Chapter 10

School and work had been tough. Trying to concentrate while constantly worrying about her dads drinking had been impossible. Ollie was just glad it was over and she was finally home. Unlocking and opening the door she was surprised at the silence that met her.

"Dad?" She called out, walking further into the house.

No answer, just silence.

"Rai?" She shouted.

Once again, no answer.

Nobody was home, which was strange. Her dad's team did have practice today, but she knew from some of the guys on the team that he hadn't turned up all week had and the co coach Wilson had been taking the basketball trainings alone. Ephraim however was probably just at a mates place. She looked into the garage, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw her dad's car was still there. At least he hadn't driven anywhere drunk.

She went into the kitchen wondering whether they might have left a note. On the counter she did find a scrap of paper. It wasn't a note though; it was a receipt from the day before for a bottle of whiskey from the liquor shop. Angrily, she crushed the piece of paper in her fist and threw it as far as she could away from her.

Her fathers drunkenness had been going on for all week, she was sick of it. He was practically becoming an alcoholic in front of her eyes; there was no way she would let that happen.

From the fridge and pantry she pulled out every single thing that contained alcohol and emptied it into the sink, the colours of brown, clear, yellow and orange mingling together, in a huge alcoholic stench, making her want to vomit.

Once the kitchen was free of all the vodka, beer, rum, bourbon, whisky and even cooking brandy, she headed into his bedroom to empty his personal stash, knowing that he would have one hidden somewhere.

The door was closed, but she pushed her way in anyway. Nathans room was a mess, clothes from days ago, empty bottles and fast food wrappers littered the floor. It stunk too.

Throwing all the empty bottles into the bin she had dragged into the room with her, she started to search for the ones that still contained any liquid.

In the wardrobe alone she found a full crate of beer and 500mls of scotch. She couldn't believe it was this bad, obviously she knew he had been consuming a lot of alcohol, but for him to have all this terrified her because by the amount drinks he had left, it was clear he didn't really intend to stop anytime soon.

After she had emptied everything from the bedside table and the floor, she got down on her hands and knees to search under the bed. Mostly, all that was there were more empty bottles and a few stinky socks. Then her hand brushed against something hard and boxy. She pulled the object out, noticing as her hands grasped it properly that it was a shoebox. Curiously she placed the box on the bed, immediately feeling bad for snooping but due to the current situation with Nathan her conscience didn't stretch very far, so she opened the box.

Inside the box were mostly just old tapes and cassettes. But below them lay three sheets of paper. Removing the three sheets of paper from the box, Ollie looked closely at the first one. It was of two people standing in a beautiful garden. One of the people was her dad; he looked like a teenager, maybe 16 or 17, only very neat and dressed in a black suit over a white dress shirt, he looked like all his dreams had just come true. The other was girl who looked about the same age, and had the exact same expression as Nathan did. She was wearing a white strapless wedding dress with a veil lifted back behind her head. Her arms were wrapped around Nathans waist. Ollie noticed that the girl in the picture looked just like Ollie did herself.

Confused, she turned it over; the only thing it said on the back was 2004.

Ollie placed the photo back in the box and glanced down at the next sheet of paper which also had a photograph on it. It was the same girl as before, slightly older now; she was sitting up in a hospital bed, staring down at a tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket in her arms. The girl had a look of wonder and joy upon her face but still a pain in her eyes. Once again the girl looked familiar, like Ollie but also like somebody else.

In her head Ollie knew what this all meant, the gears of her brain had clicked together and it all made sense. Only her heart refused to accept what her mind was telling her.

Laying the second photo gently back in the box with the other one, all that remained in her now trembling hand was the third and last piece of paper. This one was not a photo. It was a birth certificate, her birth certificate.

Nearly refusing to look, already knowing in the back of her mind what she would find. Her eyes wandered over her own full name Olivia Jaimi Scott. Then under the Father heading it said, Nathan Royal Scott. Dreading it but not able pull her eyes away, her gaze swept to under where it said Mother. Haley James Scott.

She stood numbly, staringing down at the three little words. Haley James Scott. Haley James was her mother. Haley James was married to her father. Haley James had abandoned them.

Her whole body started to tremble, slightly at first, and then massive quakes ran through her body. The birth certificate fell from her hands to the floor. No longer could she notice the stench from the alcohol or the silence of the house. Her ears were filled with buzzing. She felt like she was going to pass out, she hoped she would pass out, anything to be away from this.

Shock quickly turned into anger. Running into her own room she pulled out all the Haley James albums she could find and threw them on the floor, a look of anger and pure hatred covering her face. Her guitar sat in the corner and she grabbed it, roughly yanking it out of the case. Standing over the pile of CD's she vowed to never be anything like the woman she now knew to be her mother.

Raising the guitar above her head she brought it slamming down into the CD's again and again. With bangs shards of cracked and broken disks flew in all directions. Her once prized, now hated guitar smashed along with them. As each string broke with a twang she felt less and less connected to her despicable mother but music was just one of the things they had in common. Throwing the remnants of her gnarled guitar to the floor on top the shattered CD's, she ran blindly to the bathroom.

The reflected image of her in the mirror taunted her. Ripping open the draw, she fumbled, her still trembling hands pulling out some dark brown hair dye, she and Jess had bought one day, planning to experiment with, but never got round to using. Leaning her head into the sink she turned on the tap, the freezing water sending shivers down her spine. Once her hair was wet she tore open the dye packet, the red words on the side catching her eye, permanent, it read. She bent over to get none on her clothes. Pouring it into her hand she lathered into her head, rubbing hard with her knuckles as if trying to scrub any resemblance, any link to Haley away.

Ollie couldn't believe she had gone to her house, played for her and Haley had let it happen without a word. No wonder her dad was so angry and depressed, she didn't blame him for the drinking anymore and almost felt bad for emptying all his alcohol.

Everything was Haley's fault.

Putting her head back under the sink she rinsed the dye from her hair, noticing the now darker strands hanging in front of her face. Drying it she looked into the mirror again. Her whole head was now a smooth dark brown just like her fathers, none of the natural colour she got from Haley. While her image still taunted her, it was less so now, only her eyes gave it away. So she stamped them shut and left the bathroom.

Needing to be doing something so that she wouldn't have to think about it, she ran out of the house, not even locking the door behind her. She ran until she reached the one place that always held comfort for her, the river court.

Sinking down onto her knees in the middle of the hard court she saw the very faded words, 'We Were Here', faintly spray painted in red like a lost memory from long ago, something she had never noticed before. Looking down directly where she was kneeling, in black equally as faint, were the letters HJS.

That is when Ollie finally let the tears flow, wishing more than ever for the mother she thought had never wanted her but still hating that person more than she did anyone in the world.

Someone was knocking on the door, so Haley James opened it and, surprised by who was standing on her doorstep.

"We need to talk", the person said, anger laced within each word.