1.08 - low blow

Andrian watched her Mother slick her hair down with gel, going over places she had gone over twice before. "What's the matter?" She finally asked, spooking her Mother who hadn't known she was there. Her Mother seemed a little nervous, and clearly jumpy.

"Android, you scared me." She gasped, placing her hand to her chest, cheeks dark red. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?" Turning back to the mirror, Officer Morgan finished her work hair. Slicked back into a lower bun, enough room for her to wear her hat.

"... You promised to drive me." Andrian trailed off, chewing on her lip and redirecting her gaze to her feet. Smacking her hands against the sink, her Mother released a breath slowly.

"I'm sorry Andrian, I forgot, go get your stuff and I'll drop you off." She said in a far off voice, her eyes glazed over at she stared at herself in the mirror.

Andrian didn't drag her feet to get the rest of her stuff together, not wanting to inconvenience her Mother any further. A burning feeling tried to fight its way out from behind her eyes, almost wanting to prickle into tears. She kept forgetting about her. Andrian was surprised her Mother could even remember her name - but then again she called her Andriod, maybe she had forgotten.

Her Father had left her and now... her Mother had too.

"You know it's just because work is really stressful right now..." whiping her head behind her, Andrian was spooked by her Mother who had walked into her room uninvited. "This morning has just been really hectic, Sheriff Craig called and last night we had a few young partiers and Giuseppe and - " her Mother stopped, noticing Andrian freeze up at the mention of his name. She could feel her Mother trying to compute what that look from her daughter meant. "So you and Samuel?"

Andrian felt a bitter taste in her mouth as she zipped up her bag, throwing it over her shoulder.

"I thought the two of you would be back together by now...?" She didn't meet her Mothers gaze, instead kept it on the ground beside her bed - where Giuseppe had thrown his shirt.

"That's never going to happen." She scoffed with more attitude than she had intended. "It's just - he isn't a nice guy." She blamed her attitude on the lack of coffee in her system - and mornings.

"And Giuseppe is?" Officer Morgan pressed her lips together, following her daughter down the hallway Giuseppe had once carried her through. Clothes half discarded, her mouth on his. A shiver raced through her body as she quickly raced down the stairs, a brush of cold air flying up her skirt. Biting her lip, her face was dark red at the warm feeling between her legs. "Andrian Anne-Marie Morgan answer me." Freezing on the spot, almost in the kitchen to where a mouthful of her Mothers cold coffee was left, she turned to her Mother.

"I don't know what you mean, Giuseppe and I go to school together and what from I can tell he is nice enough." She shrugged, noticing she was rambling. She just had to get some sort of caffeine into her system before she said something she would regret.

"You talk to him?" She arched her eyebrow, picking her keys off the table with more force than necessary.

"Yes, I talk with Giuseppe." She answered softly, trying to calm her racing heart. The wetness that had started between her legs had died down faster than she had expected.

"You know he only wants one thing, right?" Her Mother folded her arms, a face pulled that twinged the slightest bit of annoyance in Andrian. Officer Morgan switched from Mother on and off again faster than she could keep up.

She had to bite back her retort, and risk letting her Mother know that Giuseppe had gotten that one thing. And that he was going against what he usually did and still talked to her. Andrian had more things to worry about than whatever Giuseppe's intentions were.

The two were in a standoff position. Her Mother waiting for her daughter to reply, but Andrian had nothing to say that would not ruin what her Mother thought of her. She didn't need another reason for her Mother to leave.

"Just get in the car, Android." Her Mother sighed, almost dissmissing Andrian's real feelings. Andrian just nodded, picking up her bag and walking to the Police issued car. "Do you know what I think?" As soon as her Mother said those words, she shut off, trapped in her own mind.

Her heart beat paced unevenly, her hands sweating as she was just lost in thought. Her family was torn apart because of her. She lost her Father and Mother in the same month. Physically her Dad. Emotionally her Mum.

"Android - " her Mother put a hand on her shoulder, rudely dragging Andrian from her thoughts. "We're here, hurry up, I have to go to work."

Salty, that was all Andrian could feel over coming her. A word Sparkles and Angie had introduced to her. Tough, aggressive, tangy - petty. Huffing and rolling her eyes, Andrian slammed her door shut without saying goodbye to her Mother.

Something she had felt crawling deep inside her mind was trying to fight its way to the surface. Making a burning sensation through her nose and throat, tears prickling her eyes as she thought about her Dad. He had dropped off the face of the Earth, left the receipt for a plane ticket on the kitchen table and never called, texted or wrote.

It just kept creeping up faster and faster that Andrian couldn't race fast enough to the bathroom. Pulling out her phone, she called the only person she could think of - Giuseppe.