Jerkkk

Allison

"What is it about?" My mom asked Sally while I watched like a terrified child who had been caught stealing from their strict father's wallet.

My mother's sign language skills were limited, which made her rely heavily on Sally to interpret and understand her. As a result, she tended to speak more often, hoping Sally would be able to decipher her words and respond accordingly.

Sally began to sign again, but I quickly intervened, walking up to her and holding her hand to stop her. "It's nothing, Mom," I said, forcing a smile. "We were just discussing girls' stuff. You don't need to know."

Mom raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but she let it slide. "Okay, fine. Don't tell me then." She rolled her eyes and entered the room, shutting the door behind her.

We all sat down, Mom and Sally on the bed, while I took the chair. I asked, "So, what's up?"

My mom's expression suddenly turned serious, which I was least expecting. "Actually, I... found a therapist for you, Allison."

My face turned cold instantly, my anger simmering. "I don't need a fucking therapist, Mom. I told you that already. I just want to forget about everything. Why are you trying to do this to me?"

Sally intervened, signing with urgency. "It's for your own good, Allison. Besides, finding this therapist wasn't easy. My efforts can't go to waste. You need to go."

I glared at Sally, remembering how she had a therapist when she struggled with low self-esteem due to her disability, but due to circumstances, the therapist moved, and we never saw or heard of her till now.

"Your therapist?" I asked, suspicion creeping into my voice. "The one who just disappeared?"

"I found her again," Sally nodded, a determined look on her face. "and trust me, it wasn't easy."

I shook my head vigorously. "I don't need anyone. I can handle this on my own. I don't want to remember why... why I almost died, why I almost..." I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

My mom's expression softened, and she spoke gently. "You don't need to remember, Allison. We're not taking you to the therapist to relive the past. We just want you to forget everything, to move on."

I furrowed my brows, confused. "What do you mean? What are you trying to say exactly? How can I forget something that I already forgot?"

Mom took a deep breath and signed slowly, as if choosing her words carefully. "We don't want you remembering any of those memories in the future, Allison. If the therapist can help you do that, then it's worth it."

I scoffed, shaking my head. Even when I tried to talk, it seemed like I wouldn't just make sense so I simply kept quiet, staring at my worried sick mother.

"I'm serious," my mom frowned slightly. "I really don't want you to remember the past. My baby almost died because of it. We thought we would lose you."

Her voice trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes, and I found myself growing soft.

"Fine," I groaned, nodding my head. "But you've have to be patient with me. I'll let you know if I'm ready. So, you can leave now."

She nodded, a smile appearing on her face, "Okay sweetie, just call me when you're ready, and I'll set up the appointment."

"By the way," I started, my voice soft. "You should have just called me to tell me all these instead of coming all the way to my hostel."

My mom smiled, shaking her head, "I wanted to speak to you face-to-face. Who knows if you would have even listened to me over the phone?"

She paused, "Anyway, I'll be waiting for you both during the holidays. I'll prepare lots of new homemade food for you. I'm sure you're tired of cooking and eating out."

I managed a small smile.

She stood up, rubbed my hair, and fondled it affectionately. Then, opened her purse and offered me some money, but I declined. "I'm okay, Mom. I don't need it."

Mom nodded, though looking slightly unconvinced.

As she turned to leave, Sally signed to her, "Mom, go. I need to talk to Allison."

She nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

I turned to Sally, my glare intensifying. "What do you want to talk about? Just leave me alone, I beg you. I swear that there's nothing going on between me and Jayden."

Sally shook her head, her expression stern. She moved closer, signing firmly. "If I catch you and Jayden again, I'll tell Mom and Dad. I don't care. Hence, you need to respect yourself."

My anger boiled over. "Just leave my room!"

Sally's face twisted in anger. "Fine!" she signed aggressively, and left, slamming the door so loud.

I yelled, "You bitch! Are you trying to break the door?!"

The door suddenly swung open, and I yelled, "I thought I told you not to come in!" But when I turned, I saw it was Nina, my roommate.

Nina looked taken aback, clearly unsure what was wrong. She was a club girl, always dressed to impress, and tonight was no exception. Her outfit screamed "party animal."

"Oh sorry, thought it was someone else," I laughed, and she rolled her eyes, pulling the heels off her feet.

I scrutinized her, taking in her appearance from head to toe. "You weren't in class today."

Nina smirked, "Obviii, I went to a party last night and crashed at my boyfriend's place."

"Which boyfriend was it? Michael?" I asked, laughing.

"Please, Michael won't be able to afford the club we had fun in." Nina chuckled.

I teased, "Is it Amos, then?"

Nina playfully rolled her eyes. "Goodness, why do you know all my boyfriend's names?" She laughed and headed to the bathroom to clean up.

I settled into my bed, still thinking from the discussion with Sally. Now that she knew about what I'd with Jayden, I was in deep shit, and I needed to be careful. In fact, I needed to stay away from that jerk, Jayden. He's such a troublemaker.

My phone suddenly rang, shattering my thoughts. I checked the screen and smiled when I saw Colby's name.

Colby was a friend from school, a year older than me, and also my neighbor. He was a talented soccer player on the college team. What struck me was that Colby was Yvonne's brother, yet they couldn't be more different. While Yvonne was manipulative, rude, and a bully, Colby was warm, sweet, and kind.

I answered the call, and Colby's warm voice filled the line. "Oh my goodness, she answered! I really thought she'd ignore me," he said with a hearty laugh.

"Why would I ignore you?" I asked, laughing along with him.

"Oh come on," he chuckled. "You know I haven't visited you since I got back from the hospital."

I playfully clicked my tongue. "Nah, I know you've been busy with soccer practice and all. Besides, you really made an effort to visit me at the hospital. I appreciate that. You came so often, I thought you'd miss soccer practice!"

Colby chuckled again. "Really?"

"Yeah, you're even better than someone I know," rolling my eyes for emphasis.