Spin The Bottle

36 | Truth

Chapter Thirty Six: Truth

Honestly, Chris has been thinking about what Jason said to him at the parking lot.

"I think you like her," Jason had said.

Does he?
No. He doesn't.
Just as he said, Hazel isn't his type.
Or is she?
No. He's pretty sure she isn't.
He doesn't like her.
Or does he?
No, he doesn't.

He stops his contemplation as he hears his mum's car pull into the driveway. She's home and that means it's time to face the music. All he knows is that she won't be happy. Which mother would be happy that her kid got suspended? She'll be mad at him.

He walks to the door and opens it for them to enter. He grins on sighting Emily and she does too.

She hugs him. "Chris."

"How was school, Em?" He asks, ruffling her hair even though he knows she doesn't like when he does it.

She swats his hands away. "It was fun."

Chris then shifts his gaze to his mum who has a blank look on her face. She shuts the door.

"Emily baby, go drop your backpack in your room and wait for me," his mum tells her softly.

Emily heads for her room and Chris sighs, waiting for his mum's chastising.

"So you decided to get yourself suspended, huh?" His mum flares with anger the moment Emily's out of sight. She chucks her handbag on the couch.

Geez mum! The handbag did nothing to you, Chris thinks.

"That's not how it happened mum."

His mum glares at him. "Oh really? Then tell me how it happened, son."

"I didn't mean to cause any trouble," Chris says.

"Oh so trouble just decided to come your way?" She asks incredulously. "What's going on Chris? Are you moving with the wrong crowd or something? Why would you initiate a fight?"

"It wasn't a fight, mum. I just punched the guy twice." Chris says, resisting the urge to roll his eyes since it would only add fuel to the fire.

"Tell me what happened Christopher." His mum's stern voice sounds through the living room.

"Ivy did something bad to Hazel and I went to confront her and tell her to stay away from Hazel. Her boyfriend said something annoying so I punched him. Twice." Chris explains.

"Okay, I might have overreacted," he adds, looking anywhere but his mum's face.

"Oh really! You just realized that," his mum retorts, her anger dissipating. "I'm disappointed in you."

"I'm sorry mum. The last thing I wanted was for this to happen. I hate it when you're mad at me and I'm really sorry for disappointing you," he apologizes with a somber look on his face.

His mum sighs and settles down on a couch. "Is it the same Ivy I used to know?"

"Yes and no. It's her but she's a totally different person now. She does all sort of bad things to people."

"I wonder what went wrong."

Chris shrugs. "People change."
He knows he did after she broke his heart.

"Is she okay?" His mum asks, referring to Stephanie.

"Hazel? Yeah, she is." Chris smiles and his mum doesn't miss it.

"I know I said you and Stephanie would make a great couple but please, don't go around wrecking havoc because of her." His mum avers.

Chris groans. "I didn't do it because of her. Why does everyone think that?"