Hey Wattpad!!

So... wow. I can't believe how dedicated some of you are to this story!! You guys have no idea how amazing it is for me to wake up and have over 30 messages telling me you've commented!! It's insanely surreal!!:D

Anyway, I'm hoping this chapter is longer (fingers crossed!!), because you guys DEFINITELY deserve it!:) I definitely uploaded a lot earlier than I thought I would, so I'm hoping that makes up for it's length:P

And the dedication is because this girl is FREAKING AMAZING!! Seriously, she helped me discover Tay's song, Cam's song, AND helped me with a couple of problems I had when writing this chapter! She's also really super cool and stuff xD Give her love, she deserves it!!!:)

And now, what you're really here for... Hope you guys hate Tay's mom. She's definitely a bitch:)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“Mother? That’s all I get?” My mom said, pouting slightly.

I glared. “Fine, mom. Either way, I’m in enough shit as it is. Can’t you just go back to your boy toy?” I asked, ignoring the look my dad was giving me.

I was not in the mood to deal with my mother. Hell, she’d left when I was around five years old to be with some doctor or something. Her excuse had been “there are more psychiatrists needed in Michigan; I can make more money!”

Granted, that much was true, but still. She was married to the douchebag within a month of officially divorcing my dad.

My mom continued to pout. “But, honey, you’re in hospital. I told your father Texas roads were too dangerous…” She muttered, glaring at my dad as though it was his fault.

I shot up, trying to ignore the pain that sparked in my shoulder. “Mom, it is nowhere near his fault. I wasn’t paying attention, and the car flipped. I’m fine.” I told her, failing to control the anger. She had no right at all to accuse my dad. Ever.

“Well, maybe you would have learned how to pay attention in Michigan.” My mom sniffed, and if I wasn’t lying in a hospital bed I would have punched her in the face.

“I like Texas, thanks.” I said.

“But the weather is horrible, sweetie. Wouldn’t you rather be somewhere where you can get snow?” She asked.

I groaned. She was always trying to get me to move down there. “Well, snow’s nice. But you’re not. I don’t want to live with you, mom. Get over it, and just go?” I practically begged her.

“But you have prom coming up! Don’t you want to go dress shopping?” She asked.

“Not with you!” I sighed, letting myself fall gently onto the pillows.

“Taylor, sorry to interrupt, but I’m going to go.” Misty said, and I knew she wanted to get the hell away from her ex-friend.

I nodded. “It’s fine. I’ll talk to you later, ok?” I smiled.

“Sure thing.” Misty smiled back, leaving after a quick hug and a finger to my mom, who sneered back.

“So, you’ll talk to her but not me?” My mom asked, glaring at Misty’s retreating figure.

“Yeah, because she’s not a complete bitch.” I snapped, earning yet another pout. “And for the love of all that is good will you please stop pouting?”

I knew I was being harsh, I knew that I should probably try and be nice because she’s my mom, but she hurt me and my dad when she left. On top of that, she is constantly putting me down.

Which reminds me, she hasn’t said one bad thing about me yet… That must  be some kind of record.

“Oh, honey, have you gained weight? Are you watching your calories?” My mom asked, sounding as though she was really concerned.

I sighed. It took her 5 minutes. I glanced at Rania, who was fast asleep. Good for her.

“Yeah, I did mom. Now can you shut up?” I asked, trying to be polite. It didn’t work.

“Hon, you have to exercise more! And eat more salads, less chocolate. You know, if you lived in Michigan, you wouldn’t have gained weight.” My mom said, as though that was a fact of life.

“Actually, I probably would be some knocked up slut who had no idea which guy was the father.” I said, and my mom frowned.

“Hon, do you really think I’d let you do that?”

I laughed humorlessly. “No, but you’d never be around to stop me. You’d always be at work, and Michael,”

“Robert!” My mom cut me off.

“Whatever, you’d both be doing something all the time, and be completely ignorant of what I was doing, and you know it.” I looked into my mom’s eyes, challenging her to prove me wrong.

She looked down, and I smiled victoriously.

“Well, that still leaves you gaining weight. Honestly, Alan, don’t you help her with food? You should know what a proper diet is!” My mom rounded on my dad, who shrugged.

