Chapter 93: Lost your head "Stay away from them!" my mom yanked me aside in the parking lot, "How many times do I have to tell you that?!" I almost tripped by the force of her pull. "Ow, you're hurting me," I complained, feeling my arm throb. I placed my other hand on the hood of a stranger's car for stability. Doz was awkwardly following us, trailing far behind as he tried to stay out of the argument. He kept his head glued to his phone. I was suspended. Suspended from school for a week. We all were. And we'd all left the principal's office under a wide range of punishments from our parents. Cearra and Austin were in a double world of trouble and I wished them luck in the next life. On the other side of the spectrum, Chad and his father had waltzed out of there making dinner reservations. "You deserve a world of pain for the way you behaved, Millie," my mom told me, "You've lost your head to that boy. You used to have your life together. What happened to math, your job and good behaviour?" What are those again? "It's not Luke's fault-" "Aren't you embarrassed?!" she snapped. "Aren't you?! You brought a man I've never met to my principal's office!" I replied, before looking over at Doz, "No offence Doz, you've actually been super nice in this whole situation and I really appreciate that." He looked up from his phone and gave me a thumbs up. "I'd rather be with this man than a Dawson any day of the week," my mom gripped me harder, digging her nails into my skin, "How can you have no shame? You accept your boyfriend's family disrespecting your own to your face." "Ow, mom, please, you're really hurting me," I winced, seeing specks of blood from where her nails were buried in my skin. "For a smart girl, you're really stupid," she insulted me, "Don't follow that boy into his messes. Don't you understand that the same rules don't apply? It's an unfair world and he'll get away with things that you can't. Do you know how close you were to being expelled, you clueless child?" "I didn't do anything," I said, really feeling like my arm was about to fall off. I was getting tired of people telling me how the world works. I choose how I want to live in this world. The world can, the world should, and the world always changes. We change too. "It doesn't matter if you didn't do anything," mom told me, "They need scapegoats and that ends up being you! What happened to you? I gave you tough love growing up and you still came out weak." A small distance from us, I noticed Cearra's mom getting into her car and looking over at us a couple times. She had been lecturing Cearra in the parking lot for the last fifteen minutes. I tried to hide the pain in my face. My mom shook me, "Aren't you paying attention?! When we get home, you're going to go to your room-" "You're coming home?" I asked, surprised and relieved to hear that. I was exhausted from the responsibilities of taking care of a home – it's hard. And I was scared of being alone at night. I really needed my mom back. She shook me again, "Are you listening to me?!" A car rolled up beside us and Cearra's mom leaned out the window, "Sorry for interrupting, Mrs Ripley. Millie was invited to our home for dinner tonight. It'll be the last time my daughter is social in a very long time, so would it be OK if Millie still joined?" I was surprised to hear the offer. I had no idea I was invited to their home this evening. Cearra's head popped out of the backseat window, nodding enthusiastically. "Sure," my mom shrugged, letting go of me, "I suppose that's fine." I adjusted my shirt and looked from my mom to Cearra's. Were the Akils really willing to take me? Forever? Cearra's mom smiled warmly at me and encouraged me to get in the car. I didn't need to be invited twice. I swung open the car door and hopped inside faster than you can say 'bean.' Vanilla coffee bean, to be precise. Cearra scooted over to make room for me in the back. I found a couple power rangers wedged between the seats as I buckled my seatbelt and looked over at her. Her mascara was smeared from the crying she'd been doing a few minutes before. The car started to drive off and Cearra asked, "Mom, you invited Millie round? Does that mean I'm not grounded?" I watched my mom and Doz getting into their car until we drove out of sight. "Millie," Mrs Akil asked me, ignoring her daughter who she was still angry with, "Does your mom often treat you like that?" "What do you mean?" I asked. "She seemed to be hurting you," Mrs Akil said, looking at me in the reflection of the car mirror. "She doesn't do that often," I said, covering the marks on my arm, "Almost never." ** ~Cearra's home~ The commotion in Cearra's home was becoming a familiar feeling to me. Her siblings ran between the living room and their bedrooms and I was learning how to dodge the flying toys. There were a lot of personalities under one roof. Cearra and I were sitting at the dining room table, where we'd been told to do our homework until dinner was ready. "You can say goodbye to Cearra, Millie," Cearra's mom told me as she walked out of the kitchen, "Because she won't see daylight for a month." Cearra responded from her side of the table, "The fact that you can smile while saying that makes me see how sadistic you really are." Cearra's mom laughed as she placed a stack of plates on the table and returned to the kitchen, where her husband was cooking dinner. She was keeping a watchful gaze on us every few minutes.