Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It's hard being away from your mom, because then nobody is there to protect you whenever your father hits and shouts at you.

It's been a month into summer, and it hasn't been going well. The job was supposed to help pay for my tuition, but it's being used for the Food Network. I'm tired of having to talk to people like Crispin from morning to night and then having to deal with Dad afterwards.

I hate the fact that I can't do anything about Dad and the way he treats me. I think he used to do this to Mom– I don't know, I never saw it myself —and since she's not here anymore he does it to me. I hate the fact that I'm too cowardly to even shout back at him. What if he hits me so hard I forget my own middle name? I'm glad that hasn't happened yet— I want it to stay that way.

And all that has led to this– me escaping in the middle of the night with all my luggage, using the money I've saved up for weeks, and booking a taxi straight to Mom's house. I didn't tell Dad, I was too scared.

I step off of the taxi after paying the driver. Honestly, he was kinda creepy. I wish Nicole would've been with me. I walk to Grandma's front door while hauling my bags. Shit, they're so heavy.. As much as I hate Grandma, I figured that it's easier to deal with her and her bullshit than to be with Dad for one more day.

I ring the doorbell. I didn't expect for it to open so quickly. I thought I had to wait for 5 minutes or something. And who's at the door? Mom. Except, she doesn't really look like Mom. Her hairs a bit messy, she doesn't have the full face of makeup that she usually has, and I can clearly the see eyebags underneath her eyes. Fuck, did the divorce hit her that hard? She stares at me for a bit. I can't help but stare back. I think she's in disbelief, to be honest. Her mouth's opened a bit, her eyes widening slowly. Then, suddenly, she pulls me into a tight hug. She lays her head on my shoulder, and I can feel her tears and her body shaking.

"Jessica, my baby.." Mom sniffles. I try to return her hug, but it ends up being a little awkward. I love Mom and all, but I was never good at this whole comforting thing.

We stay like that for a bit, hugging each other. I only realised just how much I really needed her after the divorce.

Chapter Text

Mom releases me and opens the door before letting me enter the house. Grandma's house is big and everythings in white and light blue and it's definitely too big for a frail old grandma living alone (well until Mom moved in). I can't help but wonder how Grandma cleans the house and the lawn before Mom came over.

The moment I step in, I'm greeted with Grandma's iconic wooden dining table that's big enough for the whole extended family to eat in. It's kind of useless though cause nobody really visits Grandma. I'm not surprised, shes a huge bitch to everyone. There's a lot of documents all scattered about on top of the table. I sit on one of the many chairs beside the table and I try to take a peek at the documents. I can't understand any of it cause it's a bunch of fancy legal words. 

I guess Mom catches me looking at the papers cause she says "Those are just the divorce settlement papers, me and your Grandma were talking with our attorney before you came..." in a distracted voice.

She walks over to the kitchen, pulls out two cups, pours boiling water and tea bags in them, before going back to me. She gives one of the cups to me before she sits down across me. 

Theres a bit of an awkward silence. I think Mom wants me to start the conversation, but I don't know what to say. I look outside the window and I watch the sun and the birds outside. It's already after lunch. I look back to Mom. She takes a sip from tea. I do the same. She takes another sip from her tea. I do the same. 

Finally, Mom says something. "How has your Dad been treating you?" She asks.

"Fine." I answer. What else was I supposed to say?

"Well, that's good." I can see the slight hesitation in her tone as she said that. I don't think Mom fully believed me. "How's your summer vacation so far?"

"I got a job."

"A job? That's great! You really have grown so much, I'm so proud..." Mom has a sad little smile as she wiped a stray tear from her eye.

"Dad made me get it though."

Mom's posture changes. "Was it good? Did he pressure you?"

I know the answer to this one. He pressured me and threatened me whenever I didn't have a job. "Yeah, he pressured me. A lot."

Mom's posture changes. She doesn't say anything this time.