“She’s almost a grown up, Kate. She’s making her own, smart decisions, and her gaining weight has nothing to do with food.” My dad said, glancing at me. I knew he was silently asking if we should tell her I’d been impossibly pregnant. Hell, I wondered if I should tell her I had a serious relationship going on.

“Key word there is almost. You’re supposed to be her guardian! And how do you know she isn’t going to wild high school parties every Friday night?” My mom asked, hands on hips as she stared at my dad.

“I know she’s being going to parties. It’s not like she does her own laundry. But you know what, we made the same idiotic mistakes when we were her age, and I’m not going to be a hypocrite. I hate it, but we both know that when she wants to do something, she does it. I just hoped she’d be careful, and she is.” My dad yelled.

My eyes widened. “Hold on, dad, you knew?” I asked, too shocked to elaborate.

My dad scoffed. “Like I said, I do your laundry. I smell alcohol on some of your dresses.” He told me.

I frowned. “And you never yelled at me?”

“Like I said, I thought you should make your own mistakes. Besides, I knew if something bad had happened you’d end up telling me. Also, it would be bad of me to try and block you from going. You’re going to experience them in college, you might as well know what to expect.” My dad shrugged, turning back to my mom.

“Anything else?” He asked to my mom’s shocked face.

“One thing. How did she gain weight if it wasn’t food?” She asked.

I sighed. Guess I would have to tell her.

“I was pregnant, mom. The doctor’s told me I couldn’t have kids, so I didn’t think about protection.” I said.

My mom gasped. “You see? She wasn’t too careful after all! That’s it, you’re coming with me. Do you even know who the father is?” She sneered.

I gritted my teeth. “Yes. It’s my boyfriend of six months, Cameron.” I told her.

Her mouth fell open. “You have a boyfriend, and you never told me?” She asked.

“Why would I tell you? It’s not like you actually give a shit about me.” I said, honestly. She only cared because she liked the idea of having some perfect, prom-queen style bitch as a daughter, and that just wasn’t me, and she was constantly telling me I needed to change.

It freaking got annoying after a while.

“All this cursing… I hope you’re not picking this up from your father.” Again my mom glared at my dad.

Jesus Christ… I did not need this right now. “No, I’m not. I’m picking it up at public high school, which is the same anywhere. Hell, any high school you go to is going to ruin your vocabulary and make you understand a dirty joke.” I groaned.

My mom seemed to get ready to start pouting again, but ended up just pursing her lips. Damn I hated this woman. She might have given birth to me, but she wasn’t really my mom. Hell, I only called her mother because my dad said I shouldn’t call her Kate.

“Well, maybe you should be home schooled then. It would teach you manners.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh dear God. You really want me miserable, don’t you? Now, why don’t you tell me why the hell you really came here so you can leave already? I’m in pain, and the headache you’re giving me on top of it isn’t helping.”

“Fine. Can I speak to you alone?” She asked.

I sighed. I’d do whatever I had to do to get her the hell out of my room. “Fine. But make it quick, I really want to go back to sleep.” I shook Rania’s arm (the only thing within reach) to gently wake her up, pointing towards my mom and rolling my eyes.

Rania nodded. “Talk to you in a minute.” She said, giving me a look that said I’d better tell her everything.

“Will you be ok, Taylor?” My dad asked.

“Yeah. If she gets too bad I can scream for help.” I said, giving my mom a pointed look, which she tried very hard to ignore.

My dad left, and my mom let out a sigh of relief. “Good. Now, Taylor,” my mom took the seat Rania had just been in. “I want you to know you can tell me anything. Anything at all. Is your dad hurting you?”

My eyes widened. “What? No he isn’t! What makes you think that?” I asked, shocked.

She sighed. “Well, you didn’t hurt yourself too badly for a car accident, and I wondered if maybe it hadn’t actually been a car accident.” She told me.

“How dare you. How dare you. My dad is an amazing parent, better than you’ll ever even get close to being. He would never do anything like that!” I said, knowing my voice was low from trying to hold in my anger.

“Well, what about that boyfriend of yours? You said you had a miscarriage? Was he the reason?”

I slapped my hand to my forehead. Was she freaking kidding me right now? “No, it wasn’t. I already told you, the doctor’s told me I can’t have kids! It wasn’t anything to do with Cameron. And besides, he is not the type to hurt me. I could probably kick his ass.” I snapped. If she asked one more stupid question, I was seriously calling security on her.

