Chapter 36

"What?" My mother was suddenly confused out of her mind. Standing there frozen not understanding this. I think she half expected me to burst out saying it was a joke. But no. The last three words I had said hung effortlessly in the air. Echoeing in the room over and over again in our empty sielnt house.

"I broke up with Dave." I said. I would have gone further into explanation but she interrupted going for more details.

"When?"

"Almsot a month ago." I said. I didn't bother to started talking again. My mouth remaine closed after that. And waited for the next word to come out of her mouth.

"Why?"

I swallowed hard. Preparing myself to say the truth. And it came out slowly. Painfully. It still was a touchy subject for me. "He cheated on me." My mother's idea of Dave the wonderful and perfect shattered right then. But I shot it a few more times to make sure it was really dead. "With three different girls."

"Oh Elisa," My mother said. She stepped foreward. But I didn't respond to this. She didn't hug me. She just took a few steps towards me. I remembered Bennett's mother. Not even feeling strange wrapping her arms around me and hugging me. Bennett not even getting angry at her for embarrassing him at all. My mother just took a few steps toward me. I wasn't angry at her for it. I think we both realized how distant we were from each other. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. Bennett popped into my head. I smiled instantly. My lips curving upwards. I was so happy. "I'm great," I said. And I meant it. But my mother didn't believe me.

"No, don't lie to me." She said.

"No really I'm fine." I said. "I've moved on."

My mother's face was confused. "When did you start seeing this other boy?" She asked.

"Bennett and I have been together since I broke up with Dave." I said. I figured I should tell her the truth. I hadn't told Bennett that my mother didn't know he existed in my life. To his mother I was a close friend of hers he had talked about me so much. This was the first time my mother had heard his name. He wouldn't liek hearing thet I don't think. "I didn't break up with Dave because he cheated on me, half of it was because I liked Bennett." My face was serious. My smile falling to the floor.

My mother looked at me studying me. "Is this a joke?" She asked.

"What?"

"You're acting like you're sister right now." She was mad. "Is there anything else I should know?"

Suddenly I was furious with my mother. What was wrong with her? She was mad that I had moved on from my boyfriend cheating on me before I cut him lose of my life. Now she was mad I was acting like Amber. I was sick of being the pposite of Amber. I looked back at her. Feeling like I had something in me. The walls around me were down suddenly between me and my mother. That shell I used to hide behidn was gone. Left behind for this conversation.

"I have a job," I said, acting cool. Not mad at all. I hated my mother right then.

"What?" She asked. "When did this happen?"

"Before I broke up with Dave." I said.

"I want you to quit."

"Why?"

"You don't need a job, Elisa. I can give you money."

She was mad about that too.

"Do you want me to break up with Bennett too mom?" I asked. I sounded so mean then.

And I didn't wait for an naswer I went up to my room. Shutting the door quietly behind me because slamming it would be too dramatic for me right now. I cooled off. I was back to normal. I turned my stereo on playing a mix-CD Bennett had given me. And I was happy I wasn't perfect ot my mother anymore. Becuase perfect was everything Amber wasn't. I wanted to be me suddenly. But I didn't know how.

It was sad thinking of that. Not knowing how ot be yourself. I'm sixteen. Almost Seventeen. I don't know how to be me.

I looked at my phone. Wondering who I should call first. I wanted to talk to someone. I narrowed it down to three people. But the one I chose required me digging up a phone number I didn't remember. I pressed the phoen to my face. Waiting. Four rings. "Hello?"

"Hi, are you busy right now?" I asked.

"Just watching mind-numbing TV, you?"

"Do you still want to hear what happened?" I asked.

There was a noise. The sound of the TV was off and she shifted. "Yes," she said quickly.

I'm not too good at being a sister. We've had our sisterly moments here and there a long as they weren't forced. She was so older than me but somehow I poured my story to her. Every last detail. And she was there. Telling me how I made all the right moves and how she wished she had been as smart as me when stuff liek this happened to her. I was thankful I had Amber to be there for me. To be the sister I always took for granted.

"You know what," She said right before I was going to hang up. "You and me, we aren't that different."

I smield a little. "I know," I said.

"Thanks for callign me, kid."

"Thanks for helping me."

"Hey, I'm your sister."

I laughed a little. "Bye, Amber."

"Call me some other time, I'll start visiting more. I want ot meet this Bennett guy."

"I will," I said. "Bye."

We both hung up. I waited for her to first. I felt strange. The world had completely shifted underneath my feet. I felt it slowly tilt back to what it was supposed to be- it was not far from where I was just moments before on the phone with my sister.