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TWELVE
~ Samuel ~
No sooner had I watched Aria flee from the church than my mother turned to look at me. Her eyes narrowed into piercing slits, and her mouth formed a tight straight line.
I was in trouble.
“Now, do you want to tell me what that was all about?”
The priest sensing the tense situation, backed away. I watched as he joined the other churchgoers, ushering them away from us in an attempt to give us privacy. I knew the old ladies liked to gossip, and this was hot news. One way or another, they were going to find out.
“Ma, I can explain.”
She placed her hands on her hips, “You had better. That poor girl looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders when she left. What did she mean when she said you used her?”
Gulping, I knew that there was no other option than to tell the truth. I slumped onto the pew, my tiny mother now fiercely towering over me.
“I couldn’t bear to see you so upset, ma. Ever since dad got ill, you’ve been so down. And then you mentioned Aria, and you seemed so happy. I just wanted to make you happy.”
She prodded me in the chest, “What did you do?”
“I made it all up. I told you Aria and I were dating to make you happy, but I didn’t realize it would go so far.”
“You did what?” she exploded, “You think faking a relationship with that poor girl would make me happy? What did you think was going to happen in the long-term?”
I felt deflated as I shrugged, “I don’t know. She didn’t want to get involved at first, but once she realized that it was making you happy, she agreed. She loves you as much as I do, ma. We thought we could keep it up until she left town again. Then we would have just said it fizzled out.”
Mom looked furious. It was still better than her being sad, but it was terrifying when it was aimed at me. No one wants to upset their mom.
“And that’s why she’s saying you used her?”
Guiltily, I looked down at the floor. It seemed I didn’t have to say anything as my mom’s eyes widened. Shocked, she looked at me incredulously.
“Tell me you didn’t sleep with her. Tell me you didn’t sleep with her and not call her back. Tell me you didn’t use her for fun.”
“She agreed to it,” I mumbled, “She agreed that it was just fun. I never realized…”
Mom thwacked me around the back of my head with her handbag. Taken by surprise, I almost fell from the pew.
“I raised you better than that. Your dad raised you better than that. How could you not tell that girl is head over heels for you? A blind man could see it. And you? You’re telling me that you don’t have any feelings for her? Don’t lie to me, boy. Don’t lie to me in God’s presence.”
“She never said anything. I didn’t realize. Mom, I really do like her. I think…”
“Then what are you still doing here? You think you’ll ever get a chance with a girl like that again? You need to go make this right.”
Her words seemed to click into place. Looking back, I realized how I had treated her, and I could see the way she reacted to me. Mom was right. There was no way that all this could have happened if there was nothing else behind it. I had been a fool, and I needed to get to Aria before it was too late.
“I’ll get a lift back with one of my friends. Now go!” she cried, pointing towards the door.
I didn’t need to be told twice as I jumped up from the pew and sprinted from the church. Fumbling, my keys dropped to the ground, and I had to scoop them back up as I ran to my car. Jumping in, I put my seatbelt on before slamming my foot into the pedal. My breathing was staggered as I made my way back home, praying that I would get to Aria on time. As soon as I had parked, I sprung from the car. Paul shouted over to me as he was loading luggage bags into his vehicle.
“You’re too late, Sam.”
Panicked, I ignored him as I pushed past but there, I met my next obstacle. Kelly. She was glowering at me, hands-on-hips, as she pinned me down with her stare. If looks could kill, I’d have been sprawled out on the floor instantly.
“You need to leave now,” she growled.
“I need to speak to Aria,” I pleaded.