“Taylor,” my mom tried to grab my hand, but I pulled it away. Luckily, she didn’t try again. “I just want what’s best for you.” She said, a fake sweetness in her tone.

I rolled my eyes. “Sure, and I forgo the no touching rule at the strip club where I work.” I said, sarcastically. “Mom, you don’t care. If you cared at all you’d leave me alone. Really, my life is perfectly fine without you in it.”

She looked at me, and I wasn’t surprised to see her eyes were hardened. “He’s brainwashed you, hasn’t he? That’s the only reason you could possibly hate me. I’m your mother.” She said.

That did it. “The only reason? Are you freaking joking? Jesus, mom, of course it has nothing to do with the fact that, at the age of five, you abandoned me to go and marry some douchebag in Michigan! It can’t possibly be because, when I started my period, I had no one to ask about what the hell was going on, and went crying to my dad about the fact that I thought I was dying! And of course it can’t be because when I turned seven and had a big birthday party, all I wanted was one little call or card to say happy birthday! Do you realize I cried for about a day when I realized you’d forgotten my birthday? Do you even know how old I am now? Or even when I was born?” I yelled, feeling an urge to cry. I gritted my teeth. I was not going to cry over this bitch. Not now, not ever again. I’d been telling myself that for the past ten years, I wouldn’t break that now.

My mom looked at me. “You’re eighteen, your birthday was March 22nd.” She said, and my mouth fell open in disbelief.

“You’re kidding. You have got to be kidding.” I muttered, and my mom shook her head.

“What’s wrong, sweetie? I know I’m right.” She said.

I laughed, darkly. “No. You’re not even close. I’m seventeen, and my birthday is July 24th.” I took a deep breath. “Get out. Right now.” I said, flatly.

“No, you need to listen to me.” My mom did grab my hand, and I winced slightly when she hit a bruise I hadn’t even known was there. “I want you to go to the University of Michigan. They have a Psychology course there that you will love.” She said.

I groaned in frustration. “I’m running out of words for how pissed off you’re making me right now! I’m not interested in Psychology. I never want to follow in your footsteps. Ever! I don’t know where I want to go, but I know for a fact that I’m going to be a vet. And I kept my end of the bargain. You promised to pay for my tuition if I contacted you every now and again. So no matter what, you’re paying.” I insisted.

“Really? I don’t see anything in writing?” She said, looking slightly smug. “You go to University of Michigan for Psychology and keep your grades passable, and I’ll pay. Otherwise, you’re on your own.”

Now it was my turn. “Actually, I do have it in writing, mother. You see, remember when my dad asked for a confirmation of your signature? You signed a sheet saying you’d pay right then. So, tough luck. I’m thinking somewhere local to right here.”

My mom sighed. “I can cause a lot of trouble for you, Taylor. I don’t want to, but don’t you see? You have to come with me. I’m the best thing for you! I gave birth to you, and-,”

I cut her off. “The best thing? I think you’re confused. Dealing drugs would be better for me than living with you. As for giving birth to me, that’s all you’ve ever done. Do you know why I call you mom or mother? Because dad said calling you Kate was too harsh, even for you. So you should not be trying to screw him over. In fact, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have even continued talking to you. He’s the one who said it was a good idea to have you pay for college.”

My mom just sat there, staring at me. “I thought I had raised you better.” She said, sadly.

I exploded. “For fucks sake! Jesus freaking Christ mom! You are delusional! You never freaking raised me! This is all my dad, and I’m proud to call myself his daughter! You on the other hand, I would gladly claim is the psychopath who deludes herself into thinking I care about!”

My breathing was coming hard and fast now, and I knew that maybe I was getting too harsh, or definitely toeing the line. I just couldn’t help it. I hadn’t been face to face with this woman since I was five. I’d spoken on the phone with her when she’d said I should contact her every now and again so she had a reason to pay for my college. I’d refused to let her in my room when she came down to confirm that was ok with my dad.

But now she was here, I was getting twelve, almost thirteen, years of built up anger out. It felt great.

“Now look here, young lady,” my mom began, but again I cut her off.

“Young lady? I’m almost eighteen!”

“The point is,” My mom – screw it, she wasn’t my mom – Kate glared, “you are too irresponsible. Your father is raising you completely wrong, and I think it is within everyone’s best interest that you move in with me.”

