Page 57 of Payback
“I never befriended him,” I reminded her.
“No, because that would’ve made people truly view us as unhinged. Allowing our daughter to befriend the offspring of such trash!” my mother exclaimed.
“It’s not like his touch is toxic,” I muttered.
“No, but who’s to say it wouldn’t escalate?” she interrogated. “Are you two dating?”
She began laughing mockingly, and though I brushed it off, her words stung.It seemed as if she were delving too deeply into a truth that I had been reluctant to acknowledge even to myself.
“Why persist in tormenting that boy? He’s not even worth your time,” my mother snapped at me, flinging her arms up in exasperation and giving me a look that suggested I’d lost my sanity. “There are more productive pursuits, like focusing on school!”
“I am focusing on school. My grades are still good, aren’t they?”
“Yes, and that’s the sole reason I’m not sending you to your room without dinner. But I can’t keep enduring the humiliation of having a daughter who’s fixated on a nobody!” my mother retorted.
“It’s not like I’m truly spending time with him. I’m simply asserting control,” I clarified.
“What on earth does that even mean?” my mother erupted.
“Come on, darling, you used to be the queen of your high school.”
“Yes, and I made sure people knew their place, but I never assaulted anyone!”
“Only glued someone’s hair together,” my father interjected, earning a faint smile from me.
“Fine, but it pales in comparison to the number of times our daughter’s been summoned to the principal’s office, usually for the same reason. What’s your fixation with this boy? Why does it always have to be him?” my mother screamed.
“He can’t defend himself. As Dad mentioned, his father’s a drunk who’ll accept any bribe for his drinking habit. Isn’t it better to target a nobody than someone capable of retaliation?” I countered.
My mother shook her head, her eyes filled with disappointment. She downed her drink and refilled her glass.
“Alison, you will cease all contact with this boy immediately!”
“Mother, it was a prank. No one laid a hand on him. The team merely gave him a hard time,” I defended.
“According to the coach who discovered him in the locker room, that’s not accurate.”
“It’s an overreaction. They never physically harmed him. It was all in good fun.”
“Whether it was harmless fun or not, I’m exhausted from the school repeatedly summoning me for the same issue!” she cried. “You will stay away from Jared Tyler for good! Do you understand me?”
I sighed and looked down at the ground. My mother advanced, the ice cubes clinking against her glass again. She came so close that her face was inches from mine, and her breath, tainted with alcohol, invaded my senses.
“Are you listening, Alison?” she snapped.
“I am listening...”
“You will never approach that boy again. Hold out until graduation, and then he won’t be a distraction anymore. If you fail to obey, I’ll take away the new car your dad bought you. And no trip to Spain this summer!” she shouted. “Is that clear?”
“Yes, Mother...”
“Good!” she shouted, retreating and shaking her head. “Where the hell did we go wrong with you?”
I sighed and stared at the floor, my hands clenched together. I believed Jared would have understood by now that running to the teachers wouldn’t rescue him. This time he even fabricated a story, claiming that the team had assaulted him. It wasn’t true. They merely teased him about it, but nothing physical occurred. Jared was going to pay for this.
Chapter 30
-Jared-
