Chapter Eight

Difficulties

Rowen and Sage strolled the cherry blossom lined sidewalks, reminiscing over the times that they had shared. They laughed about the antic's they shared in high school, and discussed the sudden change in Rowen's mothers' behavior. The only memory that they didn't touch on was Kayura. Rowen didn't want to bring it up with Sage, and Sage also began to think that it would turn into a fight between the two.

"I think we're almost there." Rowen said as they rounded a corner.

But as they neared Rowen's home, they were met with an unexpected sight. The front door was wide open.

Sage exchanged a puzzled look with Rowen, and they casually strolled up the sidewalk to the open door. They stood outside, listening for some indication on whom the intruder was. Rowen scanned inside the open door, his eyes wide as he saw a small suitcase sitting inside. He looked back at Sage in stunned silence, and they looked at each other, contemplating what to do. As Rowen opened his mouth to speak to ask Sage what he wanted to do, a sudden feeling of anxiety hit him in the chest. Sage was motioning that someone was standing behind him, his violet eyes falling to his feet.

Rowen slowly turned to face what he expected. His mother, her raven hair pulled up and her face saying all he needed to hear. She had two larger suitcases held motionless in her hands, and her mouth gaped open as she saw her son standing before her.

Rowen knew what she was doing. She was cold sober; her sparkling eyes told him so. She had only been gone less than a day, and she couldn't do it.

She was running.

Rowen crossed his arms over his chest and sighed.

"Rowen-"

"Don't. Just don't." Rowen snapped as he put a hand up to stop her.

His mother dropped the two suitcases to her side with a thud, and rushed over to him, tears pooling in her eyes, "I can't do it, Rowen. It's too hard for me to do."

"Hard?" Rowen yelled as he shrugged her off his arm, "So you're leaving? Leaving me!"

Her face suddenly hardened in anger, but he didn't care. Rowen looked back at Sage as he stepped inside the door, "I'll be right back."

Sage watched sullenly for a moment, then nodded and sat down on the porch steps. Although he cared deeply for his friend, he knew that this was something that he needed to do on his own. Rowen grabbed his mother by the upper arm, and dragged her back inside. He slammed the door as hard as he could, and Sage winced against the sound. Even though the wooden door was supposed to allow some privacy for the anger inside, it didn't suppress the yells and hurtful words.

"It's always about you, isn't it! You don't give a damn about what I'm going through!" she spat as she stormed into the next room.

Rowen was close on her heels, and yelled mercilessly at her back, "You will NOT lay blame on me this time! This has nothing to do with me. It has to do with your weakness!"

"How dare you talk to me this way! I am your mother!" she flared as she rounded on the boy standing before her.

Before he knew it, an unknown strength coursed through his veins, and all of the pain and frustration from earlier years voiced itself, "You are not my mother! You may have given birth to me, but you lost that title when you decided torun off onme! All of these years, I've put up with your messes and your coldness! I'm sick of it!"

She backed away from him, and Rowen could see her deflate before his eyes. Her face was turning pink from her anger, but she was not going to let this boy get the better of her. She opened her mouth to spout out more venomous words, but Rowen put up a hand to stop her.

"All of the promises that you made me. You wanted to get better; you wanted to stop. I should have expected this."

She turned away from him and whispered, "Why would you even want me to come home? After all that I've done to hurt you, to make you feel worthless."

"That didn't matter. All I wanted was for you to keep one promise, mom. One promise." He ended with a shrug.

She turned around sharply, and furrowed her brow, "Obviously, it was more than I could keep."

She brushed past his rigid body, and moved over to her suitcases by the door. He grabbed her upper arm and turned her around, but as she rounded, her hand hit his porcelain cheek in one thunderous roll. He didn't move. Rowen only touched his red cheek in shock, realizing that she was sober and once more hitting him. She stood as still as a statue, her hand still in the air, watching his next move.

"I have to go," she whispered, his mind reeling, "I've left money in your account. If you need anything, call your father. Otherwise, you're old enough to be out on your own."

Rowen tried so hard to squeak out a reply, or at least tell her he loved her, or hated, or whatever. But he couldn't. His emotions were reeling so fast, that all he could do was watch her do what he had expected all along.

She was abandoning him.

Oh! So sad! Don't worry.. lot's more mystique and mystery coming, and I promise….. LONGER CHAPTERS!

Aurora