Reed sighs. "You stole Uncle Rob's car?"
She swats his arm and laughs. "Don't be silly. We're family. It's not stealing if it's your family. Robby doesn't mind if I borrow his car."
"Does he know you have it?"
She shrugs. "I'll call him later and tell him." Her attention turns to me and she eyes me up and down. "Who's this pretty little thing?"
"I'm Lilly." I extend my hand to her but she doesn't shake it so I put it back down.
"Mom, you need to call Uncle Rob. You can't—"
"Just a minute." She holds her hand up to him, still eyeing me; my clothes and then my face and hair. "Are you one of those rich kids that go to school here? I bet you paid big bucks for that dye job. That blond color with all those highlights? It'd cost at least three hundred in LA to get that done."
"It's not a dye job. It's my real hair color."
"No shit?" She picks up a chunk of my hair, then drops it. "I wish I had hair like that." She focuses back on Reed. "You did well, kid. She's pretty. Better than you deserve."
Her comment angers me. Why would she say that? It's mean and insulting, although it's not unlike something my own mother would say. She'd just be more subtle about it and wouldn't say it in front of other people.
Reed drops his surfboard and holds her arm. "You've been drinking."
She waves her hand around. "One beer. Big deal."
"It wasn't beer. I smell the whiskey on you."
"Fine. I had a shot. I needed it to take the edge off."
"You had more than a shot. You're drunk. Were you drunk when you drove here?"
She rips her arm away from him. "No, I wasn't drunk! And I'm not now."
He holds her shoulders. "Look at me." He waits until she does. "Did you have any alcohol in you when you were driving?"
She glances away.
He lets her go and walks away from her. "Fuck!" He storms back to her. "You could've killed someone, you know that? Someone could be dead right now because of you. Do you even care about that?"
She doesn't answer. Instead, she looks at her nails and picks at her bright blue polish.
"Mom, are you listening to me? You could've killed someone. Or yourself. Or you could've been pulled over and arrested."
She shoves him back. "I don't need your damn lectures. I'm a grown woman. I'm not going to stand here and listen to some kid tell me what to do. I came here to see you, but I don't know why I bothered. You don't care about me. You only care about yourself."
His head drops along with his shoulders. My heart breaks seeing his reaction, knowing how much her words hurt him. All he does is worry about her and take care of her and pay her bills, and she still accuses him of not caring about her and says he's being selfish, which is the exact opposite of Reed. He isn't the least bit selfish. He's always thinking of others.
His mom smirks. She's pleased with herself. She accomplished her goal to make Reed feel bad. To make him feel guilty. To feel sorry for her. I can see right through her little act. I know exactly what she's doing because my mom does the same thing, only this is way worse.
I don't like this woman. I don't like her at all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Reed looks at his mom. "I don't care about you? Seriously? After everything I've done for you, and still do for you, you really think I don't care about you?"
She huffs and picks at her nails again. "If you did, you wouldn't be yelling at me right now. And telling me what to do."
"I'm trying to keep you from destroying yourself. I'm trying to get you better so you can have a life."
"I have a life. You just don't approve of it. You're judgmental, just like your father. You think you're better than everyone else."
Hearing her talk to Reed this way is making me feel sick. Partly because it reminds me of conversations I have with my own mother. She uses different words, but when she says them, I get that same sick feeling in my stomach.
Reed says his mom only talks this way when she's drunk, but I'm starting to wonder if she does it even when she's not. I don't think she's a nice person, even when she's sober.
"You need to go home," Reed says to her. He picks up his surfboard. "Follow me to my dorm so I can drop this off."
"Fine." She adjusts her mini skirt. "I don't want to be here anyway."
Reed comes over to me and quietly says, "I'm so sorry about this. I had no idea she'd show up here. If you want to still go to the beach, you can take my Jeep. All our stuff is in there." He offers me his keys.
"I'm not going without you. We'll do it some other time."
"I'm really sorry, Lilly."
