6

433words
“Fire!Fire!Fire!”
I set off fireworks into the storage room,filling it with thick fog.
A man and woman stumbled out—his belt unbuckled,her shoulder bare,clearly caught in the act.

Everyone could guess what they were doing.
In the haze,their faces were unrecognizable.
Jake grabbed a wooden plank and waved threateningly them.
“Take that,you trespassers!”
The commotion drew a crowd around the storage room.
The pair,shielding their faces in shame,couldn’t fight back and took hits from Jake.

Finally,the woman begged,“Please stop,I beg you!”
The crowd saw her clearly—my disheveled mom.
Murmurs erupted.
“Isn’t that the parent who spoke?Her clothes…was she…doing?”

“That couple in the school storage room?Disgusting!”
Jake dropped the plank,approaching my mom.“Oh,Mrs.Harper!I thought it was vandals starting a fire.Didn’t know it was you!”
Her face soured,struggling to contain her anger.
I stepped in,echoing the words from her past life.“No worries,Mom’s super understanding.She loves supporting kids—you didn’t mean it,right?She won’t hold it against you!”
She swallowed her anger.
I noted her head had a small cut, and her face was bruised.
Mark’s arm was red due to Jake’s blows,but he couldn’t scold his own son.
The principal arrived with security,and they ejected them from campus.
A bystander posted the video online,with their faces clear,sparking viral gossip.
They were pointed at everywhere and shamed.
My mom stopped streaming for ages—every time she tried,trolls flooded the chat,calling her immoral.
She kept a low profile,and I focused on college entrance exams,unaffected.
After the exams,I applied to out-of-state schools to escape her.
In my past life,I got accepted but she tore up my admission letter,citing,“Stay close to family.”
She forced me into a late-night bar job,which ended at 2–3 a.m.
Walking home through an alley,I was attacked by thugs and died.
This time,I ignored her, and headed to my dream school.
I thought she’d settle down,but I was wrong.
After dumping Mark,she quickly found a new boyfriend,flaunting their romance online.
He had a rough face,covered in tattoos—dragon and tiger ink.
I knew judging looks was unfair,but he gave off bad vibes.
Worse,she reinvented herself, and launched a new account:Heartfelt Mom.
She appeared on camera,sharing parenting“wisdom”daily.
“Love kids by letting them soar like birds,not kites tethered to you.”
“A bad childhood takes a lifetime to heal.Love is every child’s birthright.”
“Kids,come to Heartfelt Mom’s arms.Share your troubles with me.”
Her fans were mostly young women,fresh out of school or still in school.
She played the“internet mom,”masking her vile core.
Only I knew her ugliness.
Though her content seemed warm,something felt off—too perfect, luring girls in like a trap.
One day,she called me while I was at college.
“Sweetie,come home.I miss you.”
Previous Chapter
Catalogue
Next Chapter