I spent twenty minutes deciding what to wear. In the end, I had chosen a dark green tank top that would help hide my sweat if it got out of control, and pinned my hair back in a bun, so I wouldn’t have to think about it.
I don’t think he pictured the sagging gray trailer house that sat in front of us when he got dressed this morning. He parked, and I could barely move, acid in my throat.
“You’re shakin’, Ally,” Colton said, a deep concern in his voice.
I turned to look at him, hoping I didn’t look as horrible as I felt.
The surprise in his eyes made me think I did indeed look that bad. “What’s wrong?”
I opened my mouth and tried to force words to come out.
“You haven’t been yourself all mornin’,” he whispered. “Was it somethin’ I said or…”
“My mom and I are estranged,” I blurted. “We don’t have the best relationship. I’m a little nervous about how she’s going to treat you.”
He relaxed a little, relieved he wasn’t the one who had made me feel like I was going to pass out. “You don’t need to worry about that. I get bucked off a horse for a livin’,” he said with a teasing smile. “I’m tough.”
I didn’t even have the energy to muster a chuckle. “You’re gonna think differently when you meet her,” I promised.
He gave me a soft smile, his eyebrows still knit together in concern. “If you don’t want to go, it’s okay.”
I popped the door open before I could agree and tell him to drive back to the campground.
Colton immediately followed and jumped out after me.
My feet were dragging, but somehow I made it up the two creaky stairs.
The dirty, murky door seemed to frown with me, a final warning against this. Right above the cracked doorbell was a bright pink paper taped to the faded white siding.
Eviction Notice
I could feel Colton climbing the stairs behind me. He put his big, warm hand on my shoulder, his strong presence reminding me to breathe.
I knocked.
It took a full sixty seconds until we heard thestomp stomp stompof feet making their way to the door. The knob twisted a few times before the door was yanked open.
My mother stood in front of me for the first time in seven years.
Her blonde hair was thin and ratted, thrown up in a sloppy bun. Her clothes hung off her skeletal frame, clinging for their lives. She was wearing one of my old high school tank tops and short shorts. Her skin was grey and loose, making her look twenty years older than she was. In her mouth was an old cigarette butt, ash leaking from the tip. She had a bit of makeup on, smudged mascara, smeared lipstick, and bright pink blush.
It was all I could do not to gasp in horror.
Chapter Thirty
Colton squeezed my shoulder.
I swallowed and blinked. I needed to focus, to breathe, to do something.
My mom opened the door wider, and I went to step inside, but instead, a man in only boxer shorts came out. He was holding his clothes and shoes, practically running out of my mother’s house.
I watched him walk gingerly across the gravel and make his way into the trailer across the street.
Awesome.
She half closed the door again. “Can I help you?” She asked, her voice cracking.
I clenched my jaw, sure that I was going to explode from anger. “Are you serious right now?”
