AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sloane
Then
“Call me in the morning, okay?”
The words ring in my head and press against my skull, making the already incessant pounding happening behind my forehead even worse. I groan and rub at my temples, wondering whose voice it is and why I can’t remember anything more than a few snippets of my first college party.
“Sit up straight!” My mother whispers through clenched teeth, and I glare at her. Any chance at remembering the details of last night were lost the moment I woke up to find her standing over me. Her face pinched in disapproval as I wiped the drool off of my chin and tried to remember how I got home.
She took one look at me and launched into a speech about my lack of decorum and respect for myself and the Carson name. Then she dragged me out of bed and forced me to get dressed for the breakfast being hosted by her sorority for legacy pledges.
We’ve been here for hours, mingling with people I have no interest in getting to know, and listening to endless droning about sisterhood and community service initiatives everyone knows are more about optics than they are about service.
I feel the gentle prodding of my mother’s elbow in my ribs and finally give in. She looks pleased when I lean back in my seat and cross my legs but frowns when she sees my face.
“Would it kill you to smile?”
“Probably.”
She purses her lips, and I turn my attention to the podium where the chapter head is wrapping up her speech about pledge week. “Thank you so much for being here today. We look forward to seeing you ladies in the coming weeks.”
The crowd starts to disperse immediately, and I’m one of the first ones out of the building. My mother is hot on my heels as I start the short walk back to my dorm.
“Sloane Elise Carson!” Her heels click on the sidewalk as she struggles to match my pace. “I swear I’ve never been more embarrassed in my life. You know better than to behave that way in public.”
“If this is another one of your ‘you’re a constant disappointment, I’m ashamed of everything you do’ speeches, you can save it. We just did this yesterday, and I’m done with it.”
“Oh, young lady, we are far from done.” Her fingers wrap around my elbow, forcing me to stop. “Your father and I did not spend the last eighteen years giving you the world, just for you to come here and piss your entire future away by becoming a drunken party girl with loose morals.”
The emphasis she places on loose makes my spine stiffen, and her eyes snap with a sick satisfaction once she realizes implying that I’m a whore has captured my attention.
“It was one party, Mom. I went to one party.” And despite my plan to spend the night with someone, waking up in my bed this morning tells me my morals are perfectly intact.
“It doesn’t matter! You’re not here for boys and alcohol, Sloane. You’re here to solidify your place in society as a well-bred, educated woman of value and substance. That is the only way you will secure a husband and future worthy of the sacrifices we’ve made for you.”
“Is that what your sudden obsession with being a mother is about? Making sure I marry well?”
Her shoulders go back. “Don’t act like my interest in your life is new. You’ve had the very best of everything….”
“Except a mother!”
The slap across my face catches me completely off guard. Tears well in my eyes instantly as I cup my cheek with the hand not being held in my mother’s bony grasp. She doesn’t even look remorseful as she leans in close to me.
“I am done with your disrespect. Your little friends might get away with this kind of behavior, but I won’t have it.” She releases my arm and straightens her blouse. “I knew letting you room with a bunch of random girls would be a mistake. They’re bad influences on you.”
I blink through the tears blurring my vision. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about removing you from an untoward situation. If this is what you’re like after one night of living with those girls, I shudder to think what you’ll be like after an entire year.”
My gut clenches as I realize what she’s saying, and she smiles at my horrified expression. Every bit of the small amount of joy I got from my moment of freedom dies on the curves on her lips.
“You’re going to make me move back home.”
She tilts her head, both of her brows lifting in amusement. “And subject myself to you sulking around day in and day out? I don’t think so. I’ll contact my friend in Housing tomorrow and have you moved to a single room. Maybe having your own space will help you remember how to conduct yourself.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because someone has to save you from yourself, darling.”
