I pushed my chair back, careful not to make a noise and draw attention to myself. My mother was still studying the office, a room that was clean and modern, even though there were a few grease stains along the walls and floor. It was a garage after all, so stains were hard to avoid.
My body was coiled tight, my hands clutched together in front of my T-shirt. “Can I help you?” I croaked, my throat feeling like I swallowed sand.
“You look ridiculous. What the hell are you doing? No daughter of mine is going to work in a dirty garage dressed in rags. As a receptionist no less. All the expensive schooling I paid for was for nothing. You truly are my biggest disappointment.”
“I apologize but we’re closed. If you need a service for your car, you can call or come back tomorrow.”
She made a dismissive gesture and sneered at me. “As if I would ever bring my car here. We’re going home. I’m sick of your childish rebellion. It ends now.”
My hands shook when I grabbed my bag. I was only too happy to go home. Just not with her. “You have no say over what I do anymore. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get home.”
With my head held high, I walked past her, keeping her in my sight the whole time. I almost made it to the door when I felt her fingers dig into my arm. “You think you can defy me, girl? I decide what you do and where you go. You’ve had your fun; it’s time to come back home.”
I tried to be strong and stand up to her but years of conditioning were hard to break. “Let go of me,” I pleaded, my voice no more than a whisper.
She ignored my pleas and dragged me outside and toward her car, a black Mercedes G Wagon. I stumbled after her, more out of habit than anything else. She wasn’t strong enough to make me do anything anymore. Her style included well-placed verbal jabs and emotional manipulation. The fact that she had gone out of her way and come to the garage told me she was working on something that required my participation.
If I got into the car, there would be no more job at Drake’s. Or girls’ nights out with Maisie and Willa. Or babysitting Luca and Lena. I’d be right back to where I had been most of my life, locked up and forgotten in a cold mansion.
I dug my heels in and managed to stop our movement. My mother wasn’t one to accept rebellion and pulled harder. I tried to free my arm and leaned back to use my minimal body weight to help me.
My arm slipped, but I stumbled and she used the momentum to push me toward the car. She opened the passenger door and shoved me in the back. I was too stunned at the physical assault that instead of jumping out of the car, I sat on the back seat. After all, wasn’t she the one who had always told me that a Connor never got physical?
“Why are you doing this? Just let me live my life. I’m not going to ruin your campaign. I promise,” I pleaded. I was not above begging.
“Shut up,” she sneered.
“I’ll meet you for dinner. Tomorrow. But don’t make me go with you now.”
“You’re coming home with me. End of discussion.”
Before I had a chance to get back out, she was in the driver’s seat and had started the car.
When she was pulling out of the parking lot, I scrambled for the door lock. Everyone else in this town was driving a trusty old Ford truck, but my mother just had to get the latest G Wagon. I was desperate, and the intricacies of new door locks were not going to stop me. With a bit of luck, I managed to unlock the door and open it. My seat belt wasn’t fastened, so as soon as the door opened, I simply threw myself out of the car.
I didn’t think my mother realized just how far I would go to get away from her. I could only imagine her surprise when she saw me disappear through the door.
I hit the ground and all the air escaped my lungs. I rolled a few times, the concrete biting into my skin. My only saving grace was that we hadn’t been going very fast; her tires screeched to a stop a few yards up the road. I rolled to my side to inspect the damage to my arm. Parts of my skin were torn off and it stung, bringing tears to my eyes.
“Stella?” someone called out.
I pushed myself up to sitting and turned toward the voice. Mason was running in my direction at full speed. Tires spun out, kicking up gravel as my mother drove off, leaving me on the side of the road.
I was so relieved to see Mason I started crying. He came to a sliding stop next to me and dropped to his knees. “Fuck, what happened? Do I need to call an ambulance?”
His hands hovered for a second, but he must have come to a decision because he put them around me and helped me up.
I gripped onto the front of his shirt, the contact grounding me in the here and now. “I’m fine. It’s just a graze.”
My voice sounded funny and I was wheezing, trying to force the air in and out of my lungs.
His eyes drifted over me. “Bullshit. You’re not fine. I’m taking you to the emergency room.”
Leaning against him, with his arm around my waist, he walked me to his car, putting me inside and buckling me in. He leaned closer, his eyes flitting over my face. “You still with me?”
I dropped my head back against the headrest and nodded.
He got in on the driver’s side and started the car. The tires spun when he pulled out of the parking lot and raced down the road. I prayed we would make it to the hospital in one piece.
