Maybe Happily Ever After✔️

38. We'll figure it out

"What the hell are we gonna do?" Gen said with a slight panic in her voice.

I shrugged placing my phone in my back pocket. "I don't know."

She paced along the boardwalk, moving past me and coming back and forth.

"We'll figure it out," I reassured her.

"I can't believe her." She paused. "No, wait...I can."

"It's just like her empty threats. It'll all blow over." Even I wasn't convinced.

She stopped moving and looked at me. "Maya, you and I both know what she's capable of. She's sick and we both know that."

I nodded remembering how Aunt Lucy had a narcissistic personality disorder. Most of her behavior was self-driven and sometimes careless. But it hadn't gotten this bad which meant she was getting worse.

She was always throwing threats and her words were malignant and made you want to go deaf.

"I know." I twisted my mouth in thought. "But she's still your mom so..."

She pursed her lips together in irritation. "I don't care. I don't want to be involved with her. I don't want her to be involved in my life."

"Gen—"

"No, I'm serious!" She exclaimed interrupting me. "She tried to get into your account and take your money. She'd do much worse to me."

"I'm on her taxes. She's my biological guardian. And even though I'm technically an adult, I don't have any real power. No money, nothing."

Her face was reddening and she shook her hands panicking. "I mean I'm stuck with her. I've nowhere else to go." I could hear the panic in her voice and she looked as though she was about to cry. "I can't stay in that house. Not with her and...Gary. I mean, I know I'm technically in school most of the year, but..." Her voice got caught in her throat and stopped completely.

I pulled her closer to me and wrapped her arms around me. She rested her head on my chest and my hand moved in small circles on her lower back.

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," I whispered into her ear. "I don't know what we're gonna do. But I'm not gonna let you get stuck with her. We'll figure this out, okay?"

"Ok." She mumbled lowly.

"We're gonna be alright."

I rested my chin on her head and took a small breath.

I hadn't been there for Gen for a long time. We were distant for so long. And that was mainly my fault. But now I couldn't just leave her.

I didn't know what the hell I was going to do. But I wasn't going to just let Aunt Lucy get away with whatever she was planning.

I just had to figure out how to get Gen removed from her.

Ben probably knew the logistics of that. Maybe even Sean knew since he was a poli sci major.

We pulled away from our hug and I gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Let's just enjoy the beach today."

She nodded.

"Just be on alert if she calls you or if she mentions that she's here."

We both walked down the wooden walkway and made our way to the sand.

I noticed that Will was sitting on my blanket and the closer we got I realized they had gotten us burgers and fries.