Mom didn't come home last night.
It's almost one in the morning.
Hope came home, but no Mom.
I'm not sure where she went. I decided to call Ali. She must have an idea where she is.
"Hi Ali" I say when Ali answers.
"Hey kiddo, I imagine you're asking about your mother, am I right?" Ali says.
"Yeah" I say. "Where is she?"
"She went to my place" Ali says.
"Oh. How did it go?" I ask.
"It went fairly well. Ash opened up and talked for a while. We all listened. By the end, Ash said she felt completely empty and stuff, and she didn't want to leave. She drank but didn't get too drunk. I told her she couldn't drive so that's why Hope took your moms car home, and Ash came over to my place" Ali explained.
"Okay" I sigh. "Is she alright? I just want my Mom back now. It's heartbreaking to see her this way. I want to help her, but she won't let me in" I say.
"Riley, you just gotta give her time. Your momma has a lot on her mind" Ali sighs. "Do you want to come over?"
"Alright" I say. "I'll tell Hope to drive me"
"Okay, see you soon Riley" Ali says.
"Yeah bye Ali" I say and hang up.
I turn to face the stairs.
"Yo Hope! Drive me to Ali's house!" I yell.
"Riley is 1:30 in the morning!" Hope yells back.
"Exactly! Now let's go, lazy bones!" I shout, and I hear a loud groan as Hope walks back downstairs in a sports bra and a sweatshirt in her hands.
"I'll drive" Hope yawned.
She starts to pull on her sweatshirt. I notice her rock hard abs.
"Ooh, didn't know you had abs" I say, and she chuckles.
"Didn't think an old lady like me can still look good?" Hope asks.
"Didn't know you could rock abs that well" I say. She laughs.
"Just get in the car, loser" She ruffled my hair and I laughed. We got in the car and started to drive to Ali's place.
"So why exactly are we driving to Ali's place at 1:35 in the morning?" Hope asked with a yawn.
"She told me to come over" I say.
"Oh she told you to come over uh huh that makes perfect sense yep" Hope says. Then she adds. "Did you ever question if she was high or not? If she was under the influence of alcohol?"
"No" I say after a bit of thought. "She didn't sound drunk to me"
"Well Ali has that affect on people" Hope grumbled. I don't question her, because I'm not sure where the conversation could lead and I'm not really awake for an argument.
We drive in silence until we get to Ali's house.
"Okay I'm just dropping you off and leaving. You get to sleep here" Hope says.
"Sure" I say.
I get out of the car.
"Bye Riley" Hope waves.
"Bye Hope. Stay safe" I say, and Hope nods, pulling away. I go up to the front door and knock on it.
"Hey Ri, come inside" Ali says, taking me under her arm. I walk inside with her, and spot Mom asleep on the couch.
"How long has she been asleep?" I ask, nodding in Mom's direction.
"Ever since she..kind of cried herself to sleep. So about eleven thirty" Ali says nervously.
"Why did she cry herself to sleep?" I ask in a bit of a worried tone.
"Riley, you know how these things are" Ali says in a voice tone that makes her feel awkward.
"No I don't. Explain" I command, but then feel bad at my tone of voice. I'm fifteen and not older that Ali. I should at least try and pretend that I respect her. I only partially do.
"She talked about her past and in the end she was in tears. Actually we both were. So then she just cried herself to sleep, while I sat next to her. I sort of didn't know what to do, so I let her cry it out" Ali says, playing with her fingers. I nod.
"So what now? Is she back to normal yet?" I ask.
"I don't know, kid, I'm not sure. You just have to give her more time" Ali sighs, and opens her arms out for me to hug her. I go into her and we hug. This is the first time I've ever had any type of affectionate touch with her, that was mutual. It was kind of nice.
"I don't know what to do anymore Ali" I whisper.
"Kid, I want your mom back too, maybe not as much as you, but I still want her back" Ali says.
"What was she like, before all this" I ask.
"Well," Ali lets go of me, and we sit down on the couch next to Mom who is passed out. "she was very protective of those who she was close to. She always looked out for us, and she always looked out for the younger girls like Moe and the others"
I was interested now. I was learning things about my mother that I can't and won't learn anywhere else.
"She never talked about her past, nothing in her past. Not her siblings or parents or anyone that is related by blood to her. No one. When people asked about them, or when I asked about them, she would just say that it was all boring and nothing they should worry themselves with by knowing" Ali tells me.
"Why was she so protective of her past? Sure, it wasn't exactly a happy story, but why?" I ask.
"She didn't want pity." Ali says. "At least that's what I think. Or it could be that she's hiding more that we suspected"
"She could be hiding more?" I ask in disbelief.
"I'm sorry sweetie. Your mom is a real mystery, and it would take a real detective to figure out her past" Ali sighs, grabbing my hand. "I don't think that we are smart enough to figure this out."
"What do you mean? I want to know what is going on inside her head. I want to help her. And if that means therapy or something, then so be it. Because I will do everything to have her back" I say strongly.
"Did you ever stop and think about if this change was permanent? That Ash will be like this forever? Maybe this change is for the better. Maybe it's good no one knows about her past" Ali says. I shake my head no.
"No, Ali. I need to know. I want to know who she is. Just please help me on this. Mom has been hiding things from me for too long. I don't want any secrets anymore. I won't hide any from her, and she can't hide any from me" I tell Ali. She nods.
"Riley, you are going to have to work that out with your mom. I can't say if that's good or not" Ali stands up. I stand too. "So in the meantime, there's a guest room down the hall you can sleep in. I'm sure Hope does not want to come all the way back out here at two thirty in the morning to pick you up" Ali laughs lightly. I smile, nodding.
"Thank you Ali" I smile.
"For what?" She asks.
"For everything you have done to try and help me. I really appreciate the effort. I'm thankful for you, I really am. So thank you" I say, and Ali grabs me by the arm and pulls me in for a hug that I return.
"Riley, I love your mom. I really do. And I always want what's best for her. For the both of you. So take this from me; it may be best if you just give your mom time and space. She will come around. Just give her some time" Ali pats my shoulder, and I walk into the guest room and climb in the bed.
My mother really is a mystery.
Hopefully I can solve this one.
A/N: Heyyy everyone! Sorry I went MIA, but I'm back now! Just got busy with my new story 'High School Sweethearts' or something like that. Check it out.
Anyways..how did you like this chapter? Got any ways to improve it? Feel free to share!
I've developed a business kik. It's called 'uswntduh' so you can contact me through there.
Keep reading! I love you all!
-Kennedy
