"Hey."
Mary turned around, her stomach clenching on reflex.
Her mother watched her from across the room, bottle in hand, a malicious smile on her lips.
"That little boyfriend of yours," her mother said, taking a swig from the bottle without taking her eyes off her. "The one upstairs... what's his name?"
Mary froze completely, her hand still on the doorknob.
"Who's name?" she answered, forcing a nervous laugh. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mom... I'm just going for a walk. That's all."
"A walk..." her mother repeated, drawing the word out with obvious mockery. "Right. A walk."
"Yeah, that. I'll be back in a—"
"I followed you the other day."
Hearing that, Mary felt like time had come to a complete stop.
"I saw you," her mother went on, finishing off the bottle of liquor in one gulp. "Saw you climbing the stairs, hanging all over that boy. Saw the two of you go into his apartment together, all cozy."
"…"
"So don't give me any of this walk crap. I'm not an idiot."
