Mother and Daughter

Lucy

Lucy sat and watched the third tournament game half-heartedly. The manticores had made their way to the final few rounds. If they won this game and they made it to the final game. Gisa had waved to her but Lucy didn't wave back as she watched Gisa sit with a few girls she'd been hanging out with recently.

Even after Gisa's magic, even after finally beginning to look the way she's wanted to, she was more frustrated than ever. She had more friends. But the girls sitting beside her didn't say much, one leaning on another's shoulder, all four of them typing something on their phones. Lucy wanted to hurl hers into the field

Into the field where she should have been. Playing in the band. She thought back to the dusty clarinet hidden in her closet. Her mom's shrill voice when she had announced she was quitting and dropping the class. The fight that had ensued.

"Where did my sweet Lucy go? Lucy who worked hard in her classes and with her instruments. Who cared more about other people than she did for her looks?"

Lucy hadn't allowed the words to sink in as she snapped back, "She's not here anymore mom. That's not my fault. That's yours. If you had thought about me and my feelings for one second? Maybe I would have been different. But now mom, look at all of this. I had to do it myself because you didn't. Now you have to deal with it. So stop pretending you knew me, stop pretending that this is just a facade. Just admit you hate me and leave me alone."

She and her mother hadn't spoken to each other since then. That is, excluding the time she, Stacy and Gimena were called to her office for cheating. Academic dishonesty was taken seriously by her mother.

"You girls seriously disappoint me with this," she'd let them off with a few detentions, nothing more, but, "Lucy wait,"

"Why?" Lucy snapped, whipping her head around with a frown, her perfect ponytail flying behind her. "You want to give me a bigger punishment because you'd expect better of me?" She changed her voice to mimic her mothers. "Give me a break mom, you just want something to lord over."

Lucy spun on her heel and stormed out, ignoring her mother's stern commands of her to return. But… her mother hadn't punished her any more than that. Lucy should have been happy or relieved, but for some reason she just… wasn't.

"—And then of course he told Sabrina it was over because like… who wouldn't? Sabrina was a total whore!"

"Didn't you used to be friends?" Stacy asked, glancing down at her hands, "I need to get my nails redone."

"We were friends! Until she had sex with Brian and Avery when she knew you liked Brian and I was with A—" Maria began.

"Wait she had sex with Brian?" Stacy screeched, way too loud. Lucy winced. So did Maria, Gimena, and Missy. "This is so unacceptable." She lifted her phone and dialed a number, walking briskly up the bleacher's steps towards the exit, yelling as soon as another voice sounded from the other end.

"Stacy, don't do anything brash!" Maria sprinted up the stairs after her.

Lucy shook her head. She hated this part. Her friends from before had been so relaxed, and hadn't cared whether or not she used a shade of concealer that didn't blend with her skin tone on her neck. They would have laughed if she'd tried to put makeup on before. She stared at her reflection on the dark phone screen. She was practically an artist now.

"So about the game," Gimena said with a laugh.

"You don't even know how it's played," Missy snapped at her. Lucy tried not to roll her eyes. Missy was in an unpleasant mood, as always. Another thing Lucy hated, but about herself. This sarcastic person she'd become, even to herself.

"Hey Lucy," one of her old friends from before had said to her earlier that week, "Think you can come to the study group? I know it has been a couple of weeks but I thought—"

"Yeah of course, always thinking." Lucy rolled her eyes, snatching the invite, "Yeah count me in, I'd be absolutely delighted." She dropped the paper, gave a simpering smile to her friend who stood dumbfounded, and walked down the hall, the moment almost immediately forgotten until now… She had turned into such a jerk. But somehow that attitude had earned her a spot in this group, and earned her invites to almost all the parties she could handle. Even Annabelle and her stupid cronies stopped commenting, only looking down their perfect noses with disdain at her climb up their dumb social ladder. She had her pick of guys, her friends laughing when she criticized them behind their backs. When did this become her life?