I almost screamed. This woman in front of me could get hit by a bus and I wouldn’t give a damn. Not anymore. “No, it’s in yours. Why, I don’t know. But you need to stop pushing this.” I warned.

“Or what?” Kate countered.

“Or, I’ll do the one thing you fear me doing.” I said, quietly.

She froze, and I knew she would do anything right now to keep from doing the one thing she feared above all else.

She was saved when a phone rang, and I looked around, recognizing my ringtone. I finally located my phone on the side of my bed, and tried barely successful to grab and answer it.

“You should thank every God in the universe for this.” I told Kate, before saying into the phone, “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Cam. Rania just text me and said your mom was there?” He asked.

I couldn’t remember if we’d ever really talked about what the bitch had done, but I had a feeling Rania had filled him in on the basics.

“Yeah, she is. I can’t get her to leave either.” I didn’t bother lowering my voice; she knew I didn’t want her there.

“Is there anything I can do?” Cam asked, and I was slightly surprised to hear he sounded like he was yelling.

I winced. “Cam, you don’t have to yell…” I said, rubbing my ear.

Before I could hear his full reply, my mom had reached over, leaning on a couple  of ribs in the process, and grabbed my phone.

“So, this is the boy my daughter’s been dating for six months?” Kate said, smirking at me.

I couldn’t say anything back; my ribs felt like they were on fire. “Kate, give me my freaking phone!” I breathed out.

She didn’t even seem to care, as I heard Cam’s voice say, “Yes.”

I loved how he didn’t call her ‘ma’am’. That would be respect that she never deserved.

“Excuse me, young man, that is highly disrespectful. You should at least call me Doctor. I didn’t go to school for ten years for my health.” Kate said, sounding annoyed.

I smiled slightly, still breathing through the pain. I think she might have broken a stitch or something.

“Well, from what I’ve heard from everyone, you don’t deserve my respect. As for being a Doctor, I don’t count shrinks as one.”

I almost laughed, but decided I should probably wait until I could speak to Cam alone.

“Do you really think that’s the right attitude to have right now? I am still a parent of Taylor, and can still say you’re not right for her.” Kate threatened. I almost broke my self-promise to not laugh. Did she really think Cam would listen to her about that?

“Well, what you’re not seeing is that I’m not eighteen. I’m seventeen, and we’re legally allowed to date. When I turn eighteen, we can still date, we just can’t do anything sexual. But right now, we are not breaking the law. What do you have against me now?” Cam questioned.

If I was better, and he was here, I would have kissed him.

Kate’s mouth opened and closed, with no sound coming out. “Well, I can still get her to live with me in Michigan.” She finally said.

“No, you can’t. You can’t take a child out of school with this short of a time left. As there is only a couple of months until graduation, she wouldn’t have time to get all the credits needed to graduate anywhere else. On top of that, she is legally allowed to make decisions regarding her living arrangements when she turns 14. So if she doesn’t want to move, she doesn’t have to.” Cam said. “What else you got?”

However he knew all that crap, I didn’t care. I definitely loved this boy now. He was amazing. More than amazing, he was a freaking genius.

Again, Kate’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. “Well, what if I claim you hit Tay, instead of it being a car accident?” She tried, but I knew she was trying to grasp at straws.

This time Cam laughed. “For one, everyone knows Tay could probably kick my ass.” He said, and I wanted to say ‘I told you so’ to Kate. “And second, the ambulance pulled Tay out of the car. They also collected a statement from me and Rania that matches everything that happened. And, in case you need more, there’s a tracking device on Tay’s car. They traced it and the time slots match up. Thirdly, I have no desire to ever lay a harmful finger on Tay.” The last sentence was said so forcefully, I tried biting my lip. It was kind of hot…

At least, until my lip protested the movement, reminding me it was bruised.

When Kate didn’t say anything, Cam spoke up again. “Hey, Tay! I really like you!” He shouted, startling Kate.

I did laugh this time, clutching my side as my ribs threatened to bring tears to my eyes. “I really, really like you too!” I shouted back, hoping he didn’t hear the pain in my voice.

“So, anything else?” Cam asked, and I knew he was talking to Kate again.

“One more thing,” Kate said, and there was a weird glint in her eye this time. “Did you get Taylor pregnant?”