What Comes Up, Must Come Down, Chapter Six
**Blah, I've got to get better at updating. I'm going to be updating more here and there since my major projects are out of the way. After this chapter, depending on how it goes, whether I get reviews and whether I get any ideas, I may discontinue this story. I don't know about Denial anymore. I've been working on it for almost two years.But I'll try!**
Lynn stood up. She straightened her jeans, not that they needed it. She then smoothed her blouse.'Face it, none of her perfect clothes ever needed ironing,' Kristin felt like screaming. Kristin swallowed. "Well, Kristin, aren't you gonna say something?" Martin asked. "She's perfect capable of talking, dad," Scott snapped, motioning towards Lynn. "Scott!" Martin scolded. "Go put your stuff upstairs," he added. "Fine," Scott answered.
"Hi, m.L.uh, hi," Kristin said quietly. "Hey, baby," Lynn said, as if it had just been a week since they had seen each other. She stepped towards Kristin and hugged her tightly. Kristin didn't hug back. She kind of couldn't.Her arms lay limp at her sides as thoughts rushed into her mind. "Wow, you've grown so much!" Lynn exclaimed. "Yeah, three years does that to a person!" Kristin snapped angrily, the tears finding their way to her cheek, no matter how much she tried to keep them back. "How could you! How could you just forget me like that! Leave me there! With-with HIM! You knew what he was doing!" Kristin stomped her foot and continued. "You were my mom! You could've tried to protect me instead-instead of running away from everything! You left me there with him.And Steven."
"Kristin, let's not discuss this here-"Lynn said quietly. Kristin shook her head in protest, but couldn't seem to form the right words. She just stood there, shaking her head, sobs racking her body.
"Well, um.Kristin, how about you take your stuff upstairs?" Martin suggested, breaking the ice. He stepped up and placed a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off and grabbed her bag, sprinting up the stairs.
She stopped at the top and listened. "She'll come around," Martin tried assuring her. "Oh well," Lynn said. Since Kristin couldn't see her facial expression, she didn't know if it was a non-chalant 'who cares' or just something you'd say out of sheer exasperation.
She walked into the room that had been fixed up for her the previous holiday season. "Scott, I hate her," She said, as Scott appeared in her doorway. "I knew coming here was a bad idea," Scott remarked. "Yeah, well you could've mentioned something," Kristin snapped without thinking. She sighed and plopped down onto her bed. "It's not fair, Scott. I hate her so bad. I don't know why I even came here," she said angrily. There was an uncomfortable silence. "Well, Peter said to call him when we got there, so." Scott said. He dialed the number. "Hey, Peter. Just telling you we're here. We're here!" Scott said. "Okay, here she is," he then said, handing the phone to Kristin. "Wants to talk to you," Scott said. She took it.
"Hey," she said, hoping her voice still wasn't messed up from her crying. "How's it going so far?" Peter questioned. "I hate her. I want to go back. I hate it here," she said immediately. "She acts like nothing is different, like nothing's wrong. Like I went off for a week or something. I hate her," she said again.
Peter was quiet for a minute. "Kristin, you want to know what I think?" He asked. "Not particularly because it's going to be something smart and philosophical and I'm going to feel selfish and stupid," she answered. "Only you control how you feel. Anyway, I think that what you just said is a sample of three years of bottled-up anger. We never really went over the situation with your mother-" he started, but was interrupted, "she's NOT my mother." "Okay, we never talked much about that situation, and I think that's harmed this whole meeting. I'm not going to lie to you, so I also think that this'll be a bad weekend. I'm not saying go into it with a negative attitude, but I do believe that this'll be the first time you'll have the chance to express some of that anger. Just.Be careful, and watch out for yourself. Call me if anyone hurts you, or tell Scott right away," Peter said.
"Mmmkay," Kristin mumbled an answer. "Scott! Kristin! Get ready; we're going out to eat," Martin called up. "We have to go. This is going to be really interesting," Kristin said. "Remember, be positive." Peter said. "Yeah, sure.Whatever. Positive about a woman who abandoned you. Sure," Kristin answered sarcastically.