"Look, it's blonde one, two, three and the honorary brunette," Gimena said with disgust as the cheerleading squad took the field, Annabelle and three of her other friends somehow managing to be the cheerleaders on top. Always ready to be seen.

"Her chest is almost completely uncovered," Missy said, "I'd be embarrassed to date her if I were Michael."

"Not like the poor guy has much of a choice," Lucy shrugged, "They aren't officially betrothed yet, but it is only a matter of time. We grew up together, trust me, his parents are practically throwing Annabelle on top of him."

"They shouldn't have to throw her on Michael," a pause before Missy continued, "She's plenty good at throwing herself on guys all on her own."

They watched the second half of the game as it began, at least Lucy did. The manticores were up by one, and though they hadn't scored in a while, their defensive players were bored as they dominated the offensive third. Sean ordered them all around from the center, executing their plays with brilliance. The only problem was the all-star goalie on the other team. Practically carrying their team. It was definitely one of the manticores' lowest scoring games.

The other team made a hard drive down the field, but Jamison, doing his freakish maneuvers to get around the frisbee, slammed a shoulder into the offender, ducking just in time for the frisbee to strike his opponent squarely in the side of his helmet. The guy fell, sloppily tossing the puck away. Another driver recovered it, sending it up to the front of the field. The fallen player didn't get up.

Lucy grimaced as they halted play, a few people helping him limp off of the field. "Is he going to go to the hospital?" Lucy asked.

"No," Missy answered, "his pride would never recover. Besides, it was a legal hit. Jamison isn't being penalized and the manticores are keeping possession."

Lucy nodded as Missy rambled on some more when play continued. She remembered watching the dark haired woman play Tourney up until ninth grade. She had been a driver until a square hit hospitalized her for a month or so. She'd resumed practicing as soon as her doctor cleared her to do so. She was the only female Tourney player in the league at that point, only one of four female Tourney players still playing at all on a team.

They hadn't been friends yet when Missy "hadn't made it" on the Tourney team. But everyone heard about it. Missy was not only benched, but completely kicked off the team. She had been told that she just wasn't good enough, but the whole school, hell the whole league, knew it wasn't true. Her mother and father had filed a lawsuit, but they'd lost. Badly. Missy played in pickup games now, but no more. Lucy often wanted to ask about it, but Missy was not the sharing type. Like Lucy, she'd become a different person.

The game was drawing to a close, the Manticores having scored another point, when Lucy's phone rang. Her mother's contact photo appeared on the screen. Lucy rolled her eyes, but stood up, walking towards the exit as she answered it.

"Lucy, I want you back at my quarters this instant." Oh, right.

"Actually, I'm at the game mom. Maybe I'll stop by later," Lucy willed boredom and complete irreverence into her tone. In actuality, she was curious as to what her mom would do.

"No, you're coming back right now." her mother said into her phone, "Do you know what you did?"

"I'd hope so if I'm the one who did it," Lucy said, playing with her necklace as she didn't bother to deny the fact that she'd vandalized the wand's pedestal in the museum. "My art is improving, don't you think?"

"Don't take that tone with me!"

Lucy paused, her heart beating faster as her mother seemed to growl the words at her. Sharp and angry and… unchecked. Her face heated. Her mother almost never raised her voice. She was livid. Lucy suppressed her smirk. How much would it take to push her mother over the edge? "I'll take the tone I want with you and I'll come by your quarters when I feel like it. Bye mom."

"Don't you dare hang up the phone on me young—"

Lucy hit the button to end the call, walking back to sit with her friends. "My mom is peeved."

"She found out?" Gimena asked.

"I didn't expect her to find out so quickly." Lucy said with a shrug, "but it isn't like she does something to make me stop. All I have to do is put up with her whining."

"Are you going to tell her that you had accomplices?" Missy asked.

"No," Lucy said, "Not unless you want me to."

Missy shook her head, grinning. "Whatever makes her more mad."

An hour or so later, after the Manticores won the game by two, she decided to stop by her mother's office. See what damage she'd done.

