AN: Big thanks to Guest, CaliNative76, and Ravenclaw's Shadowriter for reviewing!
I know Jacob's been absent in the past few chapters, I hate it too, but with Sam and Bella's household responsibilities their friendship has distanced. But do not fear, later in the story they will come back together, I promise!
Read and review please!
Song suggestion: Happy little pill, Troye Sivan.
Chapter Thirteen: Breaking Blood.
"Riley?" Mrs Uley called. Sam and I looked at each other briefly, before returning to our homework. After we'd cleaned ourselves up, we had stayed in Sam's room studying, while Riley groused downstairs.
"Hey." We heard him slur.
"What happened to you?" She shrieked and her heels clicked across the floor hurriedly.
"Damn kids." Riley yelled back, "I'm sick of it Allison. Those damn kids cause trouble and you do nothing to discipline them. Why do you even keep them? Kids should be raised by the state, they cost enough! That bloody Bella brat tried throwing away perfectly good booze before, the cheek of her! Well, I'm sick to the back teeth of it Allison, what're you going to do about them?"
"Sam! Bella!" Allison called up to us, "Get down here!"
"Great." Sam muttered sarcastically but hurried on before me.
Sighing, I followed reluctantly. Mrs Uley didn't really punish us. She never hit us or grounded us. Rarely would she shout at us for anything. Her view was to leave us to it. We kept her house in order, what could she do? Throw us out? No way would she risk that, the Tribal Elders paid her quite well for taking me in. Once a month, Billy would come by with an envelope of cash for Mrs Uley and to check on how I was doing. She wasn't going to risk losing that, it was the money she used to go out with. By the time I reached the stairs, Mrs Uley was ranting.
"-Hitting Riley? How dare you? He's been nothing but good to us! When I have to work, he stays here to watch you both! He doesn't have to be so kind-"
"Kind?" Sam scoffed, finally losing his temper, "Riley drinks us out of house and home! We barely have enough food to feed the three of us, never mind his big mouth! He doesn't do anything! To hell with watching us, he attacked Bella! How's that kind?"
"He didn't attack Bella!" Mrs Uley snapped.
"Really? Where did she get a busted nose from then?"
"She walked into the door! You know how clumsy she can be!" Looking away, I saw Riley scowling on the couch, watching the mother and son argue for him, like the coward he is.
"Bollocks! Riley punched her!" Ever since Riley had practically moved in, Sam's language had gotten worse. A teacher of mine once reasoned that swearing was an outlet of anger, she was apparently right, "You're so goddamn blind mom!"
"Samuel Uley, don't you dare-"
"Speak to you like that?" He interrupted her quickly, "I will! Until you listen, I will! Why are you even defending him? He attacks your kids? How on God's earth do you stand him? Or are you so uncaring, that you don't give a damn about us?"
Allison smacked Sam across the face with a resounding crack. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Riley smirk. For a moment, silence echoed in the small house, before Sam finally spoke.
"I want him out." He said with quiet anger. Glaring at his mom, he didn't cup his reddening cheek or show any other reaction. Sam's power was in his words.
"The hell I'm leaving!" Riley butted in, storming up from the couch unsteadily.
"I want him out." Sam repeated simply, "He doesn't pay anything towards housekeeping, despite constantly being here. He attacks our family. He is poison and I want him out."
"Sam-" Mrs Uley's lip quivered. The evidence, she had finally noticed, was damning. Lord only knew what would happen next if Riley didn't leave.
"It's him or us mom." His ultimatum hung in the air, tense and full of potential. Tears gathered in Mrs Uley's eyes as Riley stared at her hesitation and we gazed at her inquiringly. It was up to her to make her decision now.
"Fine." Riley spat into the long silence, "Stupid bitch." Snatching his coat off the rack, he opened the door, "Last chance Allison…"
"Wait." She coughed. Her expression was desperate, pleading for Sam to take his demand back. But Sam was unrelenting and I couldn't do anything but stand and watch, shocked into stillness. Indecision shone in her glossy, dark eyes.
"You heard him, pick, it's them or me…Decide."
Mrs Uley's mouth worked wordlessly, twitching with sorrow. I wondered if I would lose another irresponsible mother, if she really would leave her only child and ward. Would she be so cold and desperate to find a lover? Riley was her longest boyfriend, would she not want to lose him in fear of returning to the lonely, promiscuous woman I first knew?
"Sam…" She finally whispered, shaking her head, tears leaking down her painted cheeks. Dark mascara drawing patterns on bronze skin. Riley stormed out, outraged, slamming the door behind himself. We could hear his loud curses outside as he stomped off the porch and across the gravel. As I breathed a sigh of relief, Sam didn't. He continued to look at his mom, staring at her regretful face looking right back, "I love you." She breathed before turning away.
My lungs emptied of air as Mrs Uley hurried to the door, barely sparing time to grab her jacket, before leaving. She cried out to Riley as she ran away. Running from her responsibilities. Running from her life. Running from us. Sam took a small step forward before screwing his fists up and turning to me.
"Bella." He gulped. Without thinking, I lunged into his arms, and I felt his chest shudder with withheld sobs. She may have been useless but she was still his mother, how had just left him for a man she barely knew in comparison?
"Ssshhh…" I murmured, "It'll be okay, she'll come back, she has to. Your mom wouldn't leave you, she couldn't, she's your mom. Ssshhh…don't cry, she'll be back soon enough. I better she'll be back, she's not gone. Ssshhh…" I comforted him as Mrs Uley's voice drifted away, into the night.