"I got a little text...from someone we both know! Guess who." Her mother's words stumbled through the haze of her intoxication.
Lita shrugged once more. "Jade's mom!" her mother announced before erupting into laughter. "And you wanna know what she told me...she said my daughter! Kissed her daughter," she continued before loudly cackling. "How dare she! Right, hun? So I told her my daughter is not some slut!" Her mother's speech slurred as she continued, "Unless..." she stood up, swaying, and walked closer to Lita. The smell of alcohol easily wafted off her breath as she spoke. "Unless you are? Are you some sluttish dyke, Lita!?"
"Mom!" Lita exclaimed, her brows furrowing. "What!?" her mother yelled back. "You can't say that!"
"Oh, shut the fuck up! You and all these other kids with their rainbow flags, thinking they're better than us." She walked around to the kitchen countertops, grabbed another beer, swiftly opened it, and took a swig. "It's a fucking mental illness!"
"Shut the fuck up!" Lita yelled. Her mom began to chuckle. "Oh...now where did this courage come from?" she asked.
Lita looked her mother in the eyes. She wanted to dismiss these words as drunken ramblings, but maybe it was true that drunken words were just sober thoughts.
In anger, Lita attempted to leave but felt a hand pull her back. "Let go of me!" she yelled, pushing her mother back, sending her stumbling into the metal handle on one of the drawers. Her eyes widened as her mother clutched the back of her head, seemingly now sobered up.
"What the fuck!?" she yelled in anger. Suddenly, out came rushing Charlie to see Lita stood above her mother, who sat clutching the back of her head, blood now trickling down her arm.
"What's going on?" He yelled in anger, instantly coming down to Maria's side, giving Lita a wide-eyed look. Her mother merely groaned in pain. "I-I didn't mean to-"
"She knew exactly what she was doing..." Her mother said through tears before leaning into Charlie, sobbing.
"She knew exactly what she was doing..." Her mother's tearful admission hung heavy in the air as she leaned into Charlie, seeking solace.
"You're unbelievable!" Lita's frustration erupted into a sharp retort. "Lita, please, just go to your room," Charlie interjected, his voice tinged with disappointment as he comforted her mother.
With a heavy heart, Lita retreated to her room. As she closed the door behind her, her phone buzzed with a message from her father: 'Mateo's surgery is tomorrow. Wish him luck.' Despite the turmoil of the evening, a small smile tugged at Lita's lips at the thought of her brother. Yet, the weight of her mother's behavior lingered, a stark reminder of the turmoil within their family.
A knock interrupted her thoughts, and Bella's voice filtered through the door, full of concern. "Lita, it's me, Bella. Are you alright?" Lita sighed, unlocking the door to find Bella's sympathetic smile waiting for her.
"Not my greatest day," Lita admitted with a sad smile. "I'm not great at comforting people, but... why don't we just binge-watch some movies in my room for the night? It might take your mind off of it," Bella suggested, offering a small but genuine gesture of support.
Lita's smile grew warmer. "Yeah... that'd be nice."
Bella set up her laptop and turned on '27 Dresses'. Lita was surprised by Bella's choice of movie, but she appreciated the distraction nonetheless. As they settled in to watch, the comfort of friendship began to ease the weight of the evening's events.