As Cammie's mother shook her head at her daughter for coming home so late, she sighed. Ever since Cammie's father had died when she was 13, she just wasn't the same. Cammie was coming home later and later, and her grades have never been the same for years now. Cammie just wasn't the bright, intelligent girl she had always been.
"She is growing up, Amy," Cammie's mother said to herself. "She is 16 now. Maybe it's just a stage..."
"Cammie," Amy said to her daughter, "why didn't you come home for dinner? I was hoping you would, my boss was here tonight. I knew he would have been delighted to meet you."
"I didn't feel like it, okay?" Cammie said coarsely to her mother. "Why are you always treating me like a little kid? I can take care of my self."
Amy thought back about when Cammie was 13. She was such a sweet girl. She had friends, a boyfriend, and she was a good student. She rarely disobeyed what her mother and teachers told her not to do.
Now she has "F's" and is frequently suspended or getting calls home from worried teachers. She was smoking crack. Amy learned that last year when she went through Cammie's room... God knows how many other drugs she may be smoking by now. Amy was sure that she wasn't a virgin, another thing she found in her room, not like that mattered much. She couldn't stop her, even if she wanted to. She was putting on a lot of weight lately too? maybe because of the drugs.
"Here, have some soup. I'll heat it up for you," Amy offered her daughter.
"I don't want anything," Cammie said with a sneer.
"Umm... How was your day today?" Amy asked, trying to brighten her daughters mood up before she got into a serious discussion about a phone call she got earlier.
"Why do you want to know? Will you just butt out of my life?" Cammie started out of the kitchen and was about to go upstairs.
"I got a call from your teacher, Mrs. Saldenez. She says that she has the suspicion your doing drugs," Amy brought up the subject. She knew she had to bring that up with her daughter.
"Mrs. Saldenez is a bitch, Mom. She makes stuff up," and with that Cammie went to her room and cranked her music up full blast.
An hour later Cammie's new boyfriend pulled up on his motorcycle. He came to the door and asked for Cammie. He wasn't one of the guys Amy would want Cammie to be seeing, but that couldn't be helped either.
"Cammie, your boyfriend is here," Amy shouted up the stairs. Eventually, Cammie came down.
"Hey, Cammie." He glanced back at Amy and looked back at Cammie.
"Hey, Roberto." Cammie said and then gave her mother a look and told her to leave.
About 2 minutes later Cammie came into the living room where Amy was reading her book. "I'm going out with Roberto," Cammie said and started to leave.
Amy was sick of Cammie walking all over her. "No, you're not. It's 9:30. You're staying home and doing your homework. You have enough to keep you busy. Now go to your room and get cracking. I don't want any phone calls to be made, and you can't go anywhere 'till you make up all of your work. If you even think of sneaking out, I will send you to a convent."
Cammie stormed off to the front door and then closed it. She ran up stairs and slammed her door shut.
Amy started to wonder if she had been to harsh on her. She remembered when she was a 16 year old. She wasn't quite as bad, but she was still rebellious. "No," Amy thought, "I did the right thing." It was still hard for the widow to take care of a rebellious teenager.
Amy went up stairs and decided to go to sleep. She needed a rest anyway. Around 3:45 in the morning, she got a phone call, waking her up.
"Ugh... Hello?" Amy moaned.
"Ms. Tonies?" a voice said on the other line.
"Yes, this is her," Amy said, trying to wake herself up. "What in the world could be important at this hour?" she thought.
"Ma'am, your daughter Cartherian is dead," the voice said.
That immediately woke Amy up. "What are you talking about??? Who is this!?!" Amy was shouting at this point.
"This is the city deputy. We got a call a half-hour ago from Mrs. Saldenez, we believe she's your daughter's teacher," the deputy said.
"Yes, she is," Amy said.
"She was woken up this morning by someone crashing into the street light in front of her house," the deputy stated.
"H-h-how did she crash into the street light if she's at home?" Amy said.
"She wasn't. She was with Roberto Martinez. They were on a motorcycle with out any head protection. We did a blood test on the two. Cartherian had traces of LSD, crack, angel dust, and several other drugs in her blood. To make it worse, her alcohol level was above the limits for driving. Ma'am, I don't think you'll want to hear this..." the deputy said trying to keep a calm voice.
"Hear what!?! My daughter is dead! What could be worst than my daughter being dead?!?" Amy screamed.
"Your daughter was 6 months pregnant, we think. The baby looks as if it was killed in her womb. Possibly from the drugs or from lack of care," the deputy choked a bit.
Amy started to cry right there. "I lost my daughter... Oh, god, what did I do to deserve this?" she thought.
"Ms. Tonies?" the deputy asked.
"Y-y-y-y-es..." Amy choked a little while talking. Her blonde hair fell in to her face and into her tears.
"We will need you to come down here to fill out some paper work," the deputy said in the kindest voice he could.
"Wait... Did Cammie go through any suffering?" Amy asked. She hoped that at least her daughter died with out pain.
"She died about ten minutes after she was found. She was too out of it to feel anything," the deputy said almost silently.
"I'll be down there in about 5 minutes," Amy said then hung up. Still not believing that Cammie was really gone, she went to her room. Her window was open, and she had left a note on her bed. Amy picked it up and read it.
That broke Amy. She just screamed and grabbed her favorite china doll. She then threw it on the floor. Crying still, she fell to the floor. The darkness of her child's room seemed to overcome her. Not more then six hours ago, Cammie was alive.
"And the last thing I did was ground her..." she said out loud for no one to hear.
Amy then got up. She wiped away her tears and went down to the kitchen. She got her steak knife and slit her wrist. She had nothing left to live for anyway. Her husband was dead, her child was dead, her grandchild was dead before it even came into the world. What was left?