"Don't be. It's okay."
He glances back at his mom, who's swiping through her phone and chomping on a piece of gum. "I have to take her back to LA. I'm not going to stay there. I'll come back tonight."
"But you won't have a car. How will you get back?"
"Shit, that's right. I'll see if my uncle will drive me back."
"How about if I go with you? I'll follow you down there and we can drive back together."
"I don't want you to have to do that. It's a long drive, there and back. It'll take up your whole day."
"I don't mind. Really." I smile to convince him I'm okay with this. "And we can have a fun road trip back."
He hesitates. "You sure you want to do this?"
"Yeah."
"Okay." He hands me his car keys.
I give them right back. "I'll just take mine. In case your Jeep breaks down again."
"That's true." He kisses me. "Thank you. I owe you." He motions to his mom. "Come on. We're going."
Reed and I walk ahead as his mom follows behind. She's mumbling to herself, but does it loud enough that we can hear her.
"I always thought having a college kid would be fun," she says. "I'd come up and visit. We'd go out for drinks. Maybe to a party, or a club. But instead I end up with a son who's as boring as an old man."
Reed's ignoring her, but I know he heard what she said. We get to his room and he opens the door just enough to set his surfboard inside, but his mom shoves the door open so she can see his room.
"You pay money for this?" She huffs. "Looks like a prison cell."
He yanks the door shut and locks it. "Where are you parked?"
"Along the street in front of the big iron fence. Why do they have that fence? It goes all around the school. Are they trying to lock you kids in? Like inmates?" When he doesn't answer, she shakes her head. "I don't know why you're paying all that money to live in a prison."
Reed is so tense. I can see the muscles tightening in his jaw, his neck, his shoulders. But he remains calm, keeping his anger inside, like he told me he does whenever he's around her. I don't know how he put up with living with her all those years. I bet he couldn't wait to get to college to get a break from her.
On the way to the car, she criticizes the campus, saying the buildings look old and run-down, neither of which is true.
"Hey, sugar," she says to some guy that walks by. "You got a hot ass." She smiles at him, but he ignores her and keeps walking.
"Mom!" Reed says, taking hold of her arm.
She looks back at the guy. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"
"Mom, stop it," Reed says, pulling her along.
She faces forward. "Spoiled rotten brats. You give them a compliment and they don't even say thank you."
We reach the street and Reed says, "You took Aunt Lori's car? You know how pissed she's gonna be when she finds out?"
His mom laughs. "Yeah, that's why I took hers. I hate that woman. I don't know why Robbie ever married her. She's such a bitch."
"She's not a bitch," he says walking faster, pulling his mom along. He hasn't let go of her since she yelled at that guy. "Lori's done a lot for you. You should be grateful, but instead you fucking steal her car."
Reed's trying to control his anger, but I can tell it's getting harder for him as he loses patience with his mom.
He stops in front of a red Priu
s. "Give me the keys."
She rolls her eyes as she reaches in her purse and takes them out. He grabs them and unlocks the doors. "Lilly, get in. I'll give you a ride to the student lot."
"Your little girlfriend's coming with us?" his mom asks as she gets in the car.
"Yes," he mutters as he closes her door. If she keeps this up, it's going to be a very long ride to LA.
I get in the back seat, and as we're driving to the student lot, Reed's mom turns to me and says, "You never answered my question. Are you rich?"
"Mom," Reed says in a warning tone. "Leave her alone."
"I'm not allowed to talk to her? I just asked her a simple question."
"Lilly, don't answer her. She's drunk and shouldn't be talking to anyone right now."
"Don't you dare talk about me that way! I'm your mother!" She shoves his shoulder, making him swerve the car.
"What the fuck?" He grips the steering wheel tighter. "You almost made me go in the other lane!"
"That's what you get for telling your little girlfriend that I'm a drunk."
"Because you—" He stops, but mumbles something under his breath. We get to the parking lot and he stops by my car.
"A BMW?" his mom says. "So you ARE rich."