**Blah, I've got to get better at updating. I'm going to be updating more here and there since my major projects are out of the way. After this chapter, depending on how it goes, whether I get reviews and whether I get any ideas, I may discontinue this story. I don't know about Denial anymore. I've been working on it for almost two years.But I'll try!**
Lynn stood up. She straightened her jeans, not that they needed it. She then smoothed her blouse.'Face it, none of her perfect clothes ever needed ironing,' Kristin felt like screaming. Kristin swallowed. "Well, Kristin, aren't you gonna say something?" Martin asked. "She's perfect capable of talking, dad," Scott snapped, motioning towards Lynn. "Scott!" Martin scolded. "Go put your stuff upstairs," he added. "Fine," Scott answered.
"Hi, m.L.uh, hi," Kristin said quietly. "Hey, baby," Lynn said, as if it had just been a week since they had seen each other. She stepped towards Kristin and hugged her tightly. Kristin didn't hug back. She kind of couldn't.Her arms lay limp at her sides as thoughts rushed into her mind. "Wow, you've grown so much!" Lynn exclaimed. "Yeah, three years does that to a person!" Kristin snapped angrily, the tears finding their way to her cheek, no matter how much she tried to keep them back. "How could you! How could you just forget me like that! Leave me there! With-with HIM! You knew what he was doing!" Kristin stomped her foot and continued. "You were my mom! You could've tried to protect me instead-instead of running away from everything! You left me there with him.And Steven."
"Kristin, let's not discuss this here-"Lynn said quietly. Kristin shook her head in protest, but couldn't seem to form the right words. She just stood there, shaking her head, sobs racking her body.
"Well, um.Kristin, how about you take your stuff upstairs?" Martin suggested, breaking the ice. He stepped up and placed a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off and grabbed her bag, sprinting up the stairs.
She stopped at the top and listened. "She'll come around," Martin tried assuring her. "Oh well," Lynn said. Since Kristin couldn't see her facial expression, she didn't know if it was a non-chalant 'who cares' or just something you'd say out of sheer exasperation.
She walked into the room that had been fixed up for her the previous holiday season. "Scott, I hate her," She said, as Scott appeared in her doorway. "I knew coming here was a bad idea," Scott remarked. "Yeah, well you could've mentioned something," Kristin snapped without thinking. She sighed and plopped down onto her bed. "It's not fair, Scott. I hate her so bad. I don't know why I even came here," she said angrily. There was an uncomfortable silence. "Well, Peter said to call him when we got there, so." Scott said. He dialed the number. "Hey, Peter. Just telling you we're here. We're here!" Scott said. "Okay, here she is," he then said, handing the phone to Kristin. "Wants to talk to you," Scott said. She took it.
"Hey," she said, hoping her voice still wasn't messed up from her crying. "How's it going so far?" Peter questioned. "I hate her. I want to go back. I hate it here," she said immediately. "She acts like nothing is different, like nothing's wrong. Like I went off for a week or something. I hate her," she said again.
Peter was quiet for a minute. "Kristin, you want to know what I think?" He asked. "Not particularly because it's going to be something smart and philosophical and I'm going to feel selfish and stupid," she answered. "Only you control how you feel. Anyway, I think that what you just said is a sample of three years of bottled-up anger. We never really went over the situation with your mother-" he started, but was interrupted, "she's NOT my mother." "Okay, we never talked much about that situation, and I think that's harmed this whole meeting. I'm not going to lie to you, so I also think that this'll be a bad weekend. I'm not saying go into it with a negative attitude, but I do believe that this'll be the first time you'll have the chance to express some of that anger. Just.Be careful, and watch out for yourself. Call me if anyone hurts you, or tell Scott right away," Peter said.
"Mmmkay," Kristin mumbled an answer. "Scott! Kristin! Get ready; we're going out to eat," Martin called up. "We have to go. This is going to be really interesting," Kristin said. "Remember, be positive." Peter said. "Yeah, sure.Whatever. Positive about a woman who abandoned you. Sure," Kristin answered sarcastically.