As she sunk to the floor and saw the world grow darker and darker, she remembered Cammie when she was a sweet 13 year old.................
"She is growing up, Amy," Cammie's mother said to herself. "She is 16 now. Maybe it's just a stage..."
"Cammie," Amy said to her daughter, "why didn't you come home for dinner? I was hoping you would, my boss was here tonight. I knew he would have been delighted to meet you."
"I didn't feel like it, okay?" Cammie said coarsely to her mother. "Why are you always treating me like a little kid? I can take care of my self."
Amy thought back about when Cammie was 13. She was such a sweet girl. She had friends, a boyfriend, and she was a good student. She rarely disobeyed what her mother and teachers told her not to do.
Now she has "F's" and is frequently suspended or getting calls home from worried teachers. She was smoking crack. Amy learned that last year when she went through Cammie's room... God knows how many other drugs she may be smoking by now. Amy was sure that she wasn't a virgin, another thing she found in her room, not like that mattered much. She couldn't stop her, even if she wanted to. She was putting on a lot of weight lately too? maybe because of the drugs.
"Here, have some soup. I'll heat it up for you," Amy offered her daughter.
"I don't want anything," Cammie said with a sneer.
"Umm... How was your day today?" Amy asked, trying to brighten her daughters mood up before she got into a serious discussion about a phone call she got earlier.
"Why do you want to know? Will you just butt out of my life?" Cammie started out of the kitchen and was about to go upstairs.
"I got a call from your teacher, Mrs. Saldenez. She says that she has the suspicion your doing drugs," Amy brought up the subject. She knew she had to bring that up with her daughter.
"Mrs. Saldenez is a bitch, Mom. She makes stuff up," and with that Cammie went to her room and cranked her music up full blast.
An hour later Cammie's new boyfriend pulled up on his motorcycle. He came to the door and asked for Cammie. He wasn't one of the guys Amy would want Cammie to be seeing, but that couldn't be helped either.
"Cammie, your boyfriend is here," Amy shouted up the stairs. Eventually, Cammie came down.
"Hey, Cammie." He glanced back at Amy and looked back at Cammie.
"Hey, Roberto." Cammie said and then gave her mother a look and told her to leave.
About 2 minutes later Cammie came into the living room where Amy was reading her book. "I'm going out with Roberto," Cammie said and started to leave.
Amy was sick of Cammie walking all over her. "No, you're not. It's 9:30. You're staying home and doing your homework. You have enough to keep you busy. Now go to your room and get cracking. I don't want any phone calls to be made, and you can't go anywhere 'till you make up all of your work. If you even think of sneaking out, I will send you to a convent."
Cammie stormed off to the front door and then closed it. She ran up stairs and slammed her door shut.
Amy started to wonder if she had been to harsh on her. She remembered when she was a 16 year old. She wasn't quite as bad, but she was still rebellious. "No," Amy thought, "I did the right thing." It was still hard for the widow to take care of a rebellious teenager.
Amy went up stairs and decided to go to sleep. She needed a rest anyway. Around 3:45 in the morning, she got a phone call, waking her up.
"Ugh... Hello?" Amy moaned.
"Ms. Tonies?" a voice said on the other line.
"Yes, this is her," Amy said, trying to wake herself up. "What in the world could be important at this hour?" she thought.
"Ma'am, your daughter Cartherian is dead," the voice said.
That immediately woke Amy up. "What are you talking about??? Who is this!?!" Amy was shouting at this point.
"This is the city deputy. We got a call a half-hour ago from Mrs. Saldenez, we believe she's your daughter's teacher," the deputy said.
"Yes, she is," Amy said.
"She was woken up this morning by someone crashing into the street light in front of her house," the deputy stated.
"H-h-how did she crash into the street light if she's at home?" Amy said.
"She wasn't. She was with Roberto Martinez. They were on a motorcycle with out any head protection. We did a blood test on the two. Cartherian had traces of LSD, crack, angel dust, and several other drugs in her blood. To make it worse, her alcohol level was above the limits for driving. Ma'am, I don't think you'll want to hear this..." the deputy said trying to keep a calm voice.
"Hear what!?! My daughter is dead! What could be worst than my daughter being dead?!?" Amy screamed.
"Your daughter was 6 months pregnant, we think. The baby looks as if it was killed in her womb. Possibly from the drugs or from lack of care," the deputy choked a bit.
Amy started to cry right there. "I lost my daughter... Oh, god, what did I do to deserve this?" she thought.
"Ms. Tonies?" the deputy asked.
"Y-y-y-y-es..." Amy choked a little while talking. Her blonde hair fell in to her face and into her tears.
"We will need you to come down here to fill out some paper work," the deputy said in the kindest voice he could.
"Wait... Did Cammie go through any suffering?" Amy asked. She hoped that at least her daughter died with out pain.
"She died about ten minutes after she was found. She was too out of it to feel anything," the deputy said almost silently.
"I'll be down there in about 5 minutes," Amy said then hung up. Still not believing that Cammie was really gone, she went to her room. Her window was open, and she had left a note on her bed. Amy picked it up and read it.
Mom, I went out with Roberto.? I'm not coming back.? Ever since dad died, you've been a controlling bitch. Cammie |
That broke Amy. She just screamed and grabbed her favorite china doll. She then threw it on the floor. Crying still, she fell to the floor. The darkness of her child's room seemed to overcome her. Not more then six hours ago, Cammie was alive.
"And the last thing I did was ground her..." she said out loud for no one to hear.
Amy then got up. She wiped away her tears and went down to the kitchen. She got her steak knife and slit her wrist. She had nothing left to live for anyway. Her husband was dead, her child was dead, her grandchild was dead before it even came into the world. What was left?
As she sunk to the floor and saw the world grow darker and darker, she remembered Cammie when she was a sweet 13 year old.................