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So, it feels false, like she’s putting on a show for her new man. It makes my stomach turn.
My hands press against my worn sheets, and I slide into a sitting position, slinking away from her hand. "I think I'm going to take a shower. I feel kind of gross."
“You need to take your meds, Vera.”
I roll my eyes, falling onto my side and popping the pills out of the bottle, then toss them onto my tongue. Lifting the top on the plate, I grab the warm roll and shove half of it into my mouth. “Happy?” I say around a mouthful of bread. Sighing, I chew my way through the dryness as I slide off the edge of my bed.
Her hand reaches out, curling around my fingers. "Hold on a second. Can you sit down? I wanted to talk to you about something quick."
I narrow my eyes at her, instantly on guard. I almost don't want to know what other kind of details about this move she's kept from me, and from the hesitant look on her face, she already knows I'm not going to be happy about it.
I sit back down on the bed, though only on the edge. I don't care if it's raining, or if we're in the middle of nowhere in some weird alternate universe, I'll run my ass all the way back to Fargo. It's too much.
"It's about school," she starts.
I groan, looking for my bag. Talk of school makes me need a cigarette.
I find it on the floor near my nightstand. Bending over, I curl my fingers around the worn strap and lift it onto my lap. Unzipping the front pocket, I pull out my pack and lighter.
"You aren't smoking in here. You aren’t smoking at all for that matter. Give me the cigarettes."
My nostrils flare, and I press them against my lap, tired and fucking irritable. "What is it you needed to tell me?" No way in hell is she taking away the cigarettes.
"There's only one school in Castle Pointe." She winces.
I nod my head. This town doesn't look like it would have five different schools. "I kind of figured that. So, great. I get to go to school with kindergarteners. I don't really care."
She takes a deep breath. "It's a Catholic school."
I blink at her.
"It's a private Catholic school. Very old-school. You'll be expected to wear a uniform, attend Mass. According to Samuel, there're priests, nuns, the whole nine yards. It'll be much different than what you’re used to." She nods her head toward my closet.
I follow her gaze, looking into my opened walk-in closet and see it empty, except for one long row of dark gray and black uniforms. Skirts, jackets, and white, short-sleeved button-ups.
Huh, I never noticed them earlier.
I bite my lip, turning my gaze back to my mom.
A laugh bursts out of me. I laugh so damn hard that tears stream down my face and I can barely catch my breath.
"What's so funny?" Her voice is no longer gentle, but a little put out. Slightly offended.
I wipe my cheeks with the heels of my palms, looking up at her. "I think it's absolutely hilarious that you expect me to go to school there. There is no chance in fucking hell I'm doing that."
She straightens, popping her hands on her hips as she stares down at me. That's her intent, to stand taller than me. To gain the upper hand. Because it's the only way she knows how. I think she knows, deep down, that given the chance, I'd lay her on her ass so quick, she wouldn't know what to do with herself. "You don't have a choice in the matter, Vera."
I nod. "Yes, I do. You can homeschool me, or I can get my GED for all I care. I'm not going to some stuck-up, weird-ass Catholic school. There's no chance—no damn chance—that I'll go there. I give you props for trying, though." I reach up, patting her hand with mine.
Her eyebrows lower, and she scowls down at me, tearing her hand from beneath mine. "This is exactly the reason you're going, Vera. Your attitude sucks. You think you're in charge. You think you have a say in any of this. Well, let me tell you something,you don't. Not even slightly. I'm your mother, and if I tell you you're going to a Catholic school, well, then you're putting on the damn uniform and you're going to go there with a smile on your face and manners in your back pocket. You need this school, Vera. They need to whip you into shape a little bit. Lord knows I've tried."
I laugh again, this one evil. Sinister. "You've done nothing but open your legs for a man who lives in a creepy house and looks like he could be your fucking father."
She grabs me by the ear, pulling me off the bed and onto the floor. "I am tired of you talking to me like this. I am your mother, goddammit. You better change your attitude real quick, Vera, or you'll be in for a rude awakening."
She drops me, and I fall to my knees on the ground. They pound against the floor, and my hand goes up to my burning ear, rubbing away the ache. I glare up at her. "You're such a bitch." I turn away from her, crawling toward my cigarette pack and lighter that's on the bed. Before I can grab them, though, my mom is there, snatching them from my hands and walking toward the door.
"First rule, no more smoking. Goodnight, Vera. Eat your food while it's hot. And get some rest, school starts tomorrow."
