Chapter Text
Victoria anxiously drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. She was already nervous, the waiting wasn’t helping matters. “Okay V, just calm down,” she said to herself. “Remember what the therapist said. Deep, focused breaths.” She took a slow deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, before exhaling through her mouth. She felt a little calmer at least.
“Okay okay. Things I can focus on. Makeup?” She flipped her visor down, appraising herself carefully. “Good, nice. Present?” She looked over her shoulder at the wrapped package in the back seat. “All set… god I hope she likes it…”
Suddenly the passenger door opened, jolting her from her thoughts and causing her to jump. “Jesus christ!” She clutched at her chest as she turned to see familiar blue eyes. The beanie-clad girl frozen in the doorway.
“Um… are you okay?”
Victoria pulled herself together. “Yes. Fine!” She said manically. “You just startled me, that's all. I was kinda in my own little world.” She exhaled a deep breath. “Hi! How was school?”
She got in, buckling her seatbelt. “It's okay… teachers kinda suck.”
“I’m sorry… but hey, at least you’re out of there now,” she said. “And we get to spend the whole weekend together!”
That got a smile out of her. “Yeah. I’m excited.”
She smiled back before eyeing the beanie pulled tightly down over her head. “So what’s with this? You hate wearing these things,” she said pointing.
She looked nervous. “I-I just… I’m trying something new…”
That seemed a bit suspicious. Victoria narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure? Because it looks like you’re sweating to death.”
“Um… maybe.”
“You can take it off if you want. You look kind of uncomfortable,” she said, concern growing in her voice.
“O-okay…” the girl reached up gently and pulled the beanie off revealing a short, neon orange mop of hair.
Victoria’s mouth hung open for a second before she spoke. “Cassandra Chase Price, what the hell did you do to your hair???”
“Uggh Mom!” She groaned. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you.”
Victoria’s heart sank at that, her shock withering away. “I-I’m sorry…” she stuttered out. You’re fucking this up already. The thoughts swam around in her head. She swallowed them down. “It’s fine… it looks nice.”
“Thanks… do you really like it?” She asked, hopefully.
Victoria sighed. “Honestly it's not my favorite… but it’s your hair,” she said. “And it definitely suits you.”
Her daughter beamed at her. “You think so?” She pulled at a lock of her hair, admiring it.
“Yeah totally.” Victoria smiled, seeing her daughter happy. “Plus like, I’ve been dying mine since I was your age. So I can’t really get on your case about it. Does your mother know about it?”
“Yeah. She took me to a salon.”
Another thought swirled through her head upon hearing that. Chloe didn’t tell you… you’re still on the outside… she tried to stuff down that bitter sadness but it felt like a weight in her stomach.
“Mom?” The girl asked, snapping her out of her stewing.
Victoria shook her head trying to clear out the thoughts. “Sorry Cassie, what did you say?”
Cassie looked worried. “Mom, are you okay?”
She put up as good a smile as she could. “I’m fine sweetie.”
“Okay…” she said, seemingly only mildly convinced. “I was saying Mom had to take me to a salon because I got your hair and she said there’s no way she could do it herself.”
Victoria laughed. “Yeah that sounds right. Black hair and bleach aren’t great friends.”
Cassie smiled. “So where to?”
“Well... Unless my info is out of date, someone…” she poked Cassie in the shoulder. “Likes sushi, so I got us a table at Momiji”
Her face lit up. “Oh my god! Mom, no way!”
Victoria laughed at that. “Yes way.” She reached over to pinch Cassie’s cheek. “Only the best for my birthday girl.”
“Mom.” Cassie groaned, batting her hand away.
“Hey,” Victoria said, quieter. “You’re not too far into the ‘I hate my parents’ stage of teenagerdom to hug your mother are you?”
Cassie smiled at her before launching herself at her mom, leaning awkwardly across the center console to wrap her arms around Victoria.
Victoria returned the hug, taking in a deep breath and holding it. Trying to bid the tears not to fall.
“Love you mom.”
Well so much for that she thought as her eyes started watering. She held Cassie tighter, “love you too baby.”
After a minute the two separated, both with shining eyes. Victoria dabbed at hers with a tissue. “So,” she said, starting the car, trying to calm down a bit. “Sushi?”
Cassie smiled back at her, “sushi.
“And this…” Victoria said, leaning into the back seat, “is for you.” She plopped the package down into Cassie’s lap before putting the car in gear and pulling away from the curb. “Happy birthday sweetie.”
“Mooooom. You didn’t have to get me anything,” Cassie said, picking at the taped corner of the wrapping paper.
Victoria scoffed at that. “What kind of a mother would I be if I didn’t get my fifteen year old daughter a birthday present?”
“You’d still be a good mom?” She replied, still picking at the tape. “Getting to spend the weekend with you is already an awesome birthday present.”
Victoria did her best to not start tearing up at that, choosing instead to focus on Cassie’s meticulous unwrapping. “I’m genuinely shocked you haven’t shredded that wrapping paper already, your mother would have.”
“Yeah but it's so pretty,” she said, not looking up. “Where’d you get it wrapped?”
“I um…” Victoria swallowed. “I wrapped it.”
Cassie looked up at her in surprise, the teen locking eyes with her mom at the stoplight before a grin broke across her face. “Well now I’m definitely not tearing it.” She said with a smirk. “In fact…” the teen said, resealing the peeled tape, “I think I’ll wait til after dinner.”
Victoria smiled back at her. Cassie had definitely inherited her snarkiness that’s for sure, Chloe’s too honestly.