Everyone fell silent. Susan put her schedule away and slowly dropped her head onto the table. Theo awkwardly reached over and patted her on the shoulder in sympathy.
"My dad isn't that bad…" Philip said sheepishly.
"Your dad wrote a ninety-seven-page blog calling my mother a whore."
Philip slightly shrunk away. "Yeah, I'll just...stay quiet."
Susan glanced at the clock. Thirteen minutes. She had thirteen minutes until the next lesson. "Theo, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Where's the school library?"
Theo looked slightly confused. "Second floor, down the hall, very last door. Why?"
"I need to go talk to my mum," Susan said honestly. "I'll be back in time for science."
She threw her bag over her shoulder and ran off, following the directions Theo gave her. By the time she reached the library door, she was completely out of breath. Panting heavily, she opened the door and the smell of new books hit her nose.
It was oddly comforting, as was the rest of the library. The see-through blinds on the windows were drawn, giving the library a warm yellow tone. The shelves and tables were made of dark wood, complementing the room perfectly. There was a dark red rug on the floor and a few red bean bags in one of the corners.
Susan's mother emerged from behind a shelf. Her face split into a soft smile at the sight of her daughter. A special smile. One that was only ever seen by Susan.
Most of the time, Maria Reynolds was emotionless. Empty eyes, steady voice, lips pressed into a line. Sometimes, her brows would tilt downward with concern, or rise with fear. Susan always wondered how she did it. She would stand in front of the mirror for hours, trying to imitate her mother's empty expressions, but never succeeding. She was simply too expressive.
Things were different when Susan was around. Maria would smile and laugh. Her ever-rigid posture would relax. Her eyes would sparkle with glee. She would open her arms and hug Susan tight, tucking the young girl's hair behind her ears. Susan loved these moments. Moments when she could ignore everything both of them have been through.
Those moments used to be so rare. Only when her father was away, off drunk in some pub, and her mother was absolutely sure he wouldn't be back that night. Maria would dig through the fridge for snacks, and no matter how low they were on food, there was always something. Maybe a plate of mini-sandwiches consisting of only cheese and a thin strip of ham, or some leftovers from lunch earlier that day, maybe even a tub of ice cream if they were lucky.
They would have a movie night, cuddling together under a worn blanket on the couch. Most times, they would turn on the TV and watch whatever came on, be it a romantic comedy or a Disney film. But some days were special. Birthdays, holidays, or just a day when they both needed cheering up. They both knew which days counted as special, and didn't need words to explain it. Maria would grin, one of those special, warm grins, and Susan would know.
While Maria went off to gather snacks, Susan would go into her room. After struggling to lift her mattress, she would pull out an old DVD case hidden beneath it. A DVD of their favourite movie since the time Susan was twelve: Heathers, 1988.
"You really shouldn't be watching this." Maria would say every time they watched it.
"It's nothing I've never seen before." Susan would answer.
It seemed counterproductive, watching a movie so centered on a toxic relationship considering the actions of Susan's father, but it became a comfort for them. A constant in their life. They first started watching it right after the family moved to Albany. Susan found it in a second-hand store and bought it after remembering her mother talking about it once.
"When I was a few years older than you, I used to go to my friend's house on the weekends. After getting all our energy out, we would settle for a movie. Our favourite was pretty old, by our standards at least. It came out the year before I was born. It was about three girls, all named Heather…"
Maria zoned out at that point, reminiscing on her teenage years, a time which was cut rather short, for Susan came early into her life.
"Three girls, all named Heather..." Susan whispered to herself as she eyed the DVD case in the store. Moving to Albany was hard on her mother, as she left her hometown behind. Maybe a movie would cheer her up.
And so, movie nights became a tradition. It became a more common occurrence once her father decided to abandon them after the affair came out. Susan favoured Heather Duke out of all the characters, while her mother would set off on long tangents, analyzing the psyche of Veronica. Susan would joke about how she should've become a physiologist instead of a librarian, and Maria would just shake her head and sigh.
"Susan, darling, did you need something?" Susan was brought out of her reminiscing by the sound of her mother's voice.
"Uh, yes, actually. I need some advice." She glanced at the clock. Nine minutes.
Maria chuckled. "You didn't get in trouble on your first day, did you?"
"What? No!" Susan pretended to be offended before a more serious expression crossed her face. "It's about a lesson I'm having last period."
"Which is…?" Maria prompted.
"English. With Mr. Hamilton."
Maria dropped the book she was holding, the loud thud making both Reynolds girls flinch. Susan picked up the book and placed it once the librarian's table, turning back to her mother.
"Mum? I'm...I'm scared. What if he says something about it? What if he treats me badly because of what happened last summer? What if-"
Her endless rant of questions was cut off by her mother pulling her into a hug. Maria stroked her daughter's hair, whispering reassurances. Susan realized she was hyperventilating and focused on calming her breathing.
"Susan, look at me." Marka waited until Susan did so. "I wish I could tell you that none of what you said will happen, but you and I both know that Alexander Hamilton can't keep his mouth shut to save his life. And if he does say something, screw him! You're Susan Reynolds, and I'll be damned before I let my mistakes define your life."
A shit-eating grin split across Susan's face. "Screw him? You mean like you did last summer?"
Maria turned bright red, sputtering at the implication. "Off you go now, young lady, you don't want to be late for your next lesson and get detention from your teacher. Or would you rather stay here, while I'm still mulling over whether or not to ground you after that comment."
Susan was already halfway out of the door. "Bye, mum, love you too!"
As she walked away, she could have sworn she heard her mother say something along the lines of "I should have never let her watch the Heathers movie." That elicited a giggle out of her, and the prospect of the upcoming English class suddenly didn't seem so bad,
After all, what does Alexander Hamilton know?
A/N: Can you guess what my favourite movie is after this chapter?
Anyway, I did want to go straight to the English lesson, but I felt like the close bond between Maria and Susan needed to be established. I won't go off track again, pinky promise.
The reason I chose Heathers as Maria and Susan's comfort movie, is because Heathers is what brought my best friend and me together. (Though, admittedly, it was the musical, not the movie.)