Chapter 56

I held my breathe walking into my house as quietly as I could. I shut the door so quietly. If this was an old house I would have been revealed. But it was 9:45 in the morning. I had the feeling that my chances of getting away with this were slim. My mother would know. Her sleeping patterns had her up at six. Sometimes five. Today was no exception. I was screwed.

But there was still a chance I could sneak upstairs. In a fashion I learned from Amber I took my shoes off- they were slip ons. Moccassins. And then started tiptoeing up our stairs. I figured my mother would hear me. My door was wide open. A sign that no matter what she knew. I wasn't home when she came in to check on me.

I couldn't think of an excuse. I went out of the house with Cass and Miles. To see Bennett play. My mother didn't know I had gone with Cass and Miles. I bit my lip going into my room. I froze.

Teen movies are legitimate. Mother's looking like hell. Sitting in their daughters rooms waiting for them to come home. They're make-up making them look like angry killer clowns, and their hair all messed up. But my mother was sitting there. Dressed for the day. Cup of coffee in her hands. But her expression when I walked into my room was one I knew slightly from those teen movies. But it was ten times worse and scarier.

"Where were you?" She asked. Her voice so close to a growl I was already dead prey in her hands.

I swallowed. Opening my mouth.

"I thought you were more responsible than that Elisa!" She said sudenly becoming upset. She had a good guess. In fact it made sense to me what she meant. "Did Dave cheating on you do this much to you?"

I looked at her suddenly my eyes narrowed. "I told you before," I said. "I don't care about Dave cheating on me."

"Look at yourself Elisa!" She said loudly. "You're the opposite of who you are. You're like Amber! I don't even know who you are."

I caught myself in the mirror of my bureau. I saw myself. When I looekd at myself really fast I saw Rainie Joseph. The person people said I looked like now. But I looked harder and I saw the person Bennett always told me about. I looked at my mother again. My eyes studying her. I used to wonder what I'd be like if my father hadn't left. I realized now I should be wondering what I'd be like if my mother bakced out of my life instead of him.

"I don't want you seeing this boy anymore." She started wlaking out liek this was done.

I looked at her like she was crazy. "You want me to break up with Bennett?" I asked.

"Yes," She said. "He isn't a good person for you to be near- let alone getting into a relationship with. You're too young to be this serious abotu a boy."

"I have only been in a relationship with him for two months." I said. "I was in a relationship with Dave for five. I thought I loved Dave, mom. I don't think I love Bennett. In fact, he's the best thing to happen to me." I was upset yelling at my mother.

She stared at me. Her eyes seeing me.

"Can't I finally be happy, mom?" I asked.

Her eyes looked at me. Seeing me. They changed. Saddening. "Don't you dare pull that on me." She said.

"I've been miserable. In case you haven't noticed. And now... I'm happy. I'm freaking happy. Can't you let me be happy. I'm not having sex with Bennett. I'm not doing anything wrong. You pushed me and pushed me into my relaitonship with Dave. Telling me he was good for me. Mom he wasn't. He made me sleep with him. He cheated on me. With three different girls. Bennett would never do that to me. He's the best thing that's happened to me, mom. Don't you get that?"

I saw my reflection in her eyes. I was a stranger. I was different. I remembered all of the years I let her pick out my outfits in stores. Told me what to say. What to do. When I became frineds with Cass she controlled a little less of me. She had a part of my that was a little bit like Amber but never that much. The my clothes changed along with my music taste. And I was finally going on the right track to her with Dave.

Everything changed. It started with the two things she could never change. My music. And my choice of friends. And from there I found a person. Or they found me. A twist of fate happened. Bennett Williams. The legend. Finding me. Started liking me. And somehow I couldn't help liking him back. We always had a connection. I remembered that silver chain he gave me. Save me. He saved me. He breathed life and purpose into me. He gave me happiness. He gave me everything I could ever want. And here was my mother trying to fight that. But she couldn't. I was going ot let go of Bennett just becasue she told me to.

This was a fight that would never end. It ended for now, her walking out my room leaving me there. I had won.

I smiled. Seeing myself in the mirror. That person Bennett always tlaked about was there. Staring back at me. Smiling. I remembered him apologizing quickly. Saying how he should go in and explain for me. Why I had been out all night. But I said no. I was supposed to call him to make sure I got out alive.

I dialed his phone number. The second ring he answered. "Elisa?" He said.

"Hey," I said.

"So you're still alive?" He asked.

I smiled. "Yeah," I said. "Somehow." I looked around my room. "Hey, are you busy today?"

"No," He said.

"Do you want to go somewhere today, we could go to the IHOP. I just need to get out of my house." I said. My room was unsettling. Just for now. The fight still hung in the air.

"Yeah," He said. "I'll pick you up in a few minutes if you want."

"That'd be great." I said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

My mother didn't say anything to me when she heard me go down the stairs. "I'm going out." I said loudly so she heard. And then I walked out shutting my big black door behind me. Leavign her locked inside. Away form me. I was out of my quiet empty house. I walked out to his car waiting at the end of my driveway.

I got into the car. He kissed me. His eyes moving ot my neck. He smiled a little. "You don't ahve to wear that." He said. "It will sort of have a use in the future."

I smield. "I want to tohugh. What use will it have, I'm curious now."

He kissed me. "You never ask about the key, so why should I tell you."

I smiled. Kissing him again. Closing my eyes. And kissing him. His lips soft agaisnt mine. It was perfect. I felt this feeling. I wasn't quiet emo Elisa anymore. She was dead. Long gone. I was this person now. I moved away, but he held my face pulling me back to him so he could kiss me a little longer.

I was happy. I really was.