NovelEnglishWHIPLASH
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WHIPLASH
LAURA
The door had barely clicked shut behind Josh when my mother turned to me, her eyes glassy and unfocused. The
smell of vodka clung to her like a second skin. | stood frozen, still reeling from the whirlwind of emotions that had
followed Josh's visit. My cheek throbbed where the ice pack had once rested, and the dull ache in my nose
pulsed in twith my heartbeat.
"You didn't have to embarrasslike that," | said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. But | wasn't quiet
enough.
My mother let out a sharp laugh, the kind that always set my nerves on edge. "Oh, please, Laura. Don't be so
tic. | was just having a little fun."
"Fun?" | repeated, incredulous. "You were hitting on Josh! A boy from my school. He's my age, Mom!"
She shrugged, pouring herself a glass of something amber from the cabinet, her movements too careless to be
sober. "So what? He's cute. And he seemed interested."
| stared at her, my mouth opening and closing as | tried to find the right words. "You're unbelievable," | finally
managed. "Do you even hear yourself? He was uncomfortable! He didn't know how to handle you because
you're-you're an adult! You're supposed to be the one setting an example!"
She took a sip of her drink, her expression indifferent. "Don't
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12:27
WHIPLASH
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtlecture me, Laura. I've had a long day. You wouldn't understand."
11 288 Vouchers
| felt the anger bubbling up in my chest, hot and uncontrollable. "Of course, | wouldn't understand! I'm not the
one getting drunk in restaurants and bringing hmen who-" | cut myself off, shaking my head. "You're a
mess, Mom. And you don't even care."
Her gaze hardened, and she slammed the glass down on the counter. "Watch your tone, young lady. You think
you're so much better than me? Sitting here in the house your father left you, acting like you're skind of
martyr?"
Tears burned in my eyes, but | refused to let them fall. "This house is the only thing keeping you here. If Dad
hadn't put it in my name, you'd have sold it by now and leftin the dust. You don't care about me, Mom. You
never have."
Her palm connected with my cheek before | even saw it coming. The sharp crack echoed through the room, and |
stumbled back, the pain radiating from my already sore nose down to my jaw. The world seemed to stop for a
moment, and all | could hear was the ringing in my ears.
| raised a hand to my cheek, my fingers trembling as | touched the tender skin. Tears blurred my vision, but |
refused to let them fall. Not in front of her.
"You're not my mother," | whispered, my voice shaking with the effort it took to keep from breaking. "Not really."
Her expression didn't change. If anything, she looked bored, like | was just another inconvenience in her already
miserable day. Without a word, she turned back to the caband pulled out a
WHIPLASH
288 Vouchers
bottle of whiskey, pouring herself another drink as if nothing had happened.
| stood there momentarily, the ice pack dangling from my hand, my chest heaving with the weight of everything
| wanted to say but couldn't. Finally, | turned and headed for the stairs, my legs trembling with each step.
The sound of her pouring another drink followedto my room, where I shut the door and locked it behind me. |
leaned against it, my hand still pressed to my throbbing cheek, and let out a shaky breath. This was the worst
day ever.
Sliding down to the floor, | pressed the ice pack against my cheek, the cold a welcdistraction from the pain
and humiliation swirling inside me. My thoughts drifted to Josh, his piercing blue eyes and how he'd looked at me
earlier like he wanted to fix everything. And then the way he'd pulled away, guilt and anger etched into his face.
First, he was a handy asshole, all
smug and confident. Then he was
caring, stepping In| tg MIteCt Me
fromm 4nd'patchingup after |
fi
got hurt. And then... he wasn't. He
pulled away, like touchingburned
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him, like he didn't want to care. The
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| groaned, pressing the heels of my hands against my eyes. "What the hell am | supposed to do with that?" |
muttered to the empty room.
The day replayed in my head, each
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmmoment more chaotic and confusing
than the last. Tim ferae wat the
PRIN shapolfe sts flying. My
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other's cruel indifference. My own
words, thrown out in anger and pain. |
felt like | was spinning, caught in a
storm with no way The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
out,
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WHIPLASTI
288 Vouchers
| needed it to stop. All of it. The fights,
the confusion, the pain. But as | sat
there on the floor ok gyoin hy
clregk thiobbing and my head
pounding, | realized | had no idea how
to make it stop. All | could do was
survive it BACK TO REALITY The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
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