Page 101 of Running from Drac

“Nothing bad is going to happen, Amber. You got this!” Mallory encourages. I wish I could believe her, but it’s hard when my gut is telling me to turn around and run.

We arrive at the chapel early—too fucking early. The second I step outside, my gut twists, and nausea takes over. “This is a bad idea.”

“Are you having second thoughts?” Poppy questions.

“A million. Do you think I’m making a mistake?”

She shoots a look at Mallory before sighing. “Only you can answer that, Amber.”

My phone picks that moment to ring. It’s my mother.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hey, Sweetie. Today’s the big day, huh?”

“Yeah, are you going to make it?”

There’s a long silence on the other end of the line. “I wish I could but—”

“Please don’t try to make excuses, Mom. You’re absent like always, and that’s okay, I guess.”

“Amber, you’re being unreasonable. I’m doing this for our family, so I can be a better mom.”

“A better mom would’ve waited to enter rehab until after the wedding.”

She draws out another stretch of uncomfortable silence.

“So, I call you out on your shit and you go silent on me? Figures.”

“That’s not fair, Amber.”

“No, Mom, what’s not fair is my mother missing my wedding because of self-reflection. Even trying to better yourself, you’re still selfish.”

Poppy winces, as does Mallory. Maybe I went a little too far, but everything is starting to feel too overwhelming, like the universe is telling me not to do this.

“I’m sorry,” she says through a quiet sob. “I’m working on myself. I’m trying to be better.”

Well, now I feel like absolute dog shit.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I’m just overwhelmed right now. I was really hoping you’d be here for me today since—” my voice cuts off, emotion filling the void inside me.

“Since your dad passed away.”

“Yeah…”

I hear someone call out her name from somewhere else. “I just wanted to call and wish you luck, and tell you how proud of you I am. You’re an amazing girl, Amber. How I got so lucky to have a daughter like you, I’ll never know. Anyway, I should go. My sponsor is calling me to our weekly meeting. It’s my turn to talk.”

My fingers curl around my phone, anger returning, the bitterness inside starting to curdle and spoil. “Well, I’m sure you’ll have a lot to talk about, since you’re missing your only daughter’s wedding today.”

“Amber—”

“Goodbye, Mother.”

Before she can say anything else, I press end call.

Fuck her.

Fuck her for trying to better herself on my wedding day.