduating and then I blinked and suddenly I was moving into college. It's been a whirlwind of events. Hope you all are doing well. I do appreciate your patience. 3