I get out and go to my car. Reed follows me. "God, I am so sorry. I can't say it enough. She's completely out of control. Are you going to be okay driving down there alone?"
"Yeah, I've driven there before."
"Stay behind me so I know where you are. Or do you want to be in front?"
"I'll just follow behind."
He glances down at my cover-up. "Shit, you're not dressed."
"I have shorts and a t-shirt in your Jeep. I'll just put those on over my suit."
"I'll go get your stuff." He runs over to his Jeep and comes back with my bag, along with the cooler and our snacks. He smiles. "For our road trip back. Can I put this in your car?"
"Sure." I open the back seat for him, then quickly put my shorts and t-shirt on.
Our trip to LA takes almost four hours because of heavy traffic. We end up at an apartment complex. It's in a decent neighborhood and doesn't look run-down. Reed must pay a lot of money for this.
We're both parked on the street and he comes up to me as I get out of the car.
"Just wait here. I'm going to take her upstairs, then I'll be right down."
"I can't come in?"
"You can if you want, but I'd rather just hurry up and get out of here. After all that time in the car with her, I can't be with her another second."
"Okay, I'll wait here."
Some guys in motorcycles pull up behind me. They're eyeing me as they get off their bikes.
Reed takes my hand. "On second thought, come with me."
His mother is already at the apartment entrance, searching her purse for the key. We meet her there and Reed uses his own key to open the door.
"You shouldn't need a key just to get in the building," his mom says as we go up the stairs.
"It's for your safety," Reed mumbles.
"It's not exactly safe for me to stand outside all day looking for the damn key."
The apartment is on the second floor and he uses another key to open the door. We go inside and his mom goes straight to the fridge and grabs a soda. She doesn't offer one to Reed or me.
The apartment isn't anything fancy, but it looks new. The kitchen and dining area are connected to the living room. It's not a big place but it's plenty for one person. There's a couch and a love seat across from the TV. The furniture is dated but it's not in bad shape.
"Mom, we have to go," Reed says.
"You don't want to stay and have dinner with me?" She leans against the kitchen counter, swigging her soda.
"We can't. We have to drive back."
"It's Saturday. You and your little honey could stay overnight. I don't mind if she sleeps in your room." She winks. "As long as you keep the noise down."
"We can't stay. We have to go." He walks to the kitchen and stands in front of her. "Come on." He waits for her to set her soda down, then gives her a hug. "Bye, Mom."
She kind of hugs him back but it's a loose hug. He lets her go and she laughs and says, "Tell your Aunt Lori thanks for the car."
He stares at his mom for a moment, then picks up her soda and takes a drink.
She reaches for it. "Don't!"
He slams the bottle on the counter. "Vodka? Dammit, Mom! When is this ever going to end?" He takes the bottle and pours it down the sink.
"No!" She yanks on his arm but he continues to drain the bottle. "I need it to calm my nerves!"
"You just got out of fucking rehab," he says. "And then you show up at my school drunk and start drinking the second we get home?" He starts searching the kitchen for more alcohol. He finds a bottle under the sink and begins pouring it out.
"Stop it!" She pushes on him but he doesn't move. "Reed, stop!"
"You're done doing this to yourself."
"If you get rid of it, I'll just buy more."
"Then I'll keep dumping it out."
She opens a drawer and pulls out a big kitchen knife. "Get out of here! I mean it!" She holds the knife up to his throat.
I freeze, not believing what I'm seeing.
He leaves the bottle in the sink and slowly backs away.
"Okay. I'm going." He keeps his eye on his mom as he heads toward me. "Lilly, open the door. We're leaving."
I open it and step into the hall. He joins me, then shuts the door and takes my hand and we walk back down the stairs and out to my car.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," he says.
"Has she done that before? Held a knife on you?"
"She gets it out, but she's never put it to my neck like that. I actually think she might've cut me that time if I hadn't left. Let's get out of here. My uncle lives about ten miles away. Just follow me."