She strolled into the main office, hitting the elevator door. She wasn't going to bother climbing four flights of stairs. Nobody said anything to her. Apparently her mother told the other administrators that they were no longer on good terms. Not that it mattered. After Lucy and her friends had been called in here for multiple infractions, nobody liked her anymore. So she'd just walked through, glancing down at her phone. Someone tried to get her attention, but she walked past them with nothing more than a huff of impatience.

The administrators used to love her. When she was younger they'd even bought her birthday presents. She'd interned at the school for a few summers working in administration, but now she doubted they'd want her there again. Which was fine. Lucy didn't want to be a part of the administration group anyway. It was part of the reason she'd been teased so badly.

The ornate elevator doors opened, a few other students shuffling out. One of which being another old friend who she'd simply stopped talking to. The other girl didn't meet her eyes, shouldering past her, shoulders hunching. Lucy didn't let her expression change as she walked into the elevator, still looking at her phone, reading the same message over again. She should have still talked to her friend. Or at least said something. Marissa was too nice to say something about it. Too sweet and too much of a pushover to confront Lucy. It made it easier to ignore the whole situation. It was like they'd never met. Lucy deleted all of the contacts and unfollowed every one of her old friends on her social media pages.

Four floors up, the doors opened to a lavish waiting room where she saw a few royals and some guards all waiting to personally discuss matters about their kids apparently. A few doors lead to extravagant offices with floor to ceiling windows and the latest technology. A big waste for parent-dean conferences was all Lucy could see. She didn't bother checking in with the receptionist. As soon as her mother saw her, she'd postpone her next conference. Or make her wait. Who knew? Maybe Lucy would just leave.

She plopped into a very plush armchair with embroidered fabric. She spied one of the country's princess waiting, her youngest on her lap. They were dressed in formal wear suggesting…

Lucy's heart skipped a beat. She'd completely forgotten about the charity ball. That she was expected to attend. She rolled her head back on the chair, staring at the white ceiling. If she was lucky her mom would tell her she wasn't allowed to go. Lucy hoped that would be the case.

Her mother ushered out two parents and a young boy, probably registering for next semester. Had to be important enough for them to meet with the dean.

Lucy looked up, meeting her mother's eyes. The Mother Guardian's smile faltered for a second. "Lucy, do you have a second? I have fifteen minutes before my next scheduled meeting." Her mother said, clasping her hands together. So hard her knuckles were white, Lucy noted.

"Yeah mom, that's why I came." Lucy said, standing up. A few people looked up, tried to smile at her. Lucy's answering smile was blatantly fake.

As soon as the door shut, Mother Guardian whirled on Lucy, "What has gotten into you?" she demanded, fists landing on her hips.

"Nothing has gotten into me. I just got you out of my head." Lucy said, sitting in an armchair, "Something's gotten out of me."

Her mother's glare showed no hint of amusement. "You dropped band, your grades are sinking, you've had multiple disciplinary referrals and now you've vandalized the museum."

"That about sums it up," Lucy went to go back to her phone but her mother snatched it from her.

"No," she responded at Lucy's protest, "This does not belong to you until you bring your grades up until they are at least a "C+". All of them."

Lucy met her mother's stare with a challenge. "That's not your phone. Dad bought it for me. The one you got was super outdated. I sold it on ebay."

Her mother sighed heavily, "Your father has a habit of spoiling you. He doesn't know that it is doing you more harm than good."

"Well at least he seems to want me to be happy. You want me to be boring and successful. Neither of which I care to be. I don't want to be rich and get a boring job. You do that well enough for both of us." Lucy said, eyebrows knitted.

"This all started with the stupid wand? Is that what you want? You want to become super powerful or whatever? Because it is not what you think it is. It is too much responsibility for my eighteen year-old. It's—"

"That's the problem. You decide all of these for me. I want to decide if it is too much responsibility. I want to decide if I'm too young. I want to decide whether or not I can control my own power. But I can feel it growing and it hates being stashed up inside me. I want to use it mom." Lucy pressed her mouth into a thin line to keep the emotions from boring into her. Without another word, she left her mom's office, wiping at her eyes as she headed for the elevator.