House on the Coast

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Betty had been to Adam's vacation home before. It's sheer magnitude still blew her mind away.

Unlike his regular home, it was modernized inside-out. It was like the house of a celebrity, and Adam's family was just as rich. 

The windows stretched from the floor to the ceiling and were made of crystal-clear glass. She could see the the boardwalk from the western rooms of the house while the eastern ones faced the turquoise sea. There was nothing remarkable about the architecture other than the fact that the house was a huge sore thumb against the natural landscape of the beach. Betty was thankful that they had not broken down Adam's regular home completely.

Betty could spot the house on the coast as they whizzed past the light traffic on the road in a one of those branded rich people cars Adam's father had insisted upon sending. It was placed on a slightly elevated grassy plot where the waves could go past without touching the infrastructure. During high-tide, the house would quite literally be jutting out into the sea. During low-tide shells of the little sea creatures would be left behind for Betty to collect. 

"How you holding up?" Adam asked while gazing out of her window and spotting the house for himself. The sun was going down and its orange beams made Adam's hair look as if it was aflame. 

"I'm excited!" Betty confessed. She felt reborn beyond her small town. For once the shadow of her mother couldn't reach her.

Adam smiled. The sun peeked at Betty from the window beside him. It wasn't yet time for the harsh summer heat, rather the slight warmth felt comforting. Adam's smile gave her the same impression as the setting sun.

"I should call my mom," Betty said as they drove past the last rounded corner and were upon the private road to the house. 

Adam's smile dropped, but he nodded. Betty had 'run away' from home. "Let's do that when we get off," Adam suggested. Betty agreed, mostly because she didn't want to call home. 

The chauffeur opened the door for Betty and she stepped out. Adam stubbornly grabbed their bags and carried it up the landing of the stairs at the entrance. The chauffeur seemed like he had wanted to argue, but let Adam help out. 

Salt laden air bit at Betty's cheeks as the last of the sea-breeze gusted before at the end of the day. Betty had left her cardigan with James and her t-shirt did little to cover her bare arms. 

Adam and Betty went inside. The inside looked like any other white-washed IKEA living room. There was a kitchen in the center with a circular counter running all around. Three chefs were already preparing some sort of savory snack for the newly arrived guests. 

The sheer amount of materials being used made Betty ask, "Are you expecting other guests?" 

Adam's frown was enough of an answer. He didn't like waste and neither did Betty. "Looks like I'll have to call some people over."  

Betty nodded. She took out her phone and dialed for her mother. Adam spied her nervously. 

"What?" her mother's voice crashed into her ear.

"I'm with Adam," Betty said. "At his holiday home at the beach."

"What the livin' hell Betty?" Ms. Brooks exploded on the other side of the line. "Are you kidding me?"

"No, mother," Betty said, her voice shaking. He could almost imagine her mother standing before her with a glass bottle. The blaze in her eyes showed no mercy. 

"Shit!" her mother said. 

There was silence for a few seconds before Betty finally spoke. "I'll come back when you stop hating me for existing." 

Betty hadn't imagined saying those words. She had thought of them several times, but actually expressing her feelings wasn't something she had planned to do. The salt air and the new kind of freedom she felt by leaving her town gave her courage. 

"You're being ungrateful."

"Nothing is going to be fixed until we work out our differences." The words were pouring out from Betty's mouth now. "You need to make up your mind about me, whether you want me or not; whether I am a burden or your daughter." Tears had started to fall, but Betty didn't care about them. "Because if you want me to stay with you, you can't go around treating me like absolute shit."

She would've never been able to say anything to her face. The distance made everything clearer. She could see the bigger picture.

"I love you," she concluded, "but I cannot go around feeling worthless, acting like everything's fine. I've stood by you long enough, but I can't anymore unless you change."

"You're young," her mother scoffed. "You know nothing. The world will eat and spit you out without me."

"No! The world is less cruel than you are," Betty said. "Think about it. I won't come home for a long time." With that, she ended the call and switched off her phone. 

Adam was looking at her. His lips tilted into a small smile. "Damn," he said. "She had it coming."

Betty's grin was one of those rare genuine ones.

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