On the drive over there, I chew on a mint, hoping it'll calm my nervous stomach. I can't believe Reed's mom did that. What if she'd cut his throat? He could be bleeding to death right now. The woman is crazy.
Reed's uncle lives in a small, Spanish-style house jammed into a tiny lot and surrounded by houses that look just like it. A boy and a girl, who are maybe six and eight, are playing outside. We park and I meet Reed on the sidewalk in front of the house. The kids run up to him and hug him.
"Reed!" the little girl says. "Daddy said you weren't coming this weekend."
"Plans changed."
"Will you play baseball with me?" the boy asks.
"Not today. Some other time, okay?"
He nods and runs off.
"Jenna, is your dad home?" he asks the girl.
"Yeah, he just went inside." She tilts her head and smiles at me as she twists side to side. "Are you Reed's girlfriend?"
I bend down to her level. "Yes. I'm Lilly."
"I like your hair. It's like a princess."
"Thank you." I don't know why people keep commenting on my hair. I didn't do anything special to it. Maybe Jenna likes the blond color. She has dark hair like Reed.
"Jenna, why don't you go play with your brother?" he says to her.
"Bye!" She waves at us, then runs back to her brother.
Reed turns to me. "This is probably going to be bad. Do you want to wait out here?"
"I'd rather go with you, but if you don't want me to..."
"Come on." He takes my hand and goes up to the front door. It's unlocked so we walk in and wait in the living room. "Uncle Rob, are you in here?"
A petite woman with dark brown hair comes down the hallway. "Reed, I thought you weren't coming home this weekend." She notices me next to him. "And you brought a friend."
"This is my girlfriend, Lilly. Is Uncle Rob around?"
"He's in Jenna's room. Her closet door is broken. He's fixing it."
"Would you mind getting him? I need to talk to him."
"Rob," she yells down the hall. "Reed's here."
A man appears in the hallway and
walks toward us. He's about 5'8 with a stocky build and a buzz cut like a military guy.
"Reed," he says, in a tone that implies he already knows why we're here. "You brought the car."
"Yeah." Reed looks down, then up at his uncle. "I'm sorry about that. She drove up to see me."
"And decided to steal my car," Lori says in an angry tone.
"That's not Reed's fault," Rob says to his wife.
She nods. "I know. I'm sorry, Reed. I'm not mad at you. It's your mother..."
"I know." He hands Lori the keys. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."
"You can't control her," Rob says. "Your mother does what she wants. She always has." He glances at his wife, then at Reed again. "We need to talk."
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Reed holds my hand tighter. "Talk about what?"
Lori walks around us and goes outside to the front yard where the kids are playing.
Reed watches her go. "Why is she leaving?"
"Sit down," Rob says. "Do you want your friend to stay?"
"This is Lilly, my girlfriend, and yes, she can stay."
We all sit down and Rob says, "I'm done. Stealing our car was the last straw. She's on her own now. I'm done protecting her. I'm done taking care of her. She's a grown woman and she needs to act like it, and if she can't, then she'll have to suffer the consequences."
Reed drops my hand and moves to the edge of the couch. "Uncle Rob, you can't do this to me. I need your help. You have to watch over her while I'm at college."
"It's time to end this, Reed. We can't keep saving her every time she screws up. At this point, we're just enabling her to continue acting the way she does." He pauses. "She's drinking again."
Reed nods. "Yeah, I know."
"You can't save her. She needs to save herself. We've done all we can for her. We've given her a million opportunities to clean herself up. It's time to step back and let her live her life the way she chooses to live it, even if we don't approve."
"So you want her to end up on the streets? Drinking? Doing drugs? That's the life you want for your sister?"
"Of course not. But I can't fix her. I've tried. And so have you. When she's ready to change, I'll be here for her, but I'm not going to be part of the life she's living now. It's not fair to my wife or my children. Your mother has put us through enough. She's on her own now."
Lilly: A Kensington Family Novel Page 21
