Scarlett's Sin

Demi Lovato's 'Heart Attack' blasted from the speaker of my beat-up truck as I made my way towards my new hell. The city sun was almost setting as I passed the city gates. The road that led into the city was steep and gave me the most breathtaking view of the city. I stuck my hand out of the window, dragging in a fresh breath and tried to shake off my anger and anxiousness. Maybe it wouldn't be all that bad, I thought. But just as I began to feel a little better, my phone rang. I sighed. My mother. The major source of my troubles. I considered not taking the call but I knew how persistent she could be, so I accepted it. "Hi Mom," I said listlessly. "Are you there yet? Are you alone?" She asked in that fake, calm voice. I knew it was a farce. We've been in similar situations a million times before and she would always ask to make sure no one was close before taking her polite, caring mask off. "I'm alone," I said, mentally bracing myself for the onslaught of her words. "Good. Now, Scarlett Ross, you listen to me. You have to be on your best behavior. No bullshit, no pranks, no funny games, okay? I've had to put up with your absurdity for so long but now I'm getting married to Roger. That means I don't have time for-" I zoned out, blocking off her endless tirade. It was one of the many techniques I had learned while living with a mother like Margaret. It was the only way I could remain sane. "Are you even listening to me?" She yelled through the speaker, plunging me back to reality. I heaved a sigh and took a right on the freeway. Knowing Margaret, she was probably pacing, gesturing wildly with a sneer on her face reserved only for me, one she never showed in public. She was the reason I had to rearrange my entire life. She was getting married. Good news, right? But it stopped being one after her second marriage, when I finally realized what she was really after. Money. Roger was her fourth target and apparently the guy was smitten. The newlyweds were relocating to Ireland. Mostly because Roger had to establish his new tech company, worth billions of dollars. "Scarlett, you will not ruin my love life again," my mum continued. "Your aunt is doing me a favor by allowing you to stay with her and her fiance. If that b***h decides to kick you out, you will have no place to go and I certainly won't take you back in. You'll end up sleeping on the street like a tramp then some wannabe reporter will take a picture of you and smear it all over the papers." I rolled my eyes. "You have such an active imagination, Mum." "Oh! Now you are being sarcastic." "If only you would allow me to live at our house or, better still, get a job so I can pay my own rent while schooling then this wouldn't be a problem." "Do you dare use that tone with me, young lady? I'm still your mother, remember?" She spat. "I can't have you disgracing the Ross's name by working. What will people say about me?" "It's always about you, isn't it? You never think of me, my future or my feelings. You don't care about what I want!" "Of course I do. Why am I sacrificing this much for you then?" "What exactly are you sacrificing? Tell-" "No! Scarlett, no. You are not working and I certainly will not let you stay at the house and have you bring random men over. Probably even get pregnant for one. After all the scandals you have caused in the last few years, I wouldn't put it past you." I gripped the steering wheel, fingers tightening around it. My foot pressed down on the gas and the car accelerated. Of course she would go there. She would bring up the past I tried so hard to forget. Yes, I'd been a rebel as a teenager. I'd done what I had to cope with the absence of my father and my mother. She had never been there for me but my nanny, Pat and my Uncle, Brad had been. I had indulged in so many things, trying to create a distraction for myself: s*x, smoke, drugs, alcohol, wild parties. You name it, I'd done it. I would get so f*****g wasted that I would completely black out, most times ending up in the hospital but Uncle Brad was always there to find me and Mrs. Pat to nurse me back to health. They both knew I had been struggling and had been there every step of the way. But now I had developed a thicker skin. I listened to my mother's complaints for a few seconds more and then I hung up. Feeling restless and a little agitated, I grabbed the pack of cigarettes on the dashboard and lit one, taking a long drag. The nicotine hit me, relaxing me almost instantly. Maybe a fresh start was what I needed. I knew Erin's patience was short. All I had to do was cause a kind of trouble that would get me kicked out then I would be able to get a job and focus on enhancing my culinary skills. Yeah, cooking didn't really go with my whole persona but it meant everything to me. It was something I was great at and one more thing my mother despised about me. 'Approaching destination.' My car's GPS alerted me after a few hours. As I entered Newton City, I could only gaze in awe, admiring the buildings and the effortless beauty of the city but that was until I pulled up at my destined location. I'd seen beautiful houses. Hell! I'd lived in one but this was different. It was like a castle, straight out of a modern fairytale. As I tried to take in every articulate detail of the vase, my gaze drifted upwards. At a window on the top floor was the silhouette of a man, standing still, seemingly staring in the direction of my car.