“You’re just standing there. Talk. You are capable of that, aren’t you?”
I squeeze my hands into fists. It helps calm me down.
“Yes, Mom, I know how to talk. I just don’t have anything to say. I have homework to do. Since I won’t be getting it done here, I need to go to the library,” I say between gritted teeth.
My mom rolls her eyes.
“I did not raise you to be such a bitch.”
I take a deep breath so that I don’t scream at my mother. Yelling at her only makes things worse, and I’ve learned to stay calm when she gets like this.
“I’m just trying to get through high school. I have a paper to write.”
She rolls her eyes again.
“It’s Saturday! You don’t even have school tomorrow. Lighten up.”
Nice of her to notice. Sometimes, I’ll be leaving for school, and my mom will wake up and ask me where the hell I’m going so early in the morning. I always wonder if it’s because she’s afraid I’m leaving her.
Meanwhile, her boyfriend grins evilly at me.
“Perfect! You can stick around,” Humphrey smiles.
Then he gets an odd look on his face. Humphrey’s hand slithers onto my mom’s thigh, way too far up, considering the audience.
“Say, Kaylee, you’re experienced, aren’t you? You’ve lived in Monroe your entire life, right? Nothing shocks you.”
I narrow my eyes at him.
“What do you mean?”
Humphrey licks his lips lasciviously, looking me up and down in my tight maid’s outfit. A disgusted shudder crawls down my spine.
“Well, I’m just saying you can join us, if you’d like,” he offers before leaning over and kissing my mom, tongue on tongue. Then, he pops back up, licking his lips. “I’ve always wanted to be with a mother-daughter duo.”
I nearly throw up. Did he just invite me to have a threesome with him and my mother?
“I’ll pass, thanks.”
But Coralie isn’t even shocked. She just cackles before playfully slapping Humphrey’s shoulder.
“Look at her! Kaylee thought you were serious. You’re such a practical joker, Humphrey. You’re funny enough to be a comedian,” she coos while batting her mascara-caked lashes.
But Humphrey meets my eyes, smiles, and I can tell he wasn’t joking at all. Vomit rises in the back of my throat, and I swallow, hard.
“Oh, Kaylee, just look at what you’re wearing,” my mom sighs. “No guy would ever want you dressed like that. Humphrey was just playing, don’t you see?”
Never mind that her words don’t even really make sense. I don’t need to be here, and this entire situation is making me nauseous. I cross my arms over my exposed bust, and take a step back. I feel self-conscious enough in this outfit without my mom’s commentary.
I want to tell her that one guy has taken an interest in me in this exact outfit. Elliot asked me to have lunch with him tomorrow, so this outfit must have some positive points. But Coralie merely giggles nastily again.
“Humphrey, look at my daughter. You know, she once told me she wants to go to college.”
He blinks, like he’s never heard of college before.
“Is that right? Where?”
Mom waves him off. “Who knows? It’s a hilarious thought. Kaylee would never get in, let alone last a minute.”
Humphrey sniggers too.
“College isn’t for everyone,” he says in a smarmy voice. “My cousin Jigger went to college and was expelled for selling meth. They wouldn’t even give him a refund on his tuition! It was the worst decision he’s ever made.”
My mom nods knowingly.
“And it’s definitely not for a girl like Kaylee. She works as a maid, obviously. She cleans other people’s houses for a living. Why would you need college to do that? We’ll give her an education ourselves, won’t we?” she purrs, trailing her nails down Humphrey’s chest.
I remind myself to breathe. Oh my god. Was my mom actually suggesting that the three of us engage in a threesome? I can’t believe it. More likely, Coralie was just saying that because Humphrey has some special weed that she wants to get her paws on. But her boyfriend doesn’t even get the hint.
“A woman who knows how to clean is a valuable commodity,” he says, nodding. “I especially like it when they’re good with toilets,” he says, winking at me.
I didn’t think Humphrey could get any more disgusting, but that sentence solidifies it. Elliot would never say something like that, with all the filthy innuendos. This is just too disgusting, and I turn on my heel to leave.
But then my mom’s voice rises from the couch again.
“Kaylee is going to be cleaning houses for the rest of her life, you know that, don’t you? You’ll never get anywhere, sweetheart. It’s your destiny, don’t you see? You should just accept it, Kaylee. Don’t fight it, and it’ll go down easier.”
I gasp at the shaft of pain lancing through my heart. I open my mouth for a sassy retort, but then snap it shut again. Fighting with my mom is never worth it. She wins every time, even when she’s wrong.