Ch. 62 How to Save a Life

One of the worst fights with my mom

was about Charlotte.

I had missed curfew.

She caught me in the driveway

trying to sneak out of Charlotte's little, red Mini Cooper.

We hadn't been doing anything bad.

Just some late night swimming with a few people

in the river behind the park.

I had only been twenty minutes late.

If I had been with Will, everything would have been fine.

If Johnny were in my place, she'd give him a stern look

and just let him inside.

But it was me

and I was with Charlotte.

And Mom was mad.

She grabbed me by the arm

and marched me inside

without even letting me say goodbye to Charlotte.

Then she sat me down on the couch

and started yelling at me so loudly

Johnny and Dad even came down to see what was wrong.

She was so mad

she actually yelled at Johnny

to get his butt back upstairs.

Then we had one of the biggest arguments

we had ever had.

"She's a bad influence!"

She would always say that about Charlotte.

Because it wasn't until I met Charlotte

that I started missing curfew,

sneaking out of the house,

going to parties,

and getting scolded at school.

My mom never understood

that Charlotte

brought out the best in me.

Because I was going out,

and making friends,

and speaking up in school.

Mom only saw the bad.

"She's always getting you into trouble!"

"She's my friend!"

"You shouldn't be around her!"

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"Yes I can!"

Then we shouted,

and fought,

and yelled,

and argued

for another hour

until she finally just grounded me

for two weeks.

But I didn't listen.

I was so mad at her.

So four days later,

I snuck out to one of MIles's infamous parties,

and had too much to drink,

and decided to drive home anyway,

and never made it that night.

Maybe that's the reason I've been so mad at my mom.

If I had listened.

Hadn't been so mad.

Hadn't snuck out just to piss her off.

Everything would be so different.

My mom hated Charlotte.

She never wanted us to be friends.

But she had tried to save her.

And I didn